Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

[Kevin Pacey]

This thread is presently the latest addition to my Junkyard Openings chesstalk threads series, which involves displaying my occasional attempts at rehabilitating suspect openings. The opening examined in this post is one that I've actually played many games with, mainly as Black, whether in tournament or casual chess. For chesstalk purposes I'll put forward a relatively small number of variations that may or may not prove critical for attempts at improving its reputation.

After the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4

(instead 2.Nf3 Ne4!? [edit: the Dory Defence] is an old line, played even by Keres, that gains little attention from the books these days [edit: another possible 'matching' defence with the Budapest after 2.Nf3 is 2...c5 hoping for 3.d5 e6 4.c4 {or 4.Nc3 b5!?} 4...b5 transposing to the Blumenfeld])

2...e5!? 3.dxe5 Ne4!? we reach the starting point of the Fajarowicz Variation.

[edit: Note the little explored 3...Bb4 ch!? may also be worth investigating.]



Now I'll just look at White's three main choices:

1) 4.Nf3 (4.Nd2 Bb4 [4...Nc5!?] can transpose)

4...Bb4+ (4...d6!? has been played)



5.Nbd2 (5.Bd2 Nxd2 6.Nbxd2 Nc6 and if 7.a3, 7...Bf8!? has been played)

5...Nc6 (5...f6!? and 5...d6!? have been tried)

and after 6.a3



6...Bxd2+ (6...Nxd2 7.Bxd2 Bxd2+ 8.Qxd2 is known to favour White)

7.Bxd2 (or 7.Nxd2 Nc5!?),

now 7...Qe7!? has been tried, and it may be okay for Black.


2) 4.a3 may best be met by 4...d6!?, which is seldom mentioned in modern books, when a classic trap occurs after 5.exd6 Bxd6



6.Nf3?? Nxf2! and if 7.Kxf2 Bg3+ when White loses his queen.


3) 4.Qc2 Bb4+



5.Nd2 (5.Nc3 d5 6.exd6 Bf5 7.Bd2 Nxd6 8.e4 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 Bxe4 10.Qd2 0-0 11.0-0-0 Nd7= MCO-15)

5...d5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.e3



7...Bg4 (7...Bf5 can lead to drawish simplification)

8.cxd5 Bxf3 9.gxf3 Nxd2 10.Bxd2 Qxd5 11.Bxb4 Nxb4 12.Qa4+ Nc6



and now if 13.Bg2 (+/= ECO) 13...0-0 (= Fritz), or 13.Bb5!? (Trapl) 13...0-0 and after 14.Bxc6 bxc6 15.Qe4 Qa5+ 16.b4 Qa6 Black has at least some compensation for his pawn.

[John Upper]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

I fell for the ...Nxf2 trap in a blitz game.

Here's the main line from Avrukh's 1.d4 Vol.2
It would be the line I'd prepare for if planning to play the Faj in any future tournaments

[Event "Avrukh 1.d4 Vol2 (Ch.5)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.11.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ch.5: Budapest - Fajarowicz"]
[Black "Main Lines"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "A51"]
[Annotator "Upper,John"]
[PlyCount "29"]
[EventDate "2010.06.17"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ne4 $6 4. a3 d6 5. Nf3 Bf5 6. g3 Nc6 7. Nh4 $1 Be6
8. Bg2 f5 (8... Nc5 9. b4 Nd7 10. exd6 Bxd6 11. Nd2 O-O 12. O-O a5 13. b5 Nce5
14. Bb2 Nc5 (14... Nxc4 15. Nxc4 Bxc4 16. Bxg7 $16 {Clear advantage for White - Rybka}) 15. Qc2 $16 {Clear advantage for White -Avrukh})
9. exf6 Nxf6 10. b3 d5 (10... Qd7 11. Nc3 O-O-O 12. Nd5 $16 {Clear advantage for White -Avrukh}) 11. cxd5
Bxd5 12. Bxd5 Qxd5 13. Qxd5 Nxd5 14. Bb2 O-O-O 15. Nd2 $16 {Clear advantage for White -Avrukh} *

