Joachim Sieglen

The Wolga-Benkö Gambit 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 is an easy-to-learn positional gambit play, allowing Black to gain sustainable initiative on the queenside at the cost of a wing pawn. If White is not entirely sure of what to do, he can be completely overwhelmed here. Naturally, over time, setups for White have been developed to contain Black's initiative. Consequently, the popularity of the opening has declined, at least at the world-class level. However, recently a sharp sequence of moves for Black has been discovered that can make life difficult for White again: Black plays in the main line (after 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6) g6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.e4 O-O 8.Nf3 Qb5 and postpones ...Bxa6 until he can recapture with the queen after White plays axb6, forcing a favorable queen exchange for himself. If White does not exchange bishops, Black also has the idea of ...Qb4!?. The ball is now back in White's court.