diff --git a/examples/benchmarks/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/examples/benchmarks/.github/workflows/tests.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..89136858
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/benchmarks/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+name: Tests
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: ["main"]
+  pull_request:
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+
+      - uses: aiken-lang/setup-aiken@v0.1.0
+        with:
+          version: v1
+
+      - run: aiken fmt --check
+      - run: aiken check -D
+      - run: aiken build
diff --git a/examples/benchmarks/.gitignore b/examples/benchmarks/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ff7811b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/benchmarks/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# Aiken compilation artifacts
+artifacts/
+# Aiken's project working directory
+build/
+# Aiken's default documentation export
+docs/
diff --git a/examples/benchmarks/README.md b/examples/benchmarks/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3564414e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/benchmarks/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+# benchmarks
+
+Write validators in the `validators` folder, and supporting functions in the `lib` folder using `.ak` as a file extension.
+
+For example, as `validators/always_true.ak`
+
+```gleam
+validator {
+  fn spend(_datum: Data, _redeemer: Data, _context: Data) -> Bool {
+    True
+  }
+}
+```
+
+## Building
+
+```sh
+aiken build
+```
+
+## Testing
+
+You can write tests in any module using the `test` keyword. For example:
+
+```gleam
+test foo() {
+  1 + 1 == 2
+}
+```
+
+To run all tests, simply do:
+
+```sh
+aiken check
+```
+
+To run only tests matching the string `foo`, do:
+
+```sh
+aiken check -m foo
+```
+
+## Documentation
+
+If you're writing a library, you might want to generate an HTML documentation for it.
+
+Use:
+
+```sh
+aiken docs
+```
+
+## Resources
+
+Find more on the [Aiken's user manual](https://aiken-lang.org).
diff --git a/examples/benchmarks/aiken.lock b/examples/benchmarks/aiken.lock
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0a72eb3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/benchmarks/aiken.lock
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# This file was generated by Aiken
+# You typically do not need to edit this file
+
+[[requirements]]
+name = "aiken-lang/stdlib"
+version = "1.7.0"
+source = "github"
+
+[[packages]]
+name = "aiken-lang/stdlib"
+version = "1.7.0"
+requirements = []
+source = "github"
+
+[etags]
diff --git a/examples/benchmarks/aiken.toml b/examples/benchmarks/aiken.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7223d60f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/benchmarks/aiken.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+name = "aiken/benchmarks"
+version = "0.0.0"
+license = "Apache-2.0"
+description = "Aiken contracts for project 'aiken/benchmarks'"
+
+[repository]
+user = "aiken"
+project = "benchmarks"
+platform = "github"
+
+[[dependencies]]
+name = "aiken-lang/stdlib"
+version = "1.7.0"
+source = "github"
diff --git a/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights.ak b/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights.ak
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d99b2ec8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights.ak
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+use aiken/list
+use benchmarks/knights/heuristic.{descendants, finished_tour, start_tour}
+use benchmarks/knights/types.{ChessSet, Solution}
+use benchmarks/queue.{
+  Queue, append_all_front, append_front, create_queue, head, is_empty,
+  remove_front, to_list,
+}
+
+test run_knights0() {
+  run_knights(0, 0) == []
+}
+
+test run_knights1() {
+  run_knights(2, 2) == []
+}
+
+fn run_knights(depth: Int, board_size: Int) -> Solution {
+  depth_search(depth, root(board_size), grow, is_fin) |> to_list
+}
+
+fn depth_search(
+  depth: Int,
+  queue: Queue<a>,
+  grow_fn: fn(a) -> List<a>,
+  fin_fn: fn(a) -> Bool,
+) -> Queue<a> {
