Prepare against Joel Benjamin
GM · United States · World #844 classical · FIDE ID 2000091
Our database contains 2,037 games by Joel Benjamin, covering Apr 2003 to Aug 2026. Below you'll find Joel Benjamin's most-played openings with White and Black, career performance record, notable wins and top events — everything you need to scout Joel Benjamin before a game. You can open the same data in the free interactive preparation workstation, which builds a move-by-move opening tree from every game.
Ratings
| Time control | Current | Peak | Peak date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | 2,467 | 2,589 | Apr 2003 |
| Rapid | 2,428 | 2,473 | Dec 2024 |
| Blitz | 2,520 | 2,561 | Dec 2024 |
Performance record
| Split | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 2,037 | 888 | 784 | 363 | 43.6% |
| As White | 1,021 | 522 | 354 | 144 | 51.1% |
| As Black | 1,016 | 366 | 430 | 219 | 36.0% |
Move-by-move preparation stats
Straight from the preparation tree built over all of Joel Benjamin's games — the same tree the interactive prep board lets you walk to any depth. Scores are from Joel Benjamin's side.
First moves as White (1,021 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| e4 | 614 | 60.1% | 68.5% |
| d4 | 284 | 27.8% | 70.1% |
| Nf3 | 58 | 5.7% | 67.2% |
| c4 | 55 | 5.4% | 66.4% |
| g3 | 6 | 0.6% | 33.3% |
| Nc3 | 2 | 0.2% | 75.0% |
Main lines as White
- 1.e4 — 60% of White games, 68.5% score
- …c5 (42% of these games) — Benjamin usually continues Nf3 (70.8% score)
- …e5 (24% of these games) — Benjamin usually continues Nf3 (68.7% score)
- …e6 (13% of these games) — Benjamin usually continues d4 (69.4% score)
- 1.d4 — 28% of White games, 70.1% score
- …Nf6 (72% of these games) — Benjamin usually continues c4 (70.3% score)
- …d5 (18% of these games) — Benjamin usually continues c4 (75.0% score)
- …e6 (4% of these games) — Benjamin usually continues c4 (64.3% score)
As Black against 1.e4 (426 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| c5 | 184 | 43.2% | 61.1% |
| e5 | 99 | 23.2% | 50.0% |
| g6 | 47 | 11.0% | 59.6% |
| c6 | 35 | 8.2% | 52.9% |
| d6 | 17 | 4.0% | 64.7% |
| e6 | 17 | 4.0% | 50.0% |
As Black against 1.d4 (401 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 340 | 84.8% | 56.6% |
| d6 | 43 | 10.7% | 57.0% |
| d5 | 8 | 2.0% | 50.0% |
| g6 | 6 | 1.5% | 50.0% |
| e6 | 3 | 0.7% | 33.3% |
Joel Benjamin's chess games
All 2,037 games by Joel Benjamin in the Chess.ceo database (Apr 2003 - Aug 2026) are free to browse, search and replay: filter by opening, opponent, event or date on the player page, or step through any game on the analysis board. Record: 888 wins, 784 draws, 363 losses.
