We’re going to explore some really cool opening traps in the Budapest Gambit. This gambit arises from the Queen’s Pawn Opening. You can use the Budapest Gambit as Black against 1.d4.

The Budapest Gambit happens when Black sacrifices a pawn, by playing e5, like this: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5.

5 Best Chess Opening Traps in the Budapest Gambit

If you don’t know yet how powerful is a gambit in chess, learn and play the Budapest Gambit, but also learn the Top 10 Chess Gambits to Try Out!

Opening Trap #1 in the Budapest Gambit

The first in the list of the best chess opening traps in the Budapest Gambit is here! The first moves for this opening are: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ne4.

When you jump with your knight to e4, one of the possible moves for White is 4.a3. It’s pretty clear that one of the attacking ideas of Black would be to bring their bishop out to b4 and, together with the knight on e4, create some problems. Therefore, preventing this from happening seems natural.

Then the game follows with 4…d6 5. exd6 Bxd6. You just sacrifice one little pawn, but you’re having a very active position!

If White doesn’t fall into the trap, you’re still having a great game and it’s very simple for Black to play, to develop the pieces easily, and got a super simple attacking position.

Knight Fork & Discovered Attack

Simple tactics are the core for this trap. Be sure to know them by heart by looking at our Chess Tactics Galore.

In the vast majority of games for this position, White actually plays 6. Nf3, which loses the game suddenly and immediately! You play 6…Nxf2! The king has to take this knight to not lose one piece due to the fork. Then you play 7…Bg3+, which is a check and win the queen with a discovered attack.

You grab the queen and win the game. This opening trap is really effective! White loses by doing fairly natural moves.

Opening Trap #2 in the Budapest Gambit

The number two in the list of the best chess opening traps in the Budapest Gambit follows the same first moves: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ne4.

For the first trap, we analyzed 4.a3 but, what if White goes 4.Nf3 instead? This is another natural move and it’s actually the main line!

There is an interesting way for you to keep developing your pieces, but also to set a clever trap along the way. You can play 4…b6, which at first looks like you just want to fianchetto your bishop.

The White Queen Trapped

The white player will certainly think you just overlooked the winning move 5.Qd5. From d5, the queen attacks the rook and the knight and looks like White is just winning. But then you play 5…Bb7 anyway. Some moves later, after capturing your bishop, your opponent will lose!

Hint: White was never thinking about sacrificing the queen. But anyway, you will win this queen.

You will win the game and what’s fascinating about this line is that a lot of White’s players, including strong ones ―really strong chess players―, will fall victim of this trap.

Opening Trap #3 in the Budapest Gambit

The third on the list of the best opening traps for the Budapest Gambit is a must-know classical. Maybe you’re aware of it, but we’ve got to make sure that you really know it.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4

After exchanging pawns on e5, for the first two traps you moved your knight to e4. That is a very good option as you saw. But moving your knight to g4 is another good move which paves the way for new traps!

The Deadly Smothered Mate

From here the knight pretends to get the pawn back. When White tries to protect it with all the pieces at hand, you will keep attacking it. After some moves, you will be hitting the pawn three times and White will be defending it just two.

Your opponent will get distracted by your annoying bishop on b4 and, all of a sudden, you can land a knight on d3 to deliver a smothered checkmate.

We have to say that the whole line is completely sound and good for Black even if White does not fall for this trap.

Opening Trap #4 in the Budapest Gambit

The beginning for this ―the 4th in this list of the best opening traps for the Budapest Gambit― is still standard: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4.

But here, after you play Ng4 and White protects the pawn on e5 with their knight, instead of trying to get this pawn back by playing Nc6, you may also wish to keep playing in a gambit style.

4. Nf3 d6 5. exd6 Bxd6

You have sacrificed a pawn for the sake of quick development and great attacking opportunities. But you also set a clever trap along the way.

Similar Tactics to Trap #1

If your opponent wants to drive your knight away and play 6. h3, instead of moving this knight back, all of a sudden, you take the pawn on f2! Nxf2 once again! We already saw this tactics on the first trap, and it works here just as well.

After White takes it, you still check the king with Bg3+ and, with a discovered attack, you win the queen on d1 for nothing. That’s a clear win for Black!

Opening Trap #5 in the Budapest Gambit

For the final trap of the best 5 opening traps in the Budapest Gambit, I recommend that you use a slightly different move order. We will still get into the Budapest Gambit but, before playing e5, you first play d6.

You’re a little bit hiding your intentions, pretending like you’re going to play the King’s Indian Defense. But after White plays Nc3, you play pawn to e5!

Then, when they take the pawn on e5, instead of recapturing it, you play Ng4. In that way, you still got a similar position to what we analyzed previously, but because you used a different move order, you can completely confuse your opponent.

Your opponent will not be able to understand what’s going on right here. After they take on d6, and you recapture with the bishop, the bishop together with the knight attack the white pawn on h2. You can actually grab it with the knight on the next move. And if they move it to h3 trying to move your knight away from there, instead of retreating, still you sacrifice this knight on f2!

This trap is similar to the previous one, but the trick here is different. We are not going to take the queen this time. Instead of that, we are going to checkmate the king!

Checkmate with the Queen & Bishops

Black is winning here. The idea of course is that you’re attacking the king and also the queen. White’s king is terribly exposed and is going to be checkmated soon. You’re winning in all of the variations. Even, if the king tries to run away, then you execute a pretty nice checkmate where the white king just dances around in a pretty funny checkmating situation. ☺

Can You Find the Winning Continuation?

How would you play here as Black?

What if White plays Nf3, instead of trying to retreat with the king? Please, think about this and write it down in the comments below, if you can find the winning continuation for Black here.

Certainly, with such an exposed king, Black should be able to win anyway. But you gotta find the precise move as not every move would win here.

5 Best Chess Opening Traps in the Budapest Gambit (Video Lesson)

Below you can go through all the moves on the chessboard and also download the PGN file with the chess games that we analyzed for this lesson to learn the best 5 opening traps in the Budapest Gambit.