Wait, this was round 1?!
Karpov should NOT have been happy with a draw in that case.
Budapest with Nc3
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May 16, 2009
0
#23
It was the first game of their match. So from a match standpoint I guess Karpov should certainly have been playing for a win.
It's just that when you play through the game it seems like Karpov is just content to keep returning the ball - he doesn't seem to be playing all out. Offering the exchange of queens for example. What did he really have after 19 ...Qxe5 20 Bxe5 ?
Of course a lot of times it seems like Karpov isn't doing anything much and then you realize that the game is positionally won without Karpov's opponant ever making an obviously bad move. So maybe he had some plan against those pawns on the c-file.
Or maybe since it was the first game of the match and Short doubtless caught him by surprise he was just being very cautious? I can't imagine that Karpov was expecting the Budapest 
I sent a message to a chess.com member from Budapest basically asking "what's up with your defence, homey?" So far no response. This goes to support the theory that the Budapest Defence is a sham they put on for tourists.
May 20, 2009
0
#25
They might respond better if you translate it into Budapestian.
Niven42 wrote:
I just started using the Budapest as my "go-to" answer for the queen's pawn, since I've had really bad luck with anything else. Of course, the Budapest is not without its foibles... Does anyone have a reliable defense that they like better?
I once accidentally played this opening (I was white) and I must say it's one of the weirdest I've played. Went like this:
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.e3 Nc6 6.Be2 Ngxe5 7.O-O O-O 8.Nxe5 Nxe5 9.Nc3 d6 10.Na4 Bb6 11.b3 Bd7 12.Nxb6 axb6 13.f4 Ng6 14.Bb2 Qe7 15.Qd4 f6 16.f5 Ne5 17.Rf4 Nc6 18.Qd5+ Kh8 19.Qd2 Rae8 20.e4 Ne5 21.Rh4 g6 22.Rf1 gxf5 23.exf5 Rg8 24.Qc3 Qg7 25.g3 Qg5 26.Rh3 Bc6 27.Bh5 Re7 28.Bc1 Qg7 29.a4 Nf7 30.Bg6 h6 31.Bxf7 Rxf7 32.Rxh6+ Qxh6 33.Bxh6
Turned out this was the Adler variation. Now I must say I'm not much of a theorist, and I must also say that I in a strange way liked this game because it was unconventional. Maybe something for Alex Shirov. He likes to play "outside" the going theories.
Karpov did play a3, of course -- he just waited until move 12. At move 7 e3 is actually a little more popular than a3 (1218 games to 903)in my database and scores better.
Short probably should have taken the offer to trade queens on move 19. You do get the feeling Karpov would have been happy with a draw, but he was very quick to pounce when Short slipped.
Even at that, Short wasn't really out of it until 39 ...Re4??
Here's the game if anyone else is interested (apologies to those who aren't
)