visayanbraindoctor: The Case for the Capablanca Benoni
The Modern Benoni, which, is quite different from the Old Benoni strategically speaking and thus represents a totally new opening, should be re-named into the Capablanca Benoni (or the Capablanca System or the Capablanca Opening or the Capablanca Game) in recognition of his role in its founding and development from both sides of the board.
Capablanca vs Janowski, 1924 (New York 1924)
This is the first known Modern Benoni game, although it is with colors in reverse. Capablanca plays it perfectly, advancing his pawn to his QB5 square, from his point of view as the Benoni player, and posting his Knight on his QB4 square. Once he has a stranglehold on the Queenside, he attacks the Kingside, taking advantage of the holes in his opponent's position. This is precisely the textbook way of playing the Modern Benoni.
Alekhine vs Capablanca, 1927 (Round 5 New York 1927)
This is often classified as a Queen's Indian Defense because it initially began that way. However, it transposes to a Modern Benoni set-up wherein White does not push e4. In fact Capablanca treats it as a Modern Benoni. As in the first known Modern Benoni game above, Capablanca pushes his pawn to his QB5 square from his point of view as Black, and posts Knight on his QB4 square.
Capablanca vs Marshall, 1927 (Round 11 New York 1927)
Marshall was apparently impressed by Capablanca's Benoni games. Since Marshall also participated in New York 1924, he certainly saw Capablanca crushing Janowski. He again saw Capablanca demolishing Alekhine in Round 5, using the same opening set-up. Probably hoping for success by employing some reverse psychology, that Capa would be uncomfortable in playing against the same opening system that he pioneered, Marshall must have studied and prepared the same opening against its founder. This was already in Round 11, and Capa had employed the Benoni against Alekhine back in round 5, giving Marshall ample time to study it. Perhaps Marshall was already intrigued by it even way back in New York 1924. Good for Marshall as he managed to draw Capablanca with the Benoni in this game, the only game he managed to draw against the Cuban. He lost his other three games to Capa in New York 1927. In this game Capa introduces the idea of occupying the c4 square with his Knight before his opponent occupies it with his pawn (the Knight maneuver Nf3 - Nd2 - Nc4).
Nimzowitsch vs Marshall, 1927 (Round 17 New York)
Marshall, probably buoyed with his success with the Benoni against Capa himself, once again uses it, against Nimzowitsch this time in Round 17. Unfortunately for Marshall, and the Benoni, Nimzo came in prepared as well. Nimzo copied Capa's strategy of occupying the c4 square with his Knight in his previous Round 11 game with Marshall, but completely surprised Marshall by doing so immediately early in the opening, thus inaugurating the so-called Knight's Tour. Even in the 1920s, a game played among top masters would frequently end in a massacre whenever one of the contestants got out-prepared. In brief, Nimzo out-prepped Marshall and consequently blew him off the board. Unfortunately, for the Benoni, Nimzo's total squashing of Marshall in this game utterly destroyed the Benoni's reputation for decades.
Notwithstanding the above, the Benoni still remains a viable opening and can still be seen in the games of top level masters, and even in World Championship Matches, the most notable recent game being Leko vs Kramnik, 2004. Another notable World Championship game that employed the Modern Benoni is Spassky vs Fischer, 1972. It can be quite deadly at chess club levels.
Note that Capablanca not only founded the Benoni, he was also instrumental in introducing an accepted way to play against it, the Knight maneuver Nd2 later followed by Nc4. He was in the cutting edge of the Benoni opening technology at its founding on both sides of the board in the 1920s; and in the most important tournaments at that time and against the strongest of players.
In conclusion the Modern Benoni should properly be re-named the Capablanca System or the Capablanca Opening or the Capablanca Game or the Capablanca Benoni.
(As an addendum, the Modern Benoni's most important offshoot, the Benko Gambit, has a pawn structure that was first employed by none other than Capablanca himself, ironically against the very master who first squashed the Modern Benoni in a tournament game, Nimzowitsch. The following is the first known Benko-type game, again played with textbook perfection by Capablanca: Nimzowitsch vs Capablanca, 1914)
