Refuting The Budapest Gambit

AT club level many whites, after 1.d4 d5, avoid playing 2.c4 because they fear the complications of the Albin Countergambit: 3...e5.

Similarly many whites, after 1.d4 Nf6, avoid 2.c4 because they fear the complications of the Budapest Gambit: 3...e5.

Naturally a better approach to such gambits is to come up with a 'refutation', or at least a promising riposte.

The easiest way to do this is to play a variation recommended in a book or on a DVD.

However this has the drawback that blacks are likely to be prepared for it, and to have greater experience of the lines that arise.

An alternative is to come up with a variation that is little-known but also poses the opponent problems.

Fellow Battersea-member Victor Rumsey demonstrated such a variation against the Budapest in last night's round six of the Calvià U2350 tournament.

Rumsey (1689) - Robert Kaminski (1906)

Notes in italics by the winner

1d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.e3!?

Much more popular in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database are 4.e4, 4.Bf4 and especially 4.Nf3, but the text scores better and is liked by Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

4...Nxe5

VR reckons one of his opponents played 4...Nc6??, which seems completely ridiculous until one notes there are 11 examples of the blunder in Mega23.

5.f4!?

Normal is 5.Nh3, while Garry Kasparov has played 5.Nc3, but the engines prefer the text.

5...Ng6

5...Nec6 is possible, [but] leaves Black's queenside rather cramped.

How should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****
6.Ne2!?

This seems to be a novelty. The idea is to move the knight to g3, from where it eyes the sensitive f5 and h5 squares (and covers e4).

6...Bc5

6...Be7 7.Nbc3 0-0 8.Ng3±.

7.Nbc3 0-0 8.Ng3 Re8 9.Be2!?

Coolly done, but is the e pawn really poisoned?

What should Black play?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

9...Bxe3?

Looks obvious, but allows White a winning attack.

9...Nc6 10.0-0 d6 11.Kh1 Bxe3 12.Bxe3 Rxe3 13.Qd2+- is still very good.

Black cannot afford the time required to grab the pawn, even though it is a central pawn and Black is not behind in development in the diagrammed position.

10.Bxe3 Rxe3 11.0-0 Re8

11...d6 12.Qd2 Re8 (12...Qe8 13.Nd5+-) 13.f5+-.

11...f6 12.Nd5 Re8 13.Bh5+-.

12.f5 Ne8

Other knight moves are no better.

12...Ne7 13.f6+-.

12...Nh4 13.f6+-.

13.f6 c6?!

This does not help, but Black is in big trouble anyway.

14.fxg7 Ng6 15.Qd2 Qh4?

15...d5 16.cxd5 Nd7 17.Nce4 cxd5 18.Qxd5 Qe7 19.Nh5+-.

16.Nf5 1-0

RK's resignation is not premature. His position is so bad that the engines reckon Black's objectively best plan is to give up the queen by ...d5 or ...d6.