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ne4 4. a3 d6 5. Nf3 Bf5 6. g3 Nc6 7. Nh4 Be6 8. Bg2 f5

(8... Nc5 9. b4 Nd7 10. exd6 Bxd6 11. Nd2 O-O 12. O-O a5 13. b5 Nce5 14. Bb2 Nc5 [14... Nxc4 15. Nxc4 Bxc4 16. Bxg7 {Clear advantage for White - Rybka}] 15. Qc2 {Clear advantage for White -Avrukh})

9. exf6 Nxf6 10. b3 d5

(10... Qd7 11. Nc3 O-O-O 12. Nd5 {Clear advantage for White -Avrukh})

11. cxd5 Bxd5 12. Bxd5 Qxd5 13. Qxd5 Nxd5 14. Bb2 O-O-O 15. Nd2 {Clear advantage for White -Avrukh}

I found several possible slight/considerable improvements for Black, just doing some quickie analysis, aided only a little by Fritz:

A) In the note "(8...Nc5 9.b4 Nd7 10.exd6 Bxd6 11.Nd2



11...0-0 12.0-0 [etc.])", Black could try 11...Be5 or 12...Be5.

B) In the main line [1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.a3 d6 5.Nf3 Bf5 6.g3



6...Nc6 7.Nh4], Black could try 6...Qd7 or 7...Qd7.

C) In the main line [1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.a3 d6 5.Nf3] Black could try 5...Be6:

[Craig Sadler]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

...
After the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4

(instead 2.Nf3 Ne4!? is an old line, played even by Keres, that gains little attention from the books these days)

...

what is the idea here? to prove that White has overextended himself by playing 1.d4 (?!) i understand it can transpose into lots of things where Black ends up with ...Ne4

[John Upper]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

I found several possible slight/considerable improvements for Black, just doing some quickie analysis, aided only a little by Fritz:

A) In the note "(8...Nc5 9.b4 Nd7 10.exd6 Bxd6 11.Nd2 0-0 12.0-0 [etc.])", Black could try 11...Be5 or 12...Be5.

B) In the main line, Black could try 6...Qd7 or 7...Qd7.

C) In the main line, Black could try 5...Be6.

A) 11...Be5 looks like an improvement over Avrukh,

B) 6...Qd7 is interesting, though I'd rater be White after 7.Bg2 dxe5 8.Qxd7+(maybe) Nxd7 9.Nh4

C) can't White just gain a tempo off the Ne4 with 6.Qc2? One tactical point is that 6.Qc2 Bf5 7.Nc3 is better for White, since 7...Ng3? 8.e4! is nearly +-

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

C) can't White just gain a tempo off the Ne4 with 6.Qc2? One tactical point is that 6.Qc2 Bf5 7.Nc3 is better for White, since 7...Ng3? 8.e4! is nearly +-

C) [1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.a3 d6 5.Nf3] 5...Be6:

After 6.Qc2



Black could at least try 6...Nc5 (6...d5 doesn't seem to work) and if 7.b4 Ncd7 then at least the B/c8 has been developed. Not sure how great 6...Nc5 is for Black though.

Compare that to 5...Nc6, transposing to 4.Nf3 Nc6 (I gave just 4...Bb4+ & 4...d6 in my first post of this thread) 5.a3 d6, a line thought to be bad for Black in ECO after 6.Qc2



6...d5 (if 6...Bf5 7.Nc3! etc.) 7.e3 Bg4 8.cxd5 Qxd5 9.Bc4 etc. If 6...Nc5 instead (i.e. after 5...Nc6 6.Qc2) then I assume just 7.b4 leaves Black's light-squared bishop on c8 unfavourably boxed in after 7...Ne6.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

what is the idea here [with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 Ne4]? to prove that White has overextended himself by playing 1.d4 (?!) i understand it can transpose into lots of things where Black ends up with ...Ne4

One little point is that this line provides a complimentary weapon to the Budapest/Fajarowicz, if White plays 2.Nf3 instead of 2.c4. I'm not sure what the ideas of 2...Ne4 are exactly, other than to possibly provoke simplification (like in the Queen's Indian) or potentially allow tricks on the e1-a5 diagonal later on. At least any bother about Bg5 by White is avoided for the time being, and planting a knight on e4 so early can have a psychological impact.

