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Budapest Gambit

Gambit23 linesYou play Black

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5. Black offers the e-pawn and usually wins it back with ...Ng4. Along the way Black gets quick piece play and several traps against natural moves.

Budapest Gambit after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5

The idea

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 offers the e-pawn to get the knight to g4 and win it back. After 3.dxe5 Ng4 Black attacks e5 with …Nc6 and …Bb4+, and in most lines regains the pawn with active pieces and an easy game. Some lines carry a nasty trap: …Qxd1 and …Nd3 is mate if White is careless.

What happens next

Black's set-up is …Nc6, …Bb4+ (or …Bc5), …Qe7 and …Ngxe5. Against 4.Bf4 the pin with …Bb4+ and the threat of …Qe7 regains the pawn; against 4.Nf3 Bc5 Black has quick pressure on f2. The Fajarowicz, 3…Ne4, is the wilder cousin.

How to play against it

White's most testing line is 4.Bf4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 Qe7 7.e3 Ngxe5 8.Nxe5 Nxe5 9.Be2, giving the pawn back for the bishop pair and a small edge. Don't try to keep the pawn with 4.e4 or 4.f4 unless you know the lines: the knights become very active.

A key line

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qd1 Bb4 6.Bd2 O-O 7.Nf3 Bxc3 8.Bxc3 Ne4 9.Qc2 Nxc3

More lines

4...Nc6 5.Qe3+ Be7 6.Nf3 …
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qe3+ Be7 6.Nf3 d5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Nxd5 Qxd5 9.Bd2 Be6 10.g3 O-O-O
2...e5 3.Nf3 e4 4.Nfd2 …
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.Nf3 e4 4.Nfd2 c6 5.e3 d5 6.Nc3 Bd6 7.Qb3 Bc7 8.cxd5 cxd5 9.Bb5+ Nc6 10.O-O Bxh2+ 11.Kxh2 Ng4+ 12.Kg1 Qh4 13.Rd1 Qxf2+ 14.Kh1 Qh4+ 15.Kg1 Qh2+ 16.Kf1 Qh1+ 17.Ke2 Qxg2+
3...Bc5 4.Bg5 Ne4 5.Bxd8 …
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.d5 Bc5 4.Bg5 Ne4 5.Bxd8 Bxf2#
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All 23 lines in this gambit

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