Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Rubinstein Variation
The Rubinstein Variation of the Budapest Gambit is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
861,828 games: White 53.3% / Draw 6.0% / Black 40.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 520,979521K | ||
| 118,960119K | ||
| 106,207106K | ||
| 87,26987K | ||
| 16,39516K | ||
| 5,7495,749 | ||
| 3,7513,751 | ||
| 559559 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.48 White is slightly better
Best play: 4... Bb4+ 5. Nc3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Nc6 7. Nf3 Qe7 8. Qd5 f6 9. exf6
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 better this line does for White: White scores 52% under 1400, 57% at 2200 and up and 64% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 18K | |
| 1400–1799 | 201K | |
| 1800–2199 | 565K | |
| 2200 and up | 151K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,351 |
Master games
- Le, Q. L. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Eljanov, P. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Van Wely, L. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Wojtaszek, R. – Jobava, B.
- Khairullin, I. – 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 27, 2026
Description
The Rubinstein Variation of the Budapest Gambit is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4. It is named after the famous game Rubinstein–Vidmar, Berlin 1918, in which 4.Bf4 was first played. Various authors consider it the most dangerous move for Black. The bishop defends e5, and if Black answers ...Bc5, White can play e3 without blocking the bishop in, unlike in the 4.Nf3 line.
The main line
Both sides develop around the e5-pawn: 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4+. White now has an important choice between two very different moves.
- 6.Nc3 accepts the break-up of the queenside pawns after ...Bxc3+ in return for an extra pawn, the bishop pair and active play in the centre.
- 6.Nbd2 gives the pawn back but keeps a healthy pawn structure and the bishop pair. After 6...Qe7 White generally plays 7.a3, forcing the exchange on d2 and gaining space and chances for a minority attack on the queenside. 7.e3 tries to win a tempo. The maverick gambit 6...f6, which Rubinstein attributed to Ernst Grünfeld, also exists.
4...g5
The sideline 4...g5, invented by István Abonyi, was not well regarded until the end of the 20th century, as it weakens the f5- and h5-squares. In the 21st century Shakhriyar Mamedyarov has made successful efforts to rehabilitate it.
The 1918 game
At Berlin 1918 Milan Vidmar, at a loss for what to play as Black against Akiba Rubinstein, took his friend Abonyi's advice to try the Budapest Gambit and won in just 24 moves. Vidmar went on to win the tournament, and after this game the gambit began to be taken seriously.
The numbers
On Lichess White wins 53.3% of the 861,828 games and Black 40.8%. Masters' results favour White: in 1,351 games over the board White won 43.4%, Black 16.3%, and 40.3% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Rubinstein Variation
4…g5 scores best for Black: 48.5%, with Black winning 45.8% and White 48.8% of 106K games. The most played, 4…Nc6, scores 44.3% in 521K games, and 4…Bc5 scores lowest: 33.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 4…Bb4+.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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
The Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Rubinstein Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.025% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.046% (its peak: 0.057% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.046% | 16,374 |
| 2017 | 0.053% | 29,326 |
| 2018 | 0.057% | 44,487 |
| 2019 | 0.054% | 66,741 |
| 2020 | 0.044% | 128,126 |
| 2021 | 0.032% | 126,918 |
| 2022 | 0.031% | 115,040 |
| 2023 | 0.029% | 107,915 |
| 2024 | 0.027% | 98,522 |
| 2025 | 0.025% | 87,344 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.025% | 26,953 |
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
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Budapest Gambit, version of 26 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Rubinstein Variation (A52)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/indian-defense-budapest-defense-rubinstein-variation