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Taking Out The Trash - Part 1 - The Budapest Gambit

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The Budapest Gambit

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3! ... A friend of mine suggested this move order (over 2. c4) a couple years ago because it "avoids the Budapest".  However, the Budapest is nothing to be scared of.  Certain variations of the Kings Indian, Grunfeld, Benoni, and QGD that become possible with an early white Nf3, on the other hand, may be a little bit scarier.  On that note, I present to you a practical and effective way to approach this strange defense.  Note that the mainline, up until move 15, is far and away the most common choice of Budapest players.  The knight sacrifice based on 4. ... g5 is also popular.  I suggest analyzing these two lines closely. 

 

If all goes as planned, this article will be the first of many aimed at declawing popular, but 'not quite good enough' opening choices for both colours.  If you have any requests or suggestions, feel free to message me here at chess.com.
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NM Matt Nicholson

Software Engineer here at Chess.com!