Among the many possibilities after 2.Nf3 Ne4:



1) 3.Nfd2 d5.
2) 3.Nbd2 d5.
3) The oddly unpopular 3.c4 can transpose to any number of lines that are again not well covered by modern books. 3...e6 (by transposition) used to be played somewhat often, say by the likes of Alekhine (via 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Ne4). I have one example each of 3...d5 and 3...c6 in my Databases (as played by lesser lights). I think 3...c5 might be interesting/fishy too, transposing as it does to 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 and now 3...Ne4. I have found no examples of this so far. Compare this to the "Vulture" (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 Ne4), an unorthodox opening that's thought to be dubious. At least with 2.Nf3 thrown in, Black may have more latitude.

[Peter Bokhout]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

The Fajarowicz is certainly an interesting opening to play against weaker players, but it does have its drawbacks against good players! Here is how future world champiom Vassily Smyslov (~2700) dealt with it back in 1946 in Groningen against the near-GM Haje Steiner (~2500):

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.de5 Ne4 4.Nf3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Nd2 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.a3 Bd2 8.Qd2 Qe7 9.Qc3! 0-0(?-better 9...b6, NCO) 10.Rad1 Rfe8 11.Rd5!! (a brilliant idea (Euwe): White prefers to sac the exchange rather than lose his gambit pawn) 11...b6 12.e3 Bb7 13.Be2 Rad8 14.0-0 Ncb8 15.Rfc1! Bd5 16.cd5 - "and White has only one pawn for the exchange, but his solid center gives him the edge." - Euwe. White won decisively in just 34 moves.

This game is just textbook perfect. Grab the gambit pawn and return it later for massive positional compensation. Smyslov was showing everybody way back in '46 what a great positional player he would become.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

The Fajarowicz is certainly an interesting opening to play against weaker players, but it does have its drawbacks against good players! Here is how future world champiom Vassily Smyslov (~2700) dealt with it back in 1946 in Groningen against the near-GM Haje Steiner (~2500):

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.de5 Ne4 4.Nf3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Nd2 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.a3 Bd2 8.Qd2 Qe7 9.Qc3! 0-0(?-better 9...b6, NCO) 10.Rad1 Rfe8 11.Rd5!! (a brilliant idea (Euwe): White prefers to sac the exchange rather than lose his gambit pawn) 11...b6 12.e3 Bb7 13.Be2 Rad8 14.0-0 Ncb8 15.Rfc1! Bd5 16.cd5 - "and White has only one pawn for the exchange, but his solid center gives him the edge." - Euwe. White won decisively in just 34 moves.

This game is just textbook perfect. Grab the gambit pawn and return it later for massive positional compensation. Smyslov was showing everybody way back in '46 what a great positional player he would become.

This game shows why I prefer 7...Bf8!? (as I gave in my first post of this thread), intending to redevelop the bishop with a kingside fianchetto.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

The Fajarowicz is certainly an interesting opening to play against weaker players, but it does have its drawbacks against good players! Here is how future world champiom Vassily Smyslov (~2700) dealt with it back in 1946 in Groningen against the near-GM Haje Steiner (~2500):

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.de5 Ne4 4.Nf3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Nd2 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.a3 Bd2 8.Qd2 Qe7 9.Qc3! 0-0(?-better 9...b6, NCO) 10.Rad1 Rfe8 11.Rd5!! (a brilliant idea (Euwe): White prefers to sac the exchange rather than lose his gambit pawn) 11...b6 12.e3 Bb7 13.Be2 Rad8 14.0-0 Ncb8 15.Rfc1! Bd5 16.cd5 - "and White has only one pawn for the exchange, but his solid center gives him the edge." - Euwe. White won decisively in just 34 moves.

