Budapest Gambit

Coming Soon...

2009-03-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

I've been busy of late, working on the Chess Podcasts and Damiano Defence stuff (see website) but expect a series of blogs in the coming weeks.

Sorry for the delay!

BG Declined (3.e3 with 5.Bd2)

2008-12-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

Carrying on in our Budapest Gambit Declined series, we will now examine another way White may choose to defend, namely by supporting the d pawn. This is a short blog, which is good because it show Black reaches equality or better in double-quick time!

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 and now White plays 3.e3

This move offers the initiative to Black and allows for Black to put pressure on the White, before he has chance to develop his pieces and castle. As with the 3.Bg5 alternative, this is achieved with the move

3...exd4

Where White's only has one sensible move (see the future pdf, underdevelopment, for reasons why), which invites Black's pressure move.

4.exd4 Bb4+

White has three options to block the check:

5.Bd2 – choosing to both block and attack the Bishop pin.
5.Nc3 – moving the Knight to it’s natural square, but leave the possibility of doubled pawns on the c-file.
5.Nd2 – temporarily block the dark-squared Bishop.

In this blog we will quickly mention, 4.Bd2. In the next blog we will examine further 4.Nc3 and 4.Nd2, which are more complex.

5.Bd2

Again Black exchanges the pieces (these are not lot tempos as the gained tempo is immediately lost by having to capture).

5...Bxb2+

White can choose to take with either the Queen or Knight, but either way Black castles. After castling Black is looking to play Nc6, Re1, d6 or d5 and getting is Bishop active on the d7 or g4 squares. White's moves will be defending moves, whilst the White King looks for safety, whereas Black will develop quickly and be in the best position to attack first.

I hope you have enjoyed this post.

Howard Stern Playing the BG Declined

2008-11-26T00:49:00.000-08:00

Q: What have Will Smith, Howard Stern, me and you got in common?

A: They all play chess!

In this blog I'm going to post one of "Shock-Jock" Stern's shorter games! He's quite a good player and has an ELO rating of 1600 - you can often catch him on the ICC. He's a great fan of gambits and especially the Budapest Gambit - one of my personal favourites).

This is a BG declined with 3.d5. We've mainly looked at 3.Bg5, so far, but I'll be blogging more on the 3.d5 move next and this seems a nice way to introduce it.

Stern - Unknown
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.d5
Incorrectly White chooses to decline the Gambit. White gets his best game if he accepts with 3.dxe5.

3...Bc5
The strongest position for the Black bishop putting pressure on the f2 square.

4.h3?!
A terrible choice by White. Yes, this avoids 4...Ng4 there are other ways to attack the f2 square. 4.e3 or 4.Nc3 are stronger. Allowing Stern to go straight for the kill.

4...Bxf2+!

5.Kxf2
Best move, as 5.Kd2 leads to 5...Ne4+ and 6...Ng3 where either the Rook falls.

5...Nxe4+
In either case this is the best move.

6.Kf3
In a losing position White throws himself on the sword.

6... Qh4 7.g4 f5
Fritz says this in Stern's only move to keep the attack flowing, but it makes sense and not hard to find.

8.gxf5 Rf8 9.Ke3
White makes another positional mistake. 9.Nc3 would extend the agony!

9...Rxf5
Moving pieces in to the attack.

10.Nf3 Qf4+
Now comes the end.

11.Kd3 Nf2+ 0-1
White resigns. 12.Kc2 Qe4+ and the Queen falls.

I hope you enjoyed this game from a surprising player.

Budapest Gambit by Dmitrij Oleinikov

2008-11-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

This is the 2nd Edition of a chessbase CD that shows the main ideas, strategies and tactics in the Budapest Gambit. The CD also contains 195 instructive games (192 containing in depth text).

