The Benko Gambit Revealed (Paperback)

by Neil McDonald (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Benko Gambit, named after the Hungarian player Pal Benko, who pioneered it, has long been a favorite opening of dynamic tournament chess players. This entertaining guide is part of a series that treats openings in a fresh new way. “First Moves” leads you through the basics as you start the gambit. “Tricks and Traps” reveals the secrets of catching out your opponent. And “What’s Hot” divulges the very latest ideas from the champions. A detailed table summarizes the main variations, with assessments.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Batsford (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0713488689
• ISBN-13: 978-0713488685
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #709,941 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent start in the Benko, May 28, 2006

By	Wallace H. Hannum "Grand Patzer" (Menlo Park, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a great place to start for players wanting to understand this gambit.

"The Benko Gambit Revealed" is a fairly quick read but has enough theory for club players to wheel out the Benko with confidence.
In particular, McDonald does a very good job of explaining the kind of compensation that black traditionally gets for the gambited pawn. One of the strongest points of this book is that the reader is taught standard tactical motifs as well as the fundamental strategic ideas. This will help the reader understand WHY certain lines are more critical than others.
As well as which ideas are more consistent with the philosophy of the opening.
Rather than demonstrating long lines, McDonald attempts to explain the unlying ideas behind the theory. This approach often leads to "feel good" books that are one-dimentional. However, McDonald does a good job of maintaining objectivity while being informative enough to keep the book from being too 'light'.

Overall, the book is a success because I think the reader comes away from this book with a terrific sense of what the Benko is about. Still, it will be necessary for stronger players to review material from other sources (such as Informator, New In Chess, etc.) in the most critical lines (e.g. Ephishin's 10.Rb1 in the fianchetto line). But for the average chess player there is ample coverage and don't worry in most lines McDonald is able to demonstate at least adequate compensation for the pawn.

Having spent years reading almost every book on the Benko available in english (and trust me, there have been quite a few) this book is the one I would recommend for players looking to start playing this system for Black. It is inspirational and informative. Be sure to pay attention through to the last chapter since that's where most of the theory is listed and serves a good transition into a more rigorious work some players will need to feel completely confortable.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than the Actual Variation, April 18, 2007

By	Richard DeCredico "Richard" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If only the Volga Gambit (aka: The Benko) were as solid as this effort from McDonald. From the genetic and in depth look at a prescient Capablanca-Nimzowitch game to the section on What's Hot at upper levels of play, this book reads better (and thus entertains more) than the average chess book. And it delivers the goods on theory as well as McDonalds culls from a healthy set of sources (as listed in the bibliography) and mixes heavier analysis with ligther sections with some nice wit and pith injected to keep us reminded that it is, after all, just a game we are playing.

Now, if only the Benko itself offered as many winning chances to Black as this books does to its audience.....

3 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great first book to study the Benko, February 23, 2005

By	J. Hardy (GA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I signed up to play a thematic tournament via email. The theme is the Benko Gambit Declined. Since I'm a beginner at chess my library is rather poor. This book has helped me discover the many interesting variations involved with this opening. The commentary is really simple to follow. Great book.