This game is just textbook perfect. Grab the gambit pawn and return it later for massive positional compensation. Smyslov was showing everybody way back in '46 what a great positional player he would become.

MCO-15 rates White's position as only slightly better after 11.Rd5. After 13.Be2, Black eventually won a game in my biggest database after deviating from Steiner's play with 13...Rae8, not that one game always proves much.

ECO considers 10.Rd1 to give White a big advantage, quoting Smyslov-Steiner well past move fourteen. It also gives 10.0-0-0 as leading to a big advantage (and it might be a more accurate way to go, in view of my preceding paragraph). There follows 10...Re8 11.Rd5 b6 (as before), when both 12.g3 and 12.e3 eventually give White a big plus in that book.

[edit: my own investigation so far leads me to believe that 9...b6 ought to not benefit Black; instead it can lead back to positions reached after 9...0-0]

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

MCO-15 rates White's position as only slightly better after 11.Rd5. After 13.Be2, Black eventually won a game in my biggest database after deviating from Steiner's play with 13...Rae8, not that one game always proves much.

ECO considers 10.Rd1 to give White a big advantage, quoting Smyslov-Steiner well past move fourteen. It also gives 10.0-0-0 as leading to a big advantage (and it might be a more accurate way to go, in view of my preceding paragraph). There follows 10...Re8 11.Rd5 b6 (as before), when both 12.g3 and 12.e3 eventually give White a big plus in that book.

[edit: my own investigation so far leads me to believe that 9...b6 ought to not benefit Black; instead it can lead back to positions reached after 9...0-0]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Nxd2 6.Nbxd2 Nc6 7.a3 Bxd2+ 8.Qxd2 Qe7 9.Qc3 0-0 10.Rd1 Re8 11.Rd5 b6 12.e3 Bb7 13.Be2



In the first paragraph of my quotation, I meant to type 13...Rac8. The point of this move, which Fritz grasps later on, is that d8 is free for Black's queen to occupy later, after the sequence 14.0-0 Nb8 15.Rc1 Bxd5 (in the game from my database, Black, a 2100+ player, played 15...c5?, but went on to win) 16.cxd5 c5 17.Bb5 a6 18.d6 (an otherwise favourable sequence for White given by Smyslov, but with the Black R on d8 [as in his game with Steiner] rather than on c8) when after 18...Qd8 Fritz judges the position roughly equal.

Regarding the second paragraph of my quotation, ECO's coverage of just 10.0-0-0 Re8 11.Rd5 b6 12.g3



concludes 12...Bb7 13.Bh3 Rad8 14.Rhd1 Nb8 15.R5d3 a5 16.Re3 +/- Zvjaginsev-Schaffarth, Berlin 1993.

Regarding the third (final) paragraph of my quotation, ECO does give 9...b6,



leading to White's big advantage in all cases, although I've tried in vain to rescue it for Black, in view of NCO's appraisal that Peter mentions. One line ECO gives is 10.g3 Bb7 11.Bh3 0-0-0 12.0-0-0 Rhe8 13.Rd5 Nb8 14.Rd3 Bxf3 15.Rxf3 Qc5 (Ionescu-Bellon, Bern 1992) 16.Re3 +/-.

In earlier posts I mentioned 7...Bf8!? (which I prefer to capturing on d2).