The contents are:

How to use this CD?
1. Introduction
2. Two birthdays
3. 1918: Test at the top
4. Under Fire!
5. White searching for +/=
6. Black fighting against +/=
7. Unforgettable season 1984/85
8. Opening tastes of the 90s
9. White attempts to hold the gambit pawn
10. The BG declined
11. Summary
12. The years 2000-2005
13. Useful additional information

There are 3 separate programs for training, where you are timed to make the correct move. There is also the statistical tree for 13000 Budapest Gambit games, which show the great array of ways the BG can be played.

The Fabulous Budapest Gambit by Viktor Moskalenko

2008-10-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

I've recently bought the Fabulous Budapest Gambit by Viktor Moskalenko and find it to be extremely useful.

This is not an instructive book, in that it gives the best moves or preferred lines for Black, it is a condensed historical games reference book. The reader will games and analysis on the Budapest Gambit (BG), where the games have been categorised by variation.

The book covers some of the wilder variations of the BG and Fajarowicz Gambits: variations we won't study in detail on this blog. For example, the Jet Black 4.g5 pawn push is looked at in the FG - a sharp and dynamic attack I just can't imagine playing!

If you enjoy sitting down at a board and playing through games (something you should do, but not all of do!) then this is a very useful book. You can see where the BG was used and why it won, drew or lost.

However, if you enjoy having a book saying here is the best move, this is why it is the best move and here is where the best move has been used - this book is not for you. Though, the here is where the best move is used games are presented in abundance.

Books are personal preference. I find this book well laid out and easy to read. Ideas and strategy is explained at the beginning of each chapter, before the illustrative games. The sub-variations and analysis are easy to follow, but become harder in the later chapters.

There are some diagrams (approx 2-5, per game) but you will most likely need a board to help you play through these games.

This book is aimed at players new to the BG and players looking to widen their BG knowledge.

Fajarowicz Gambit

2008-10-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

Before I continue my blogs on the Budapest I am going to briefly mention the Fajarowicz Gambit - an off-shoot of the Budapest Gambit (and not one I am brave enough to play).

History
The first known recorded game of the Fajarowicz Gambit (or Fajarowicz-Richter System) was between Herman Steiner and Sammi Fajarowicz (chapter 8, game #) in Wiesbaden, 1928.

The result of the game was a loss for the German Champion, Fajarowicz, though a promising position had been reached. It is worth noting that Fajarowicz died at the age of 32 and the theory progressed through Kurt Richter, a German International Master, who preferred this line to the standard Budapest Gambit.

Over the years the opening has declined in popularity, as the complex and dynamic theory behind the opening has not been studied deeply enough for continuous play by any one Grandmaster. Though, the opening has been employed at the highest level in recent years by Grandmasters more as a surprise defence or attack!

The Initial Position
The opening of the FG begins when the following position arises:

This is most commonly reached through the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4.

It is worth examining this position to see the relative merits of the position, as we did with the BG.

Firstly, we will look at this from White’s perspective.

White has a good square for his Queen’s Knight on f3, tucked behind the pawn on f4 which he will be looking to support with the light-square Bishop. The Black Knight on e4 restricts White’s pawns from advancing. White will be looking to castle Kingside with this opening, though there is still development to be done before this. But most pressing is the Knight on e4 and whether to attack this piece or develop naturally. In the Queen’s Gambit white is expecting to exchange the pawn on the c-file rather than the centre pawn on the d-file and many players who choose the Queen’s Gambit for its slow development and safe lines can get into an uncomfortable position, even this early into the game.

Black’s analysis can be done in the same way.

Black is looking to castle Kingside, though in many FG games the King castles Queenside to allow his Kingside pawns to advance up the board and help in the attack. Black seeks to get his Queen on the open file once the Bishop is out in the open. The Queen’s Knight develops naturally and d6 will open the lines for the Queen’s Bishop. The Pawn move d5 is usual in the FG to support the Knight on e4 and control central squares. The Knight on e4 is Black’s most aggressive piece and is hard to ignore.

It is early on and much can happen, but it is often useful to take 2 minutes at each step to see the overall plan and make sure that moves you make are both flexible and strategically sound. Connecting moves and ideas such as King Bishop out first to allow, castling, d5, Queen on the open file and Queen Bishop out allow plans to flow naturally.

