Taimanov Attack - Bg5 in Benoni & KID

Taimanov Attack

Definition

The Taimanov Attack is a system for White characterised by an early Bg5 against Black’s fianchetto set–ups, most famously in the Modern Benoni (ECO A67) and, to a lesser extent, the King’s Indian Defence. It is named after the Soviet grandmaster and concert pianist Mark Taimanov (1936-2016), who employed the line throughout the 1950s–70s to great effect.

Typical Move-Order (Modern Benoni)

The quintessential tabiya arises after:

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Bg5 …

The bishop pins the knight on f6, preparing e2-e4 and sometimes f2-f4, while discouraging …g7-g6 due to ideas of Bxf6 followed by e4-e5. In the King’s Indian a similar structure appears after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bg5.

Strategic Themes

Central Grip: By pinning the f6-knight White delays …e7-e6 or …e7-e5 and often plants a pawn on e4 or e5.
Pressure on the Queenside: In the Benoni, combining Bg5 with a later a4 and Nd2-c4 targets b6 and d6.
Flexible Pawn Storm: Should Black castle short, f2-f4-f5 is a typical attacking lever once the f6-knight is exchanged.
Piece Play: White frequently re-routes the knight via d2–c4–b5 or d2–f1–e3, exploiting the weakened dark-squares.

Historical Significance

Taimanov introduced the idea of Bg5 at a time when the Modern Benoni was considered perfectly sound. His games forced theoreticians to reassess critical lines, and the variation remains one of the most testing approaches even today. Notably, World Champions such as Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, and Viswanathan Anand have all adopted the setup with success.

Model Game

A short illustrative miniature showing the strategic bite of the pin:

[[Pgn| 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Bg5 g6 7.e4 Bg7 8.f4 O-O 9.e5 Re8 10.Be2 dxe5 11.fxe5 Rxe5 12.Nf3 Re8 13.O-O Nbd7 14.Qd2 a6 15.a4| fen|| arrows|g5f6,f4f5| squares|e5,d6]]

Interesting Facts & Anecdotes

Mark Taimanov often multitasked between concert grand pianos and grandmaster preparation. He once quipped that the delicate touch required for Chopin helped him find the finesse 6.Bg5! over the board.
The line served as Kasparov’s surprise weapon against John Nunn in Wijk aan Zee 1981, scoring a crushing win that sent the variation into theoretical headlines.
Modern engines confirm Taimanov’s intuition: after 6.Bg5, Black must tread carefully; casual …g7-g6 can already yield a lasting plus for White.