A taste of this is 8.Ne4 (8.g3 g6 9.Bg2 Bg7 10.Qc2 Qe7 11.Rd1 Nxe5= R. O'Donnell ;)-Szpisjak, Mid West Class Open 1996) 8...Qe7 9.Qd5 b6 10.0-0-0 Bb7 11.g3 0-0-0 12.Bh3 Nxe5 13.Qxe5 Bxe4= Engquist-Nyberg, Sweden(ch) 1998.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

After the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4

(instead 2.Nf3 Ne4!? is an old line, played even by Keres, that gains little attention from the books these days)

3.Bf4 gives White a line of the Torre where he has gained a tempo in the opening or a line in the London sytem where black has played strangely. Take your pick.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

[1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 Ne4] 3.Bf4 gives White a line of the Torre where he has gained a tempo in the opening or a line in the London sytem where black has played strangely. Take your pick.

There is at least one other way for Black to play that may be satisfactory.

Podhorzer-Weil, Vienna Theme Tournament 1937 continued:

3...c5



4.d5

(Fritz analyzes: 4.Qd3 Qb6=; 4.Nbd2 d5 5.e3 Qb6 6.c4 cxd4= [I'd say unclear] and if 7.Nxd4 e5 8.Bxe5 Nd7 supposedly holds the balance)

4...Qb6 5.Qc1 (5.Nc3!? Fritz) and now besides 5...e6 as played, Fritz states that 5...c4!? or 5...Qb4+!? are roughly equal.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

In case viewers haven't noticed yet, I've gone back and added diagrams to my posts #3,6 and 7 of this thread today (I similarly added diagrams to post #11 yesterday). :)

[Gordon Gooding]

Re: Junkyard Openings 3.0: Budapest Defence, Fajarowicz Variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Nxd2 6.Nbxd2 Nc6 7.a3 Bxd2+ 8.Qxd2 Qe7 9.Qc3 0-0 10.Rd1 Re8 11.Rd5 b6 12.e3 Bb7 13.Be2



In the first paragraph of my quotation, I meant to type 13...Rac8. The point of this move, which Fritz grasps later on, is that d8 is free for Black's queen to occupy later, after the sequence 14.0-0 Nb8 15.Rc1 Bxd5 (in the game from my database, Black, a 2100+ player, played 15...c5?, but went on to win) 16.cxd5 c5 17.Bb5 a6 18.d6 (an otherwise favourable sequence for White given by Smyslov, but with the Black R on d8 [as in his game with Steiner] rather than on c8) when after 18...Qd8 Fritz judges the position roughly equal.

Regarding the second paragraph of my quotation, ECO's coverage of just 10.0-0-0 Re8 11.Rd5 b6 12.g3



concludes 12...Bb7 13.Bh3 Rad8 14.Rhd1 Nb8 15.R5d3 a5 16.Re3 +/- Zvjaginsev-Schaffarth, Berlin 1993.

Regarding the third (final) paragraph of my quotation, ECO does give 9...b6,



leading to White's big advantage in all cases, although I've tried in vain to rescue it for Black, in view of NCO's appraisal that Peter mentions. One line ECO gives is 10.g3 Bb7 11.Bh3 0-0-0 12.0-0-0 Rhe8 13.Rd5 Nb8 14.Rd3 Bxf3 15.Rxf3 Qc5 (Ionescu-Bellon, Bern 1992) 16.Re3 +/-.

In earlier posts I mentioned 7...Bf8!? (which I prefer to capturing on d2).



A taste of this is 8.Ne4 (8.g3 g6 9.Bg2 Bg7 10.Qc2 Qe7 11.Rd1 Nxe5= R. O'Donnell ;)-Szpisjak, Mid West Class Open 1996) 8...Qe7 9.Qd5 b6 10.0-0-0 Bb7 11.g3 0-0-0 12.Bh3 Nxe5 13.Qxe5 Bxe4= Engquist-Nyberg, Sweden(ch) 1998.

Why would white give up his bishop for the Ne4? It would seem easier for white to play Nbd2 to with a3 on the next move to threaten exchanges . The idea of black's f8 bishop with no white counterpart is a little uneasy for me to swallow as white.