+  if depth == 0 || is_empty(queue) {
+    create_queue()
+  } else if fin_fn(head(queue)) {
+    depth_search(depth - 1, remove_front(queue), grow_fn, fin_fn)
+      |> append_front(head(queue))
+  } else {
+    append_all_front(remove_front(queue), grow_fn(head(queue)))
+      |> depth_search(depth - 1, _, grow_fn, fin_fn)
+  }
+}
+
+fn root(sze: Int) -> Queue<(Int, ChessSet)> {
+  append_all_front(create_queue(), mk_starts(sze))
+}
+
+fn mk_starts(sze: Int) -> List<(Int, ChessSet)> {
+  let x_list = interval(1, sze)
+  let y_list = interval(1, sze)
+
+  let l = x_list |> list.map2(y_list, fn(a, b) { start_tour((a, b), sze) })
+  let length = list.length(l)
+
+  list.repeat(1 - length, length) |> list.zip(l)
+}
+
+fn interval(a: Int, b: Int) -> List<Int> {
+  if a > b {
+    []
+  } else {
+    [a, ..interval(a + 1, b)]
+  }
+}
+
+fn grow(item: (Int, ChessSet)) -> List<(Int, ChessSet)> {
+  let (x, y) = item
+
+  let const_item = x + 1
+  descendants(y) |> list.map(fn(list_item) { (const_item, list_item) })
+}
+
+fn is_fin(item: (Int, ChessSet)) -> Bool {
+  let (_, y) = item
+
+  finished_tour(y)
+}
diff --git a/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights/chess_set.ak b/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights/chess_set.ak
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4ff445e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights/chess_set.ak
@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+use aiken/builtin
+use aiken/list
+use benchmarks/knights/types.{ChessSet, Tile}
+
+pub fn create_board(size: Int, init_square: Tile) -> ChessSet {
+  ChessSet {
+    size,
+    move_number: 1,
+    start: Some(init_square),
+    visited: [init_square],
+  }
+}
+
+pub fn add_piece(board: ChessSet, tile: Tile) -> ChessSet {
+  // record update
+  ChessSet {
+    ..board,
+    move_number: board.move_number + 1,
+    visited: [tile, ..board.visited],
+  }
+}
+
+pub fn first_piece(board: ChessSet) -> Tile {
+  expect Some(tile) = board.start
+  tile
+}
+
+pub fn delete_first(board: ChessSet) -> ChessSet {
+  let visited = board.visited
+
+  expect Some(deleted_first) = list.init(visited)
+
+  ChessSet { ..board, start: second_last(visited), visited: deleted_first }
+}
+
+pub fn second_last(visited: List<a>) -> Option<a> {
+  when visited is {
+    [] -> None
+    [_, ..rest] -> {
+      let value = second_last(rest)
+
+      if value == None {
+        if builtin.null_list(rest) {
+          None
+        } else {
+          Some(builtin.head_list(visited))
+        }
+      } else {
+        value
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+// {-# INLINABLE createBoard #-}
+// createBoard :: Integer -> Tile -> ChessSet
+// createBoard x t = Board x 1 (Just t) [t]
+
+// {-# INLINABLE sizeBoard #-}
+// sizeBoard :: ChessSet -> Integer
+// sizeBoard (Board s _ _ _) = s
+
+// {-# INLINABLE noPieces #-}
+// noPieces :: ChessSet -> Integer
+// noPieces (Board _ n _ _) = n
+
+// {-# INLINABLE addPiece #-}
+// addPiece :: Tile -> ChessSet -> ChessSet
+// addPiece t (Board s n f ts) = Board s (n+1) f (t:ts)
+
+// -- % Remove the last element from a list
+// {-# INLINABLE init #-}
+// init :: [a] -> [a]
+// init l = case reverse l of
+//            _:as -> reverse as
+//            []   -> Tx.error ()
+
+// {-# INLINABLE secondLast #-}
+// secondLast :: [a] -> Maybe a
+// secondLast l =
+//     case reverse l of
+//       []    -> Tx.error ()
+//       [_]   -> Nothing
+//       _:a:_ -> Just a
+
+// {-%  Note [deleteFirst].
+//     deleteFirst removes the first position from the tour.
+//     Since the sequence of positions (ts) is stored in reverse this involves
+//     deleting the last element of ts and also storing the second-last element of
+//     ts as the new starting position.  In the strict world this will *fail* if the
+//     length of ts is 1.  The lazy version got away with this because the starting
+//     position is never examined in that case (possibly just through luck: with
+//     enough backtracking that might still happen).  To solve this we have to store
+//     the starting position as a Maybe value, deferring any error until we actually
+//     look at it.