It is now up to White to decide on whether to attack the Knight or develop naturally (best).

I'm going to leave the Fajarowicz there, whilst I have learnt more about this opening I think, at least at this stage, it is best not to "muddy the waters" with this line.

BG Declined (3.Bg5 with 4.Nf3)

2008-10-19T22:49:00.000-07:00

In the last blog we saw the Budapest Gambit get declined. White chose to pin the Knight on f6 with 3.Bg5, instead. Our best response is to take the d pawn, leaving the move order: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.Bg5 exd4

The move 4.Qxd4 is White's best in this position and has already been examined (in out last blog), but White may choose to play a developing move first. In this blog we will examine 4.Nf3.

4.Nf3 attacks the undefended Black Pawn at d4. The only way to defend this Pawn is by playing c5, which would restrict Black dark-squared Bishop and place Black behind in development. But White’s thinking is flawed, as there is an intermediate move which would allow the Bishop to develop with a tempo.

4...Bb4+ forcing 5.Nbd2 because 5.Bd2 Bxd2 6.Qxd2 c5 is strong enough for Black. Now we can play 5...c5 and exchange the bishop at a time of our choosing.

Black has restricted White's development and gained a pawn in the process.

In my study I often write down further analysis - possible continuations - that I don't usually include in this blog, but due to the short nature of this one I have this time!

Further Analysis

To develop unhindered White may have to choose to play 6.e3 and exchange his last remaining centre pawn, for Black’s doubled Pawn.
Another option for White is to play 6.a3, but after 6…Ba5 7.b4 cxb4 8.Nxd4 Nc6 and White has very little for his lost Pawn.

BG Declined (3.Bg5 with 4.Qxe4)

2008-10-17T04:04:00.000-07:00

The Budapest Gambit starts with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5!?

When gambits are played he/she wants them to be accepted. Accepting the gambit usually allows the Gambiteer to move the game into a prepared line of theory, where they know the tactics, strategy and traps. In many respects any player who declines the gambit is doing so to keep away from this preparation. It is therefore imperative that the Gambiteer is equally prepared in the declined as well as accepted lines.

The 2…e5 move forces White to decide whether to accept the gambit or decline the gambit.

If you are playing an opponent who knows of the BG or is of a relatively high rating they will most likely accept this gambit. However, not all of the BG games you play will be accepted gambits, some will be declined.

Declining the gambit gives Black equality through standard opening practice and in certain lines we can see Black gaining an advantage. Black will most likely have the first opportunity to castle, gain an equal control of the centre and good mobilisation of the pieces. In short, White loses the initiative.

White’s Options
We will now look at the options that White has when choosing to decline the gambit pawn. Each of these variations will be explained separately, but you will notice similarities between a number of them, e.g. castling kingside, the King’s Bishop moving to b4 or c5 and most importantly exd4 (where possible). This post concentrates solely on 3.Bg5 (with 4.Qxe4).

There are a number of options for White:

3.Bg5 – immediately pinning the knight
3.e3 - supporting the d4 pawn
3.Nf3 - supporting the d4 with a Knight
3.d5 - pushing the pawn.

Other options like 3.Be3 can be dismissed, for now, as they block pawns or development and simply taking the d4 pawn and developing naturally will give Black an advantage.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.Bg5

The pin on the Black Knight threatens to weaken Black’s early control of the e4 square, but any exchange here would be better for Black as the game is likely to become open and beneficial to Bishops.

The pin should be met with the immediate pawn exchange

3...exd4

White has 2 sensible options. He can either choose to take the pawn immediately with 4.Qxd4 or develop first with 4.Nf3. We examine 4.Nf3 in our next blog!

Other variations, such as 4.Nbd2 or 4.g3 allow 4…Nc6 and the Pawn is difficult for White to win back.

4.Qxd4

White puts more pressure on the Knight at f6, but his Queen is out early and can be kicked off the d4 square whenever Black chooses.

4…Nc6

Immediately threatening the Queen, with a developing move, where a retreat gives Black a tempo.

