Benoni Defense: Old Benoni: what should Black play?

In the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Black faces an immediate central challenge against White's pawn on d4. The predominant and engine-recommended choice is cxd4, which immediately resolves the central tension and equalizes the evaluation to -0.12. By capturing on d4, Black prevents White from establishing a space-gaining pawn wedge and opens avenues for rapid piece development.

The Strategic Value of cxd4

Taking the pawn with cxd4 is by far the most established path, appearing in 79.8% of recorded games (10M recorded). It avoids allowing White to push forward with a spatial bind and yields a White scoring rate of 48.2%. In the engine's primary continuation, play proceeds with cxd4 Qxd4 Nc6 Qa4 d6 e4, where Black gains time against the queen on d4 to develop natural minor-piece coordination.

Main Alternatives for Black

Players seeking different structures occasionally defer the capture. The second most frequent option is e6, tried in 12.0% of games (1.53M recorded), which carries an evaluation of +0.36 and leads toward lines like e6 e4 cxd4 Nxd4 Nc6 Nc3. Black may also contest the center directly with d5 (2.8% of games, 353K recorded, evaluated at +0.25), transposing toward Queen's Gambit style structures via d5 c4 e6 cxd5 exd5 g3, where White scores 51.5%.

Flank Setups and Space Sacrifices

Other less frequent moves allow White the opportunity to seize territory. Developing with Nf6 (4.0% of games, 505K recorded, evaluated at +0.62) permits an immediate spatial advance via Nf6 d5 b5 e4 Nxe4 Bd3. Similarly, the kingside fianchetto setup g6 (1.5% of games, 193K recorded, evaluated at +0.75) invites the central push in g6 d5 Bg7 e4 Nf6 Nc3, leaving White with a durable central space advantage.