Chessville - The Souil of the Budapest Gambit - by IM Ashot Nadanian, FIDE Trainer

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Ashot Nadanian
International Master
and FIDE Trainer

The Soul of the Budapest Gambit

Each opening has a pawn move, which is typical for that opening. For example, it is difficult to imagine French Defence without c7-c5 or Sicilian without b7-b5. It seems that there is no opening in which a key role would be played by an edge pawn, but this opening is - Budapest Gambit. The soul of this opening can be without exaggeration called the move a7-a5.

Let's start with the main line:

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Nf3 Bc5 5. e3 Nc6 6. Be2 Ncxe5 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. O-O O-O 9. b3 Re8 10. Bb2

If Black would play now "normal" 10...d6? then after 11.Nc3 they will get unpleasant position: White will place his knight to d5 and then prepare massive offensive on Black's kingside using "e" and "f" pawns. Black will remain without reasonable counterplay. Therefore the correct idea is...

10...a5!

Black prepares the famous "Budapest rook" maneuvre: Ra8-a6-h6, in order to launch a strong attack on White's king. In my opinion the best line for both sides is the following:

11. Nc3 Ra6 12. Ne4 Ba7 13. Qd5 Rh6! 14. Bxe5 c6 15. Bf6!! gxf6 16. Qd3 d5 17. Ng3 (but not 17. cxd5?? Bf5 and Black wins) dxc4 18. Qxc4 Qc7

With approximately equal chances.

The game Zhao Jun - Nadanian, 2008 (Singapore Masters) went: 19. Nh5 Qe5 20. Nf4 f5 21. Rad1 b5 22. Qc2 Qe4 23. Qc1 Qe7 24. Bf3 Qh4 25. h3 Qf6 26. Rd3 Bb8 27. Rfd1 Ba7 28. Qd2 Bb6 29. Rd6 Qxd6 30. Qxd6 Rxd6 31. Rxd6 Bc7 32. Bxc6 Bxd6 33. Bxe8 b4 34. Bb5 Bxf4 35. exf4 Kf8 36. f3 Ke7 37. Kf2 Kd6 38. Ke3 Kc5 39. Bc4 f6 40. g4 h6 41. Be2 Be6 42. h4 a4 43. Bd1 a3 44. g5 fxg5 45. fxg5 hxg5 46. hxg5 Bf7 47. f4 Bg6 48. Bc2 Bf7 49. Bb1 Bg6 50. Bd3 Bf7 51. Bc2 Bg6 52. Bb1 Bf7 53. Bxf5 Bxb3 54. Bb1 Bd5 55. f5 b3 56. axb3 Bxb3 57. g6 a2 58. Bxa2 Bxa2 59. Kf4 Kd6 60. Kg5 Ke7 61. f6+ Ke6 62. f7 Ke7 63. Kh6 Kf8 64. g7+ Kxf7 65. Kh7 Kf6 66.g8=Q Bxg8+ 67. Kxg8 1/2-1/2

Tough fight until the naked kings!

Another important line is:

4. Bf4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 Qe7 7. a3 Ngxe5 8. Nxe5 (Many games have ended dramatically early: 8. axb4?? Nd3! checkmate) 8...Nxe5 9. e3 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 d6 11. Be2 O-O 12. O-O b6 13. b4 Bb7 14. Rfd1 Nd7 15. Qd4

With the typical setup b6-Bb7-Nd7 Black managed to prevent the dangerous breakthrough c4-c5 and now starts his own play.

15...a5! 16. Bd3 Ra7!

Nice, and an important maneuvre. Black prepares Rfa8 in order to increase pressure on a-file. If White decide to lock the queenside with b4-b5, then Black's rooks will turn to the kingside and the c5-square will be occupied by Black's knight. The game Godzhaev - Nadanian, 1988 (Baku) ended in a draw after:

17. Bf5 Rfa8 18. Bg3 axb4 19. axb4 Rxa1 20. Rxa1 Rxa1+ 21. Qxa1 Be4 22. Bg4 Ne5 23. Be2 Nd7 24. Qd4 Bc6 25. f3 Qe8 26. h4 Qe7 27. B d3 Qf6 28. Qg4 Qe6 29. Qg5 f6 30. Qf4 Qe5.