After a retreat by White’s Queen the moves Be7, d6 and 0-0 will serve Black well, giving a solid playable position with open lines and an advantage in development.

We will examine 2 possible continuations where White chooses not to lose the tempo; firstly he may take the Knight on f6 and secondly the Queen move with check on e3.

5.Bxf6

If White takes the pinned Knight we recommend removing the Queens from the board.

5…Nxd4 6.Bxd8 Kxd8

The lose of the castling is not an issue as the White King must now play 7.Kd1 or 7.Kd2 to avoid the Black Knight move 7…Nc2 winning the Knight-Rook exchange.

Black will have equality at least, having the Bishop-pair and a target with the White Pawn at c4.

Another 5th move option for White in the position shown on Board #7 is to move the queen with check.

5.Qe3+

This is the White Queen’s 2nd move and blocks the e2 pawn. Here the Black Queen developing to the e7 square.

5…Qe7

This leaves White with a problem:

Firstly, he can either immediately exchange Queens with 6.Qxe7+ Bxe7 leaving Black ready to castle and 3 pieces to 1 developed.
He may choose a developing move (e.g. 6.Nc3) where Black should exchange Queens and force White to either double his pawns on the e file or take with the Bishop and continue to block in his e2 pawn, e.g. (6…Qxe3 7.Bxe3 b6 preparing to fiancetto the bishop).
Play 6.Bxf6 where the exchange of Queens would leave Black with doubled pawns on the f-file and White with doubled pawns on the e-file, i.e. 6…Qxe3 7.fxe3 gxf6.
The final choice would be to move the queen for a third time, e.g. 6.Qd2 and lose a tempo.

The move 3.Bg5 in the declined Budapest Gambit causes Black little trouble and in many lines aids with development, due to the Queens early development.

Game 1 – Alder – Maróczy, 1896

2008-10-16T04:35:00.000-07:00

Before I start delving into the strategy, motives and tactics of the Budapest Gambit I think a quick look at the Gambit's first ever game is in order. Oh, and it's a victory for the Gambit too!

Alder – Maróczy, Budapest, 1896

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.e3
The standard opening of the Budapest Gambit accepted with the Knight defence. This opening allows Black to place strong and immediate pressure on f2, forcing 5.e3 White’s only response (5.Nd4?? Nxf2! 6.Kxf2 Qh4+ 7.g3 Qxd4+ 8.Qxd4 [8.Ke1 Qf2+ 9.Kd2 b5 ] Bxd4+ or 5.Be3 Bxe3 6.fxe3 Nxe3 7.Qd3 Nxf1 )

5…Nc6 6.Qd5?!
Defending the pawn with the Queen is a bad idea here and better is 6.Be2 or Nc3 giving the pawn back, but relieving pressure.
6…Qe7
Attacking the pawn a third time, which now cannot be saved.

7.Nc3 Ngxe5 8.Be2
White is preparing to castle Kingside.
8…d6
Black is leaving the option open to castle either way and is opening the diagonal for his light-square Bishop.
9.Ne4?
This is a mistake by White. The attack on the Black Bishop is met by a counterattack with greater compulsion.
9…Be6
This move both develops the Bishop and attacks the Black Queen.

10.Qd1 Bb4+
(10.Qd1 or Qd2 [both equal] Bxc4 11.Nxc5 Bxe2 12.Nxe5 Qxe5 13.Qxe2 dxc5 Black has a pawn advantage, is better developed and an overwhelming attack on the Queenside).

11.Bd2 0-0-0
The Bxc4 capture is still viable on move 11, but Black chooses to castle and get his King safe an option which White doesn’t have time to take.

12.Bxb4 Nxb4 13.Qb3 Nxf3+ 14.Bxf3?
Almost inevitably the pressure becomes too much and White blunders. Here, 14.gxf3 d5! 15.a3 Nc6 is better.

14…d5! 15.Nd2 dxc4 16.Nxc4 Rd3
Removing the Knight’s defender.

