Our Price: € 22.50

Publisher: New In Chess, 2007
Edition: Paperback medium
ISBN: 978-90-5691-224-6
Pages: 230
Language: English

“The Budapest Gambit can surprise any player, even at the highest level.”

The Budapest Gambit is popular with club and internet chess players all over the world, and it is easy to see why. It has surprise value, it’s not hard to learn, and it leads to sharp and dynamic play from the very start of the game. But what about its strategic value?

Grandmasters tend to be sceptical about gambits like this. However, when Viktor Moskalenko started playing the Budapest, its all-round appeal struck him, and since then he has won many games with it in countless tournaments.

This book contains quite a few of Moskalenko’s own games, as well as games by other star players from the past and the present. They illustrate perfectly the dynamic character of this gambit as well as its solid strategic foundations.

The Fabulous Budapest Gambit does not shower you with long computer-generated variations, but provides crystal-clear insights into the wide spectrum of this opening, explaining the plans for both White and Black. Moskalenko’s lively style will infect you and encourage you to start playing this opening which is a great weapon at any level, from club player to grandmaster.

Viktor Moskalenko (1960) is an International Grandmaster born in the Ukraine, who has been living in Spain since 2000. He is a successful author and a well-known chess coach who has worked with Vasily Ivanchuk. The former Ukrainian champion remains a very active player and has won many tournaments in his new home country.


Excerpts from the interview by Edwin Lam with GM Viktor Moskalenko on ChessBase.com, December 15 2007:

Edwin Lam: What is your current competitive chess score with the Budapest Gambit as Black?

Viktor Moskalenko: My personal BG statistics in 2007 are: from a total of 11 games played, I scored 3 wins with 8 draws, which translates into a performance of 2577 (some of these games can be seen in the book).

Edwin Lam: Any advice to chess coaches who would want to use the Budapest Gambit with their students?

Viktor Moskalenko: In the first place it is necessary to learn that the Budapest Gambit is much more than just a surprise weapon or a ‘romantic’ opening. Nor is it a simple attacking weapon or a system with which you can ‘cheat’ your opponent. I have discovered that each main line of this opening contains elements of the modern game and there is enough room for improvisation. See for example Shakhriyar Mamedyarov’s fascinating games with the Budapest Gambit. I am sure that even players like Aronian and Svidler could include the ‘BG’ in their repertoire.