A more dangerous move order for Black is:

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Bf4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 Qe7 7. e3

In this variation White tries to avoid the move a2–a3 in order to gain a tempo over the 7.a3 line. The game Dobrov - Nadanian, 2003 (Moscow) went:

7...Ngxe5 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. Be2 d6 10. O-O Bxd2 11. Qxd2 O-O 12. b4.

And once again the thematic strike helps Black to keep a balance.

12...a5! 13. bxa5 (13. a3 would transfer to previous line) 13... Nd7!

Dmitrij Oleinikov writes: "Black demonstrates his own pluses: the N goes to the perfect position on c5 and the White pawns on the Q-side become vulnerable. Moreover, the "ideal" White pawn attack is now stopped. The time has come for a tactical battle where we see the pro and contra of weak pawns."

14. f3 Nc5 15. g4?!

White aims for a kingside pawn storm. But Black has no weaknesses there and his king feels very safe.

15... Bd7

Black completes development and ready for doubling rooks on "a-file".

16. e4 Ra6 17. Qe1 Qf6 18. Bd2 Qd4+ 19. Kg2 Nd3 20. Qb1

This is the crux of the battle: White was sure that he had "out-calculated" his opponent. But here come the tactics:

20... Nb2!? (20... Ne5 21. Qc2 Be6 was also possible.) 21. Qc2 Nxc4! 22. Bxc4 Rc6 23. Rac1 Be6

The point of the combination. Black wins a piece back and equalizes.

24. Qd3 Rxc4 25. Qxd4 Rxd4 26. Be3 Rd3 27. Bf4 Rc8 28. Rf2 1/2-1/2

Below are some more illustrative games without annotations.

Miguel Illescas Cordoba - Ashot Nadanian
2008 (ICC, blitz)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Bf4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 Qe7 7. e3 Ngxe5 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O Bxd2 11. Qxd2 d6 12. Qc3 Nd7 13. b4 b6 14. Bf3 Rb8 15. Rfd1 Bb7 16. Bxb7 Rxb7 17. a4

17...a5 18. bxa5 bxa5 19. Qxa5 Nc5 20. Rab1 Rxb1 21. Rxb1 Qe4 22. Rc1 Nb3 23. Qc3 Nxc1 24. Qxc1 Rb8 0-1

Genden Altanoch - Ashot Nadanian
2008 (Seoul)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Bf4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 Qe7 7. e3 Ngxe5 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O Bxd2 11. Qxd2 d6 12. Qc3 b6 13. b4 Nd7 14. Bf3 Rb8 15. Qa3 Bb7 16. Be2

16...a5 17. Rfd1 axb4 18. Qxb4 Ra8 19. Bf1 Ra5 20. Qc3 Rfa8 21. a3 Qf6 22. Qc1 Nc5 23. Ra2 Bc6 24. f3 Nb3 25. Qc2 Rxa3 26. Rxa3 Rxa3 27. Rd3 Ba4 28. c5 bxc5 29. Qc4 g5 30. Bg3 Qe6 31. Qa6 Ra1 32. h4 c4 33. Kf2 cxd3 34. Bxd3 Be8 0-1

Jimmy Liew Chee Meng - Ashot Nadanian
2009 (Kuala Lumpur)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Nf3 Bc5 5. e3 Nc6 6. Be2 Ncxe5 7. Nc3 O-O 8. O-O Nxf3+ 9. Bxf3 Ne5 10. Be2 Re8 11. Ne4 Bf8 12. f4 Nc6 13. Bf3 d6 14. Nc3 g6 15. Bd2 Bg7 16. Qb3

16...a5 17. a3 Nb8 18. Bxb7 a4 19. Qb5 Bd7 20. Qg5 Bf6 21. Qh6 Bg7 22. Qg5 Bf6 23. Qh6 Bg7 1/2-1/2

Fabiano Caruana - Ashot Nadanian
2010 (ICC, blitz)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Nf3 Bc5 5. e3 Nc6 6. Be2 Ncxe5 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. O-O O-O 9. Nc3 Re8 10. Ne4 Bf8 11. b3

11...a5 12. Bb2 Ra6 13. Ng3 Qh4 14. f4 Rh6 15. Bxe5 d6 16. Nh5 dxe5 17. f5 Bc5 18. g3 Qg5 19. Kh1 Bxf5 20. Qd5 Bxe3 21. Qf3 Rxh5 22. h4 Rxh4+ 23. gxh4 Qxh4+ 24. Kg2 Be4 0-1