The Benko Gambit arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 (ECO A57). Black sacrifices the b5 pawn to open the a- and b-files on the queenside and obtain lasting positional pressure.
The compensation here is positional rather than tactical: the rooks and the bishop on g7 lean on White's queenside, and that pressure persists even into the endgame. For the pawn Black gets remarkably comfortable, easy-to-play chess.
The gambit is named both after Pal Benko and after the river Volga (the name «Volga Gambit» took hold in the Soviet school). It is one of the most respected gambits there is - a positional pawn sacrifice with a long initiative.
Set it up on the board, move the pieces around and copy the FEN - or open the full walkthrough of the opening in a separate article.
Drag a piece onto the board, or click a piece and then click the squares. The cross beside the pieces sweeps every piece of that colour off the board, and a single piece can be dragged off the edge.
The pieces will be arranged into the chosen pattern.
It is the mating side to move. Find mate in one.
Openings, endgame positions and breakthrough studies - the set-up appears on the board.
Build your own position in the board editor, read up on the rules of chess or run a tournament on your own positions in the free app.
The Vibe Chess app opens from a link and needs no installation. Setting up a tournament takes a minute: pick the system, set the date, the venue and the time control - the app handles the rest.
for a large field: opponents are matched by score, you choose the number of rounds
for a small circle: everyone plays everyone, the round count follows from the field
no rounds, no pairings: players sign up and pick opponents at the table
Sign up to the Vibe Chess bot on Telegram - it carries the schedule of meetups and chess events across the cities we run in.