+// %-}
+
+// {-# INLINABLE deleteFirst #-}
+// deleteFirst :: ChessSet -> ChessSet
+// deleteFirst (Board s n _ ts) =
+//     Board s (n-1) f' ts'
+//         where ts' = init ts
+//               f' = secondLast ts
+
+// {-# INLINABLE positionPiece #-}
+// positionPiece :: Integer -> ChessSet -> Tile
+// positionPiece x (Board _ n _ ts) = ts Tx.!! (n - x)
+
+// {-# INLINABLE lastPiece #-}
+// lastPiece :: ChessSet -> Tile
+// lastPiece (Board _ _ _ (t:_)) = t
+// lastPiece _                   = Tx.error ()
+
+// {-# INLINABLE firstPiece #-}
+// firstPiece :: ChessSet -> Tile
+// firstPiece (Board _ _ f _) =
+//     case f of Just tile -> tile
+//               Nothing   -> Tx.error ()
+
+// {-# INLINABLE pieceAtTile #-}
+// pieceAtTile :: Tile -> ChessSet -> Integer
+// pieceAtTile x0 (Board _ _ _ ts)
+//    = findPiece x0 ts
+//      where
+//         findPiece _ [] = Tx.error ()
+//         findPiece x (y:xs)
+//            | x == y    = 1 + Tx.length xs
+//            | otherwise = findPiece x xs
+
+// {-# INLINABLE notIn #-}
+// notIn :: Eq a => a  -> [a] -> Bool
+// notIn _ []     = True
+// notIn x (a:as) = (x /= a) && (notIn x as)
+
+// {-# INLINABLE isSquareFree #-}
+// isSquareFree :: Tile -> ChessSet -> Bool
+// isSquareFree x (Board _ _ _ ts) = notIn x ts
+
+// -- % Everything below here is only needed for printing boards.
+// -- % This is useful for debugging.
+
+// instance Haskell.Show ChessSet where
+//    showsPrec _ (Board sze n _ ts)
+//       = Haskell.showString (printBoard sze sortedTrail 1)
+//         where sortedTrail = quickSort (assignMoveNo ts sze n)
+
+// assignMoveNo :: [Tile] -> Integer -> Integer -> [Tile]
+// assignMoveNo [] _ _
+//    = []
+// assignMoveNo ((x,y):t) size z
+//    = (((y-1)*size)+x,z):assignMoveNo t size (z-1)
+
+// printBoard :: Integer -> [Tile] -> Integer -> Haskell.String
+// printBoard s [] n
+//    | (n  > (s*s))   = ""
+//    | ((n `Haskell.mod` s) /=0)= "*"++(spaces (s*s) 1) ++(printBoard s [] (n+1))
+//    | ((n `Haskell.mod` s) ==0)= "*\n"                 ++(printBoard s [] (n+1))
+// printBoard s trail@((i,j):xs) n
+//    | (i==n) &&
+//      ((n `Haskell.mod` s) ==0) = (Haskell.show j)++"\n"++(printBoard s xs (n+1))
+//    | (i==n) &&
+//      ((n `Haskell.mod` s) /=0)= (Haskell.show j)++(spaces (s*s) j)++(printBoard s xs    (n+1))
+//    | ((n `Haskell.mod` s) /=0)= "*"     ++(spaces (s*s) 1)++(printBoard s trail (n+1))
+//    | ((n `Haskell.mod` s) ==0)= "*\n"                     ++(printBoard s trail (n+1))
+// printBoard _ _ _ = "?"
+
+// spaces :: Integer -> Integer -> Haskell.String
+// spaces s y =
+//     take' ((logTen s) - (logTen y) + 1) [' ',' '..]
