Indian Defense: Budapest Defense 3. dxe5 Ng4
Also known as Budapest Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
3,981,270 games: White 49.4% / Draw 5.2% / Black 45.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Adler Variation | 2,099,0152.1M | |
| Rubinstein Variation | 861,999862K | |
| Alekhine Variation | 295,282295K | |
| 166,890167K | ||
| 161,813162K | ||
| 134,984135K | ||
| 114,816115K | ||
| 49,31849K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.75 White is better
Best play: 4. e4 Nxe5 5. f4 Nec6 6. Nc3 Bc5 7. Qg4 O-O 8. f5 d6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 50% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up and 39% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 152K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 431K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,874 |
Master games
- Giri, A. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Aronian, L. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Kramnik, V. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Le, Q. L. – Mamedyarov, S.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026
Overview
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense (ECO A52, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 (3 moves).
In 3,981,270 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.4%, Black 45.4% and 5.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nf3, in 53% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Adler Variation and Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Rubinstein Variation. In all, 5 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 3…Ng4
4. Bf4 (Rubinstein Variation) scores best for White: 56.3%, with White winning 53.3% and Black 40.7% of 862K games. The most played answer, 4. Nf3, scores lowest: 50.1% in 2.1M games. Stockfish's first choice is 4. e4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.13% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.18% (its peak: 0.22% in 2019).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.18% | 63,147 |
| 2017 | 0.2% | 111,567 |
| 2018 | 0.22% | 169,602 |
| 2019 | 0.22% | 273,039 |
| 2020 | 0.18% | 539,640 |
| 2021 | 0.15% | 575,298 |
| 2022 | 0.15% | 555,399 |
| 2023 | 0.14% | 538,036 |
| 2024 | 0.14% | 495,756 |
| 2025 | 0.13% | 450,862 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.13% | 141,572 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (3)
All 5 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Indian Defense: Budapest Defense (A52)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/indian-defense-budapest-defense-2