Budapest Defence

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This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

The Budapest Defence (also known as the Budapest Gambit) is a chess opening beginning with the moves

1.d4 Nf6

2.c4 e5.

Black's second move attacks White's centre, sacrificing, at least temporarily, a pawn to do so. White most often will not cling to the extra pawn since that ties his pieces to defence and often gives Black a lead in development. Instead White usually develops his pieces and hopes to gain a lead in development while Black spends time regaining his pawn. After 3.dxe5 (the only serious try for an advantage) Black must move his knight again.

3...Ne4!? (the Fajarowicz Variation), a true gambit, is occasionally seen. 4.a3! (avoiding the awkward ...Bb4+) is considered best, when one line is 4...d6 5.Qc2! Bf5 6.Nc3! and now 6...Nxc3 7.Qxf5 or 6...Ng3 7.e4 Nxh1 8.exf5 favors White. More common is 3...Ng4, when play most often continues 4.Bf4 (4.Nf3 allows Black the option of 4...Bc5 5.e3 Nc6. The greedy 4.Qd4!? d6 5.exd6 Bxd6 6.Nf3 (6.Qxg7?? Be5) 0-0 7.Bg5! is little-seen but playable.) Nc6 (4...g5?! is also known, but generally considered too weakening.) 5.Nf3 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 (6.Nc3 Bxc3+! (6...Qe7 allows 7.Rc1 or 7.Qb3, keeping White's pawn structure intact) 7.bxc3 Qe7 8.Qd5!? is possible, when Black's best is the gambit 8...f6 9.exf6 Nxf6, followed by attacking White's weak doubled c-pawns) Qe7 7.a3 (7.e3 Ngxe5 8.Nxe5 Nxe5 9.Be2, which Karpov once used to beat Short, is also playable) Ngxe5! 8.Nxe5 (the opening's detractors have called the famous Kieninger trap 8.axb4?? Nd3# "the only reason to play the Budapest") Nxe5 9.e3! Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 with a small advantage for White.

The Budapest Defence is rarely played in top-level chess, but it is occasionally seen at amateur levels. It has two codes in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, A51 and A52.

• A51: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5
• A52: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4

Contents 1 The 7.a3 variation 1.1 The main line 1.2 Fighting the bishop pair 1.3 Examples in practice 2 External links 3 References

[edit] The 7.a3 variation

[edit] The main line

After the introductory moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 Qe7 7.a3 we get the initial position of this variation. The Bb4 is attacked but Black does not have to move it for the moment, and instead plays 7...Ngxe5 to get the gambitted pawn back. The important point is that White cannot win a piece with 8.axb4?? because of 8...Nd3 checkmate: the Kieninger trap. Now Black threatens both to take the c4 pawn and to take the Nf3, when White will either have to accept doubled pawns or move his king. This is seen after 8.e3?!, when 8...Nxf3+ forces either 9.gxf3 or 9.Qxf3 Bxd2+ 10.Kxd2, when White cannot castle anymore. So White is more or less forced to exchange a pair of knights with 8.Nxe5 Nxe5.

White still cannot win a piece with 9.axb4?? because the mate threat by Nd3# is still in force. White also cannot win a piece by 9.Bxe5?! because Black would play the zwischenzug 9...Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 Qxe5 with an equal game. White accordingly usually plays 9.e3 in order to protect the c4-pawn that was attacked by the Ne5.

Now there is no more mating threat on d3 and the Bb4 is really attacked, so Black has to move it. 9...Bd6 (or 9...Bc5 10.b4 Bd6, intending to meet 11.c5?! with 11...Nd3+ 12.Bxd3 Bxf4) would misplace the bishop, and 9...Ba5?? would lose the bishop to 10.b4 Bb6 11.c5. 9...Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 is therefore considered best, when we get the real starting position of this variation.

[edit] Fighting the bishop pair

White has a tiny edge with two static advantages:

• the bishop pair,
• a space advantage on the queenside.

On the other side, Black has not a lot of things to be proud of, as there are no targets in White's camp. Still we can find some small assets:

• Black's Ne5 can be considered as powerful, because it attacks the c4-pawn and restricts the Bf1 by taking off the natural squares d3 and f3. Moreover White can generally not consider exchanging this Knight because that would mean losing its bishop pair, and thus losing a chunk of its advantage.
• the Bc8 can potentially become much better than its counterpart the Bf1, if it makes it to the good squares b7 or c6, while the Bf1 remains restricted by the Ne5.

This explains the most natural plans for both sides:

• White will try a minority attack on the queenside, in order to increase its space advantage and to create some weaknesses in the black pawns (e.g. an isolated pawn or a backward pawn). So White will try to use the advances b2-b4 or c4-c5 in good conditions.
• Black will try to keep the position closed, most importantly keep the c4-pawn where it is in order to keep the Bf1 at bay. This can be achieved by moves like b7-b6 and d7-d6. Black will try to develop the Bc8 on the a8-h1 diagonal, where it points toward White's castled king.

[edit] Examples in practice

The first move by Black has to be 10...d6! because otherwise White plays 11.c5! and gets a clear advantage immediately. For example 10...b6? loses a pawn to 11.Qd5 Nc6 (forced) 12.Bxc7, and 10...O-O?! is bad because of 11.c5! when Black should not take with 11...Qxc5? because of 12.Rc1 Qe7 13.Rxc7 and White is winning already.

So after 10...d6! White can try (and has tried) about any move that goes into the direction of the plan given above:

• The immediate 11.c5!? is a possible pawn sacrifice in order to open some diagonals for the bishops. White gets a powerful attack for his pawn but nothing decisive, for example 11...dxc5 12.Rc1 f6!? (overprotecting the Ne5 in order to avoid the forks like 13.Qc3 or 13.Qd5 which would allow White to regain the pawn) 13.Qc2 b6 14.Bxe5 Qxe5 15.Bb5+ Kf8.

• With 11.Qc3 White prepares c4-c5 and puts pressure on the Ne5 (the d6-pawn is now pinned) and on the g7-pawn behind. Black can continue its natural plan with 11...b6, then White can consider sacrificing a pawn with 12.c5!? bxc5 13.Bxe5 Qxe5 14.Qxe5+ dxe5 in order to destroy Black's pawn structure. However a lot of pieces have been exchanged in the process and the bishop pair has disappeared so White may have difficulties to create an advantage now. Black's best bet is to be courageous and sacrifice all the weak pawns in order to activate its pieces, for example 15.Rc1!? Rb8! 16.Rxc5 Rxb2 17.Rxc7 O-O! and White has serious problems developing his remaining pieces.

[edit] External links

• Harding, Tim (December 1997). The Kibitzer: How Stands the "Faj"?. ChessCafe.com.
• Harding, Tim (November 2000). The Kibitzer: Playing the Budapest in Budapest (PDF). ChessCafe.com.

[edit] References

• Lalic, Bogdan, "The Budapest Gambit," Batsford 1998
• Tseitlin & Glaskov, "The Budapest for the Tournament Player," Batsford 1992