+//         where
+//           logTen :: Integer -> Integer
+//           logTen 0 = 0
+//           logTen x = 1 + logTen (x `Haskell.div` 10)
diff --git a/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights/heuristic.ak b/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights/heuristic.ak
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f736cd32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights/heuristic.ak
@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+use aiken/builtin
+use aiken/list
+use benchmarks/knights/chess_set.{add_piece, create_board, first_piece}
+use benchmarks/knights/sort.{quick_sort}
+use benchmarks/knights/types.{ChessSet, Tile}
+
+pub fn start_tour(st: Tile, size: Int) -> ChessSet {
+  expect 0 = builtin.remainder_integer(size, 2)
+
+  create_board(size, st)
+}
+
+pub fn finished_tour(board: ChessSet) -> Bool {
+  let ChessSet { move_number, size, .. } = board
+
+  move_number == size * size && can_jump_first(board)
+}
+
+pub fn descendants(board: ChessSet) -> List<ChessSet> {
+  if and {
+    can_jump_first(board),
+    board
+      |> add_piece(first_piece(board))
+      |> dead_end,
+  } {
+    []
+  } else {
+    let singles = single_descend(board)
+
+    when singles is {
+      [] -> board |> desc_and_no |> quick_sort |> list.map(builtin.snd_pair)
+      [_] -> singles
+      _ ->
+        []
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+pub fn can_jump_first(board: ChessSet) -> Bool {
+  todo
+}
+
+pub fn dead_end(board: ChessSet) -> Bool {
+  todo
+}
+
+pub fn single_descend(board: ChessSet) -> List<ChessSet> {
+  todo
+}
+
+pub fn desc_and_no(board: ChessSet) -> List<(Int, ChessSet)> {
+  todo
+}
+
+pub fn can_move_to(board: ChessSet, tile: Tile) -> Bool {
+  todo
+}
+// data Direction = UL | UR | DL |DR | LU | LD | RU | RD
+
+// {-# INLINABLE move #-}
+// move :: Direction -> Tile -> Tile
+// move UL (x,y) = (x-1,y-2)
+// move UR (x,y) = (x+1,y-2)
+// move DL (x,y) = (x-1,y+2)
+// move DR (x,y) = (x+1,y+2)
+// move LU (x,y) = (x-2,y-1)
+// move LD (x,y) = (x-2,y+1)
+// move RU (x,y) = (x+2,y-1)
+// move RD (x,y) = (x+2,y+1)
+
+// {-# INLINABLE startTour #-}
+// startTour :: Tile -> Integer -> ChessSet
+// startTour st size
+//    | (size `Tx.remainder` 2) == 0 = createBoard size st
+//    | otherwise           = {-Tx.trace "startTour" $ -} Tx.error ()
+
+// {-# INLINABLE moveKnight #-}
+// moveKnight :: ChessSet -> Direction -> ChessSet
+// moveKnight board dir
+//    = addPiece (move dir (lastPiece board)) board
+
+// {-# INLINABLE canMove #-}
+// canMove :: ChessSet -> Direction -> Bool
+// canMove board dir
+//    = canMoveTo (move dir (lastPiece board)) board
+
+// {-# INLINABLE canMoveTo #-}
+// canMoveTo :: Tile -> ChessSet -> Bool
+// canMoveTo t@(x,y) board
+//    = (x Tx.>= 1) && (x Tx.<= sze) &&
+//      (y Tx.>= 1) && (y Tx.<= sze) &&
+//      isSquareFree t board
+//      where
+//         sze = sizeBoard board
+
+// {-# INLINABLE descendents #-}
+// descendents :: ChessSet -> [ChessSet]
+// descendents board =
+//   if (canJumpFirst board) && (deadEnd (addPiece (firstPiece board) board))
+//   then []
+//   else
+//       let l = Tx.length singles in
+//       if l == 0 then map snd (quickSort (descAndNo board))
+//       else if l == 1 then singles
+//            else []           -- Going to be dead end
+//                where
+//                  singles = singleDescend board
+
+// {-# INLINABLE singleDescend #-}
+// singleDescend :: ChessSet -> [ChessSet]
+// singleDescend board =[x | (y,x) <- descAndNo board, y==1]
+
+// {-# INLINABLE descAndNo #-}
+// descAndNo :: ChessSet -> [(Integer,ChessSet)]
+// descAndNo board
+//    = [(Tx.length (possibleMoves (deleteFirst x)),x) | x <- allDescend board]
+
+// {-# INLINABLE allDescend #-}
+// allDescend :: ChessSet -> [ChessSet]
+// allDescend board
+//    =  map (moveKnight board) (possibleMoves board)
+
+// {-# INLINABLE possibleMoves #-}
+// possibleMoves :: ChessSet -> [Direction]
+// possibleMoves board