Openings as White
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B50 | Sicilian | 106 | 62/31/13 | 58.5% |
| E12 | Queen's Indian Defense | 41 | 19/14/8 | 46.3% |
| A46 | Indian Defense | 41 | 17/18/6 | 41.5% |
| B31 | Sicilian: Rossolimo | 32 | 21/7/4 | 65.6% |
| A57 | Benoni Defense | 31 | 19/9/3 | 61.3% |
| B44 | English Opening | 30 | 14/14/2 | 46.7% |
| C02 | French: Advance Variation | 28 | 13/10/5 | 46.4% |
| C06 | French: Tarrasch Variation | 25 | 13/8/4 | 52.0% |
| C92 | Ruy Lopez: Closed | 25 | 10/8/7 | 40.0% |
| C77 | Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense | 25 | 14/9/2 | 56.0% |
Openings as Black
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B44 | Sicilian | 101 | 41/37/23 | 40.6% |
| A46 | Indian Defense | 77 | 32/32/13 | 41.6% |
| B06 | Modern Defense | 56 | 24/19/13 | 42.9% |
| E15 | Queen's Indian Defense | 50 | 15/25/10 | 30.0% |
| A21 | English Opening: Reverse Sicilian | 43 | 20/14/9 | 46.5% |
| A17 | English Opening | 41 | 12/23/6 | 29.3% |
| E11 | Bogo-Indian Defense | 32 | 9/18/5 | 28.1% |
| E32 | Nimzo-Indian: Classical Variation | 31 | 11/12/8 | 35.5% |
| B07 | Pirc Defense | 28 | 13/11/4 | 46.4% |
| A07 | Réti Opening | 27 | 9/11/7 | 33.3% |
Notable wins
| Date | Opponent | Elo | Event | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2021 | Gawain C B Maroroa Jones | 2,670 | Bunratty Online | E66 |
| Feb 2017 | Bassem Amin | 2,666 | PRO League Stage | C77 |
| Nov 1997 | Peter Svidler | 2,660 | 4th WchT | C78 |
| Jan 1993 | Evgeny Bareev | 2,660 | Groningen PCA | E38 |
| Mar 2001 | Jun Xu | 2,655 | USA-CHN Summit | B93 |
Top events
| Event | Year | Games | Score | TPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ch-USA | 2013 | 226 | 126 | 2,577 |
| New York Open | 2000 | 107 | 70.5 | 2,600 |
| USA tt | 2015 | 73 | 45 | 2,561 |
| USA-chT Amateur East | 2013 | 52 | 47.5 | 2,569 |
| ch-USA Seniors | 2025 | 45 | 22 | 2,481 |
| Lone Pine Open Louis D. Statham Masters | 1981 | 26 | 10.5 | 2,378 |
| WchT Seniors 50 | 2020 | 22 | 15.5 | 2,511 |
| Harvard Cup | 1995 | 20 | 17 | – |
Frequent opponents
Head-to-head records: Dmitry Gurevich (30 games) · Nick De Firmian (28 games) · Sergey Kudrin (26 games) · Alexander Shabalov (26 games) · John Fedorowicz (25 games) · Alexander Ivanov (24 games) · Gregory Kaidanov (22 games) · Maxim Dlugy (20 games)
Interactive opening tree from all 2,037 games, weak-spot detection and engine analysis.
Start preparationFrequently asked questions
Where can I find Joel Benjamin's chess games?
2,037 games by Joel Benjamin, from Apr 2003 to Aug 2026, are free to browse and replay move by move — no signup needed. The preparation view groups them into an opening tree showing every line Joel Benjamin has played.
What does Joel Benjamin play on the first move as White?
Across 1,021 games with White in our database, Joel Benjamin opens with 1.e4 (60% of games), 1.d4 (28% of games), 1.Nf3 (6% of games). Against 1.e4 as Black, Joel Benjamin answers 1...c5 (43% of games), 1...e5 (23% of games), 1...g6 (11% of games). Against 1.d4: 1...Nf6 (85% of games), 1...d6 (11% of games), 1...d5 (2% of games).
What openings does Joel Benjamin play as White?
As White, Joel Benjamin's most-played openings in our database are: Sicilian (106 games, 58.5% win rate); Queen's Indian Defense (41 games, 46.3% win rate); Indian Defense (41 games, 41.5% win rate). The full breakdown of 1,021 games with White is in the table above.
What openings does Joel Benjamin play as Black?
As Black, Joel Benjamin most often plays: Sicilian (101 games, 40.6% win rate); Indian Defense (77 games, 41.6% win rate); Modern Defense (56 games, 42.9% win rate). See the table above for the top ten Black openings across 1,016 games.
What is Joel Benjamin's FIDE rating?
Joel Benjamin is currently rated 2,467 in classical chess, 2,428 in rapid and 2,520 in blitz. Peak classical rating: 2,589 (Apr 2003).
How many games has Joel Benjamin played?
Our database contains 2,037 games by Joel Benjamin, covering Apr 2003 to Aug 2026. Overall record: 888 wins, 784 draws, 363 losses (43.6% win rate).
How do I prepare against Joel Benjamin?
2,037 games by Joel Benjamin reveal their opening repertoire, most-played lines, and the variations where they score worst — the raw material for targeted preparation. The interactive opening tree lets you walk every line to any depth.