taking with the pawn or with the knight

The position after Black's 8th move, I'm not sure what Stockfish is doing
I first ran it with a mutli pval of 3 and it took a while, but eventually it said that Bf4 was 0.15 better than f4 and it gave Bf4 Qa4 Bd2 Qa6 (I think)
Later, I ran it for a while with a multi pval of 1, and it has f4 as best

What's wrong with Bf4 Qa5+ Bd2 @tpr ? Initiative stays white and the bishop is developed.

I said something wrong before, I said that the pawn on d5 is bad for Black
This is however, standard for Black in the Benoni
My understanding is that the pawn on d5 is still not good for Black in the Benoni, but rather that Black accepts it because of the attacking chances that the Benoni gives
So I think it would have been better for me to say that "everything else being equal, the pawn on d5 is not good for Black"

"There are differences whether you play for short-time effects or long-term advantages (structure).
Accumulate or plunder?"
I read a fascinating thing recently
It was that there are all sorts of advantages in chess, and these advantages have varying durations, and that a material advantage is the most durable advantage, because you can never lose it unless there is an exchange of pieces

I suppose that this is obvious to better players, but I found it helpful/insightful

#12 @lecw 9 Bf4 Qa5+ 10 Bd2 Qc7 failed to dislodge Ne5 from its outpost. It seems that the move ...Qc7 is more beneficial to black than the move Bd2 is to white.

#14 @bracenoodle A material advantage is not always durable. Some gambits and positional sacrifices give such compensation, that the pressure necessitates to give back the material, sometimes with interest, to avoid checkmate. In a certain sense an advantage in pawn structure is the most durable, as pawns cannot go backward. That does not mean pawn structure or material advantage are the sure path to winning. It only forces the opponent to play dynamically for a win in the middlegame, as the endgame will be lost. If you are bound to lose in the long term, you must play for the short term whether you want or not.

@tpr
I am amazed that you believe pawn structure is more durable than material advantage

"Some gambits and positional sacrifices give such compensation, that the pressure necessitates to give back the material, sometimes with interest, to avoid checkmate"
Are you kidding me
You post something obvious and irrelevant

"Bf4 Qa5+ 10 Bd2 Qc7 failed to dislodge Ne5 from its outpost. It seems that the move ...Qc7 is more beneficial to black than the move Bd2 is to white"
In a disagreement between you and Stockfish I know whose side I will be taking

Thanks for your detailed analysis (and game example)
Words of encouragement brighten my day!

On note #10 there is a rule I don't understand:
"White does better keep the knights on the board to capitalise on the central advantage. "
So if a player has a central advantage, why is this good to keep the knights on the board?
Both white and black knights would keep an eye on d5 / e4 squares ? Aren't both knights accomplishing their mission for central control?

@Tyrock with respect to "White does better keep the knights on the board to capitalise on the central advantage"
You are asking for simple advice and he says that, I'm not even sure that assertion is correct, I have doubts about many of tpr's assertions
I think you should just ignore that sentence

I think many of these principles are too vague or have too many exceptions
Yes, rapid development is a good thing, but to say "don't touch a piece twice in the opening", it's too dogmatic
In my view "don't touch a piece twice in the opening" is a dubious principle, and "look to develop rapidly" is a good principle
Also worth noting the situations when these principles apply more strongly or more weakly
In open positions, especially gambits, developing slowly can easily be fatal
But in closed positions rapid development is less crucial

#17 In the line given black has a pawn majority on the queen's side. This means the pawns' endgame after exchanging all of the pieces is a win for black, as black can create a distant passed pawn. This means white is better off not exchanging knights in that position. Hence cxd5 and not Nxd5 Nxd5 cxd5. Yes both knights are accomplishing their role. But the white Nc3 shields against ...Qa5+. The black Nf6 stands in the way of the development Nb8-d7-f6.

Thanks!
So Nc3 is accomplishing quite a great job: control of central squares and shield from queen checks whereas the other knight is hampering black development. Clear!