+//    =[x | x <- [UL,UR,DL,DR,LU,LD,RU,RD], (canMove board x)]
+
+// {-# INLINABLE deadEnd #-}
+// deadEnd :: ChessSet -> Bool
+// deadEnd board = (Tx.length (possibleMoves board)) == 0
+
+// {-# INLINABLE canJumpFirst #-}
+// canJumpFirst :: ChessSet -> Bool
+// canJumpFirst board
+//   = canMoveTo (firstPiece board) (deleteFirst board)
+
+// {-# INLINABLE tourFinished #-}
+// tourFinished :: ChessSet -> Bool
+// tourFinished board
+//    = (noPieces board == (sze*sze)) && (canJumpFirst board)
+//      where
+//         sze = sizeBoard board
diff --git a/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights/sort.ak b/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights/sort.ak
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6e429da9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights/sort.ak
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+pub fn quick_sort(l: List<a>) -> List<a> {
+  todo
+}
diff --git a/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights/types.ak b/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights/types.ak
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..75449ffb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/knights/types.ak
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+pub type Tile =
+  (Int, Int)
+
+pub type ChessSet {
+  move_number: Int,
+  visited: List<Tile>,
+  size: Int,
+  start: Option<Tile>,
+}
+
+pub type Solution =
+  List<(Int, ChessSet)>
diff --git a/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/queue.ak b/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/queue.ak
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9a5fbb06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/benchmarks/lib/benchmarks/queue.ak
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+use aiken/list
+
+pub opaque type Queue<a> {
+  inner: List<a>,
+}
+
+pub fn create_queue() -> Queue<a> {
+  [] |> Queue
+}
+
+pub fn to_list(queue: Queue<a>) -> List<a> {
+  queue.inner
+}
+
+pub fn is_empty(queue: Queue<a>) -> Bool {
+  when queue.inner is {
+    [] -> True
+    _ -> False
+  }
+}
+
+pub fn append_front(queue: Queue<a>, item: a) -> Queue<a> {
+  list.push(queue.inner, item) |> Queue
+}
+
+/// Add all items from the list to the front of the queue
+pub fn append_all_front(queue: Queue<a>, items: List<a>) -> Queue<a> {
+  list.concat(items, queue.inner) |> Queue
+}
+
+pub fn remove_front(queue: Queue<a>) -> Queue<a> {
+  expect [_, ..rest] = queue.inner
+
+  rest |> Queue
+}
+
+pub fn head(queue: Queue<a>) -> a {
+  expect [q, ..] = queue.inner
+
+  q
+}
diff --git a/examples/benchmarks/plutus.json b/examples/benchmarks/plutus.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5c4319e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/benchmarks/plutus.json
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+{
+  "preamble": {
+    "title": "aiken/benchmarks",
+    "description": "Aiken contracts for project 'aiken/benchmarks'",
+    "version": "0.0.0",
+    "plutusVersion": "v2",
+    "compiler": {
+      "name": "Aiken",
+      "version": "v1.0.21-alpha+4b04517"
+    },
+    "license": "Apache-2.0"
+  },
+  "validators": []
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/examples/hello_world/aiken.toml b/examples/hello_world/aiken.toml
index 3b523f22..1e530f11 100644
--- a/examples/hello_world/aiken.toml
+++ b/examples/hello_world/aiken.toml
@@ -5,5 +5,5 @@ description = "Aiken contracts for project 'aiken-lang/hello_world'"
 
 [[dependencies]]
 name = "aiken-lang/stdlib"
-version = "main"
+version = "1.7.0"
 source = "github"
diff --git a/examples/hello_world/plutus.json b/examples/hello_world/plutus.json
index a0fab843..5b6e3cc0 100644
--- a/examples/hello_world/plutus.json
+++ b/examples/hello_world/plutus.json
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     "plutusVersion": "v2",
     "compiler": {
       "name": "Aiken",
-      "version": "v1.0.19-alpha+d56d518"
+      "version": "v1.0.21-alpha+4b04517"
     }
   },
   "validators": [