Alejandro Melchor [pictured above] has e-mailed this "remarkable attacking game" that was published in a recent book on the Budapest Gambit by Viktor Moskalenko who, like Melchor, resides in Barcelona. All notes, unless indicated otherwise, are by Alejandro Melchor.Mayo,M. – Herms, J., Spain 2004
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4 4.Nf3 d6
5.exd6
Accepting the gambit is risky for White so he should look at another ten (!) possibilities; for instance, some of them:
A) 5.g3 Nc6, and
B) 5.e3 Nc6 both transpose to the line in the Fajarowicz with 4…Nc6, and they are good for Black.
C) 5.Nbd2 Nc5 (I don’t agree with West's idea of 5…Bf5 directly in his games vs. Szuper, Lustig and Privman; so 6.Nxe4 Bxe4 7.Ng5 Bg6 8.e6! fxe6 9.Nxe6 of Diedam-Scharff, GER Oberliga 1986, and now after 9…Qe7 10.Nf4! White gets the advantage), and now the best choice is 6.g3!? Nc6 transposing to a well-known main line in the Fajarowicz via 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 Nc6 6.g3 d6. White's idea is to occupy d5. Although Black's plan is a little slow and does nothing to show the disadvantages of the knight’s placement on d5, Black's knight controls some important squares, in particular impeding the advance e2-e4 and it turns out in a lot of variations to be well-placed on c5 in a semi-blockading position in front of the White c-pawn. On the other hand if, for instance, 6.Nb3 Ne6 (6…Ne4 7.Qd5) 7.exd6 Bxd6 8.c5 of Sanchez Criado-Herms, Barcelona 2006, then 8..Nxc5 9.Nxc5 Bxc5 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8 11.Bf4 Bb4+!.
D) 5.Qd5!? and now instead of 5…Nc5?! {After the game, Gareev suggested 5...Bf5!? (West)} 6.Bg5! of Gareev-West, Liberty Bell Open 2009, Black can try 5…f5 6.exd6 (6.Nc3 Nc6 7.Nxe4 – 7.Bf4 Nxc3 8.bxce dxe5 – 7…fxe4 8.Qxe4 dxe5 9.a3 Qf6) 6…Nc6 7.e3 Nc6 (7…c6) 8.a3 Qe7 9.Qd1 Be6 10.Be2 g5 with counterplay, Gerke-Gegner, Dortmund 2000.
E) 5.Qc2!? is recommended by Tim Harding in his book The Fighting Fajarowicz as the best move. Though 5…Bf5 is bad, analyzed so after 6.Nc3! d5 (Black has lost a tempo already, but 6…Ng3 7.e4 Nxh1 8.exf5 dxe5 9.Be3!) 7.cxd5 Bb4? when 8.Qa4+! +- of Uhle-Glasewald, corr., ICCF World Cup 8/9 1990 is a major improvement on Tseitlin & Glazkov 8.Qb3; but also 7…Nxc3 8.Qxf5 Nxd5 9.Bd2 or 9.a3 is advantageous for White. Tseilin & Glazkov give 5…Nc5 as the best reply, and it also was played in Rogers,I-Rogers,C, Gold Coast Open 1999 but their analysis is not so correct, and after 6.b4 Ne6 7.a3 dxe5 (even, I suggest, 7..a5!?) 8.Nxe5 not 8…Qd4? because of the simple 9.Bb2, but 8…a5! according to Fritz9 or Hiarcs10. Maybe White best chances are 6.Bg5!? or 6.Nc3 dxe5 7.Be3. Probably the best choice for Black is Vasconcellos's line 5…d5 6.cxd5 Qxd5 7.Nxc3 Nxc3 8.Qxc3 Nc6 (Teoria e Práctica do Gambito Budapeste, page 43).
5...Bxd6
Threatening to terminate White by 6…Nxf2! 7.Kxf2 Bxg3+ and 8…Qxd1.
6.e3
Now if 6.Qc2 Bf5 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Bd2 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 O-O = (Vasconcellos, F.). But possible is 6.Nbd2 Bf5 and 7.e3 Nc6 8.Be2 Qf6 9.O-O O-O-O 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 with compensation Gonzalez-Carpintero, Las Palmas 1992; or 7.g3 Qe7 (7…O-O) 8.Nxe4 Bxe4 9.Bg2 Nc6 10.O-O with a slight White advantage, Martin Valentin-Herms, Spain 2007.
6…Nc6 7.a3
7.Be2 Bf5 (7…O-O; 7…Qf6: 7…Bg4!?) 8.O-O Qf6 9.Nbd2 O-O-O of Slajs-Korostenski, Ceske Budejovice Open 2000 is a previous transposition to Gonzalez-Carpintero, Las Palmas 1992 with 6.Nbd2; so 9…Nc5 10.Nb3 is a small plus to White (Rohde-Splane, San Mateo rapid 1990) by transposition too.
7...Bf5
A desirable position for any FG player. Black will soon gain the upper hand thanks to his good development. Another positional idea is 7…a5!?
8.Be2 Qe7
An even more aggressive move is 8…Qf6!?, taking control of the f6-a1 diagonal. For example 9.O-O O-O-O 10.Qb3 g5! (this might be the stem game of the strong plan …g5-g4, followed by …Bxh2+; the alternative is 10…Qg6!?) 11.Nc3 g4 12.Nxe4 Bxe4 13.Nd2 (13.Ne1 Qh6!? 14.g3 f5 -+) 13…Bxh2+ 14.Kxh2 Qh4+ 15.Kg1 Rxd2 (15…Bxg2! is the classical Lasker-Bauer continuation) 16.Bxd2 Ne5 17.Qc3 f6 18.Qd4 of Fronczek-Hoffmann,R., Baden-Alsace junior match 1996; and now the winning move is 18…Nf3+!.
9.Nbd2 O-O-O 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 11.Qa4 g5!
This powerful resource increases Black’s initiative.
12.O-O g4!
Attacking the only White piece that defends the kingside.
13.Nd2 Bxh2+!!
Some themes known since the Romantic Age keep returning. Minor pieces are sacrificed to break open the enemy fortress.
14.Kxh2 Qh4+ 15.Kg1 Bxg2!
Today, the idea behind this fabulous attack is still alive.
16.f4
If 16.Kxg2 Qh3+ 17.Kg1 g3 (or 17…Ne5!) 18.Nf3 Rhg8 19.e4 gxf2+ 20.Kxf2 Rg2+ 21.Ke3 Qh6+.
16…gxf3
16…Rxd2!? 17.Bxd2 Be4 -+.
17.Bxf3 Bxf3 18.Rxf3 Qe1+!
Cutting off the king’s road to safety is the key to victory.
19.Nf1 Rhg8+ 20.Kh1 Qh4+ 21.Nh2 Qg5, White resigns.
White gets mated.
