Alternatives to Budapest gambit?


Hi everyone!

Hi everyone!
I use to play 1...Nf6 aiming yo enter the Budapest gambit after 2.c4. However, I lately found a lot of people that make different second moves such as 2. Nf3. I think playing 2... g6 and pray to enter something similar to a KID is a good idea, but not sure. Any ideas?
U have tons of good options. If U wanna something unorthodox (at master's level), I could suggest anti-Torre 2...h6.

Hi everyone!
I use to play 1...Nf6 aiming yo enter the Budapest gambit after 2.c4. However, I lately found a lot of people that make different second moves such as 2. Nf3. I think playing 2... g6 and pray to enter something similar to a KID is a good idea, but not sure. Any ideas?
U have tons of good options. If U wanna something unorthodox (at master's level), I could suggest anti-Torre 2...h6.

play 1.d4 nc6, hoping for 1.d4 nc6 2.c4 e5. if black takes you pretty much get an improved budapest like position, if white plays 3.d5 you can play it like the black knight's tango with more flexibility with ne7 or try the unique 3...bb4+ as advocated by schyler's book.
you will need to learn either the chigorin or play KID like positions vs 2.nf3 and learn the nimzowitsch defense vs 2.e4. you will also need to choose how you will deal with 2.d5. either learning the fascinating complications of the queenside alekhine with ne5 or play simpler 2...nb8 and go for a pirc like formation.
if you like a fighting game though 1.d4 nc6 wont dissapoint.

OK! I will take the advice of playing 1...Nc6 after 1.d4 because I investigated a bit and it seams to be the beginnig of very agressive lines as the ones I enjoy playing. Thanks for your comments, @Yigor and @darkunorthodox88! I will study the objectives, the main ideas, of each opening and try to post my next game with this 1...Nc6 and the anti-torre here.

I don't play the Budapest, but two strong players I knew who did both played the Queen's Indian when White responded with 2.Nf3. An alternative is to learn the Modern Benoni against 2.Nf3. The Modern Benoni is much more playable in the Nf3 lines than it is when White can choose the Taimanov Flick-Knife variation.

Hi everyone!
I use to play 1...Nf6 aiming yo enter the Budapest gambit after 2.c4. However, I lately found a lot of people that make different second moves such as 2. Nf3. I think playing 2... g6 and pray to enter something similar to a KID is a good idea, but not sure. Any ideas?
U have tons of good options. If U wanna something unorthodox (at master's level), I could suggest anti-Torre 2...h6.
A master who answers 2.Nf3 with 2...h6 should be stripped of his title until he gets sober, at least.

Hi everyone!
I use to play 1...Nf6 aiming yo enter the Budapest gambit after 2.c4. However, I lately found a lot of people that make different second moves such as 2. Nf3. I think playing 2... g6 and pray to enter something similar to a KID is a good idea, but not sure. Any ideas?
U have tons of good options. If U wanna something unorthodox (at master's level), I could suggest anti-Torre 2...h6.
A master who answers 2.Nf3 with 2...h6 should be stripped of his title until he gets sober, at least.
I know at least a couple masters who would take you up on the offer to play 2...h6, if only for the laugh!
Added: I just looked it up, and sure enough, Naka has played it against Gelfand! He lost. But GM Maze has won with it as Black, as have GM Kovalenko and a few other very strong players.

@darkunorthodox88 that's a lot of stuff to learn for a subpar opening...
you want to learn how to play in rich positions, or spam a london?

you can also learn the english defense 1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6 which often leads to some crazy bizarre positions where draws are not common but the defense is sound (if you pick the right sidelines, some computer lines have been shown to be suicidal, although not easy to spot for even strong humans). you do have to learn however to play the french or the owen's because after 1.d4 e6, 2.e4 is of course possible, and if you play it in the 1.d4 b6 order, 2.e4 is also possible.


The Blumenfeld is not only "not bad", it is also probably better than the Budapest.
But white is not forced to allow it.

@darkunorthodox88 I cant decide between playing a garbage opening like 1...Nc6 between some boring premove opening like the London. It's not rich at all though, unless we're talking for white. Fun game for white, pretty easy to get an advantage. I love facing 1...Nc6 against e4

Alternatives to Budapest gambit?
Literally every main opening against 1.d4?
There's at least a dozen of them better than the Budapest... not that the Budapest is as bad as something like the Latvian, but I mean... come on...

@darkunorthodox88 I cant decide between playing a garbage opening like 1...Nc6 between some boring premove opening like the London. It's not rich at all though, unless we're talking for white. Fun game for white, pretty easy to get an advantage. I love facing 1...Nc6 against e4
why is it that its always garbage players who call certain openings garbage? its an interesting correlation. even when strong players dont like an opening, they give concrete lines why they dont prefer it, but the weaker players do a lot more of the hand waving.
1.d4 nc6 has served me well. it won me the last round of a junior national which earned me 1st place in a very convincing manner ( i was officially rated like 15' something but i was clearly underrated, my opponent was 1900 back then), and my first FM i beat OTB when i was a mere 1800 was with it. and they were not cheap wins either. the OP sounds open minded enough to give it a try, if he doesnt like it, or wants some opinion of mine on some line that's giving him a hard time, he is welcome to message me and i can help him out.