Benoni Defense: Old Benoni: what should White play?

In the Old Benoni (ECO A43), reached after the central clash on the c-file and d-file, White holds a comfortable territorial advantage. The engine recommends e4 (+0.71), establishing a classical pawn center and blunting Black's counterplay. While played in 17.2% of games (1.32M recorded), it offers White an active path forward compared to the standard setup.

The Strategic Value of e4

By pushing e4, White claims immediate spatial control and opens avenues for kingside development. In this branch, White scores 51.0% from 1.32M recorded outings. The engine's preferred continuation runs e4 Nf6 Bd3 g6 c4 Bg7, where White fortifies the central wedge before reinforcing it with c4.

The Dominant Classical Approach: c4

The vast majority of players select c4, which appears in 69.1% of games (5.29M recorded) with an engine evaluation of +0.62. This move clamps down on the d5 outpost and scores 51.5% for White. The engine illustrates this plan with c4 g6 e4 e6 h3 Bg7, transposing into familiar Benoni structures where White maintains a space advantage behind a broad pawn front.

Alternative Knight Developments

Developing moves like Nc3 and Nf3 provide flexible setups without immediately committing the pawns. Evaluated at +0.63, Nc3 boasts a 54.7% score across 791K recorded games, with the illustrative continuation Nc3 e6 e4 Nf6 Bb5+ Bd7. Meanwhile, Nf3 scores 50.8% across 253K recorded games (+0.66 evaluation), meeting counterplay in lines such as Nf3 Nf6 c4 a6 Nc3 b5. Both options secure steady positions while delaying commitments in the pawn structure.