Thx, Stefan. I am hoping somebody comes to White's defense here.

I play (and subjectively prefer) the white side. But I just don't see a way to a usable advantage against best play.

I don't see a plan for white apart from the f4 idea you already mentioned. It just doesn't seem sufficient.

Semkov wrote on 07/18/11 at 14:27:12:

I doubt that your proposal 13.Qd2 is better than 13.Qd5. Black equalizes with 13...Qe7, for example:

(a) 14.Bd4 b6.

(b) 14.Nxc5 dxc5 15.Rfd1 b6 16.Qc3 f6 17.Rd2 Nf7 18.Rad1 Ng5 19.Bd3 Be4 with active play, about =.

(c) 14.Rad1 b6, about =.

(d) 14.Rfd1 (probably best) 14...Be4 (now 14...b6? 15.a3 would be risky) 15.Nxc5 (15.Nc3 Bb4) 15...dxc5 16.f3 Bc6 17.e4 a4 18.Bc3 b6


This position may be critical. White has the bishop pair and could expand with f3-f4 at an appropriate moment. But Black's position looks sound. Exchanges on the a- or d-file are possible; and he has flexible plans like f6 combined with Nf7-d6 or Nf7-g5-e6-d4. The Chinese water torture has to wait for another day: 19.Qe1 (19.f4 Ng6 20.e5 Nh4 21.Bf1 Nf5 is comfortable for Black; 19.b4 Rad8) 19...f6 20.b4 cxb4 21.Bxb4 Qe6 22.Rd2 Rad8 =.

Your example "follows" my main line after 5.Nh3, until move twelve. After 13.Rad1 Bb7 White could play 14.Nfd5 Re8 =b.

It is like an Englund Gambit which White has treated with too much respect.

I'm with Stefan on this one. I've played against the Budapest in several correspondence games lately, and Black's position is almost the definition of solid.

Markovich's claim that white is having all the fun would be correct if White has any realistic chance to win those positions. But in the right hands, the Budapest seems to be a sure-fire draw most of the time. Worry about one round at a time.

I just had to include the following win by white, even though it is a counter-example, because of the name of the Black player. (No, he's no relation to our Markovich):

I think that actually there are a few lines against the Budapest where White has all the fun and Black struggles in a "solid" but lifeless position.  My favorite one is 3...Ng4 4.e3 Nxe5 5.Nh3.  I'm not very impressed by Taylor's 5...g6 antidote to this.  Various people have recommended 5...Ng6, but I think that then White can build up slowly with 6.g3, Bg2, O-O, Nc3, f4 and so on and so forth, and Black must just sit tight and wait for White's kingside expansion.  As in many lines in the Budapest, Black has nothing good to do with his KB, and in this variation, exchanging it with Bb4+ Bd2; Bxd2+ Qxd2 significantly helps White's cause.

4.e4 may be good as well, but cost of that expansion is that Black seems to get more counterplay than in the various more conservative treatments.

As for the Fajarowicz, it's refuted by 4.a3.

Semkov wrote on 07/12/11 at 08:19:10:


Right, and even if you manage to draw, you're exhausted going into the next round.

Semkov wrote on 07/12/11 at 08:19:10:

I was impressed by Kiril Georgiev's book Squeezing the Gambits (Sofia 2010) and his unusual approach, but "space advantage in a position without any [black] counterplay" is an exaggeration. My article www.chesscafe.com/text/kaiss57.pdf showed that Black has no real problems when he prefers the solid 10...d6 over the somewhat artificial 10...a5.

Markovich wrote on 06/21/11 at 09:25:22:


For the record, Georgiev's main line doesn't include ...c6 but instead ...Nbd7 on it's way to c5 and he still holds White is doing very well.  I don't know but it seems a lot more enjoyable to be White here.

punter wrote on 06/22/11 at 15:46:50:


The reason White does not play a3 is because White wants to show that the b4-bishop is misplaced. If Black exchanges on d2 then White will have a more useful move than a3, like c5. White may play a3 later, after Nb3, if it means winning the bishop pair while compromising Black's pawn structure (...d6 a3 Bc5 Nc5 dc5).