17.Qa4 Bxc4 18.Qxa7??
18.0-0 is best, but even this is delaying the inevitable. This leaves mate in two.
18…Nc2+
0-1
It is mate next move with either 19.Ke2 Rd5# or 19.Kf1 Rd1#

I hope you found this primitive game interesting. Many of the ideas of the Budapest Gambit are see in this game, though refined over time. It's always useful to have illustrative games to assist in opening theory.

Also, I do try to put a large number of boards in the blog, so that boards don't have to be used in reading these blogs, but it is good practice to have a board (physical or computer screen) to play through all the positions.

What is the Budapest Gambit?

2008-10-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

About this Opening
This is a great opening for people who like attacking, open, play. The Budapest Gambit can often catch many players by surprise.

The opening has been chosen due to the sharp positions that rise from a relatively simple set of moves. Whether the opponent chooses to accept or decline the gambit the resulting positions will be familiar to you once you have read and studied this book. Positions where you can keep challenging your opponent to solve dynamic problems over-the-board make this good for rapid play games (a defining feature of the Budapest Gambit).

The names Budapest Gambit and Budapest Defence tend to be used interchangeably, though Gambit the more common.

The Budapest Gambit has its own Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings code of ECO A51-52. ECO A51 refers to the Budapest Gambit Declined and the Fajarowicz variation and the ECO A52 refers to the Budapest Gambit Accepted (non-Fajarowicz).

This opening is a strong expansion to any repertoire and has been used at all levels of play, for over 100 years, showing the strategic aspects of this opening have solid foundations.

History
The first known recorded game of the Budapest Gambit was between Mor Alder and Geza Maróczy in Budapest, 1896.

The result of the game was a victory for the Hungarian Grandmaster, Maróczy, and the game instantly broke the mould of the usual Queen’s Gambit games popular at the time. It is worth noting that Maróczy was primarily a defensive player, so the introduction of a gambit such as this by him was an indication of the strategically merits of the gambit.

Over the years the opening has declined in popularity, as it is not seen as being complex enough for continuous play by any one Grandmaster. Though, the opening has been employed at the highest level in recent years by Grandmasters more as a surprise defence or attack.

The Initial Position
The opening of the Budapest Gambit (BG) begins when the following position arises:

This is most commonly reached through the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5.

It is worth examining this position to see the relative merits of the position. Firstly, we will look at the position from White’s perspective.
White has a good square for his Queen’s Knight on f3, tucked behind the pawn on f4 and an open diagonal for his dark-square Bishop, with no hindrance for his pawns to advance. White will typically be looking to castle Kingside with this opening, though there is still development to be made before this. But most pressing is the Pawn on d4 and whether to take, push or leave. In the d4-c4 setups white is often expecting to exchange the pawn on the c-file rather than the centre pawn on the d-file and many players who choose the d4-c4 for its slow development and safe lines can get into an uncomfortable position, even this early in a game.

Black’s analysis can be done in the same way.

Black is looking to castle Kingside, though in many BG games the King castles Queenside to allow his Kingside pawns to advance up the board and help in the attack. Black seeks to get his Queen on the open file, if the central pawns are exchanged, once the King’s Bishop is out in the open. The Queen’s Knight develops naturally and d6 will open the lines for the Queen’s Bishop.

It is early on and much can happen, but it is often useful to take 2 minutes at each step to see the overall plan and make sure that moves you make are both flexible and strategically sound. Connecting moves and ideas such as King Bishop out first to allow, castling, d6, Queen on the open file and Queen Bishop out allow plans to flow naturally.

Welcome - The Inaugural Post

2008-10-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my Budapest Gambit Blog!

This blogspot is for people interested in the Budapest Gambit or chess players interested in finding out what the Budapest Gambit is!

I've just started researching this opening, in-depth, and will be uploading some of my insights. I'll also mention useful books that I've used and interesting games I've found (not my own - Grandmaster games!)

Ultimately, I plan on compiling a large PDF/e-book of my research, though this is sometime in the future and will be distributing this online.

Okay... well on with the blogging...