Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...f5

Latvian gambit C40 King's knight opening 2...f5? · Latvian gambit The Latvian gambit is an aggressive counterattack. It is utterly unsound but sharp and has some practical chances against unprepared players. Rather than defend the attack on their e5 pawn, Black counterattacks and threatens ...fxe4. Black intends to prise open White's control of the centre, even at the cost of a pawn and the opening of the weakening e8-h5 diagonal. White can take either pawn and sharp play ensues. 3. Nxe5 is the main line. White takes the undefended e-pawn. This offers the e4 pawn back to Black in trade, but they dare not take it yet because of 3...fxe4?? 4. Qh5+! and White wins an exchange or more. 3...Qf6 is the main move, attacking the knight and adding control to g6 (so that 4. Qh5+? g6 gets White nowhere), then White has a choice of 4. d4 or 4. Nc4. 3...Nf6 to prevent Qh5+ is an alternative. Several other third moves are winning for White, though they are all much less common. 3. exf5, accepting the gambit, is also playable. Black's idea is 3...e4 to first kick the knight. (3...Nf6 is safer, but if Black wanted safety they shouldn't have played 2...f5?.) 4. Nd4 is the sharpest move, threatening Qh5+. 4...Qf6 defends against that threat while counterattacking the pawn and knight. 5. Nb5, threatening Nxc7+, is the best place to move it. 5...Qe5 defends c7 while attacking the knight. 5. Qe2 defends the knight and threatens d4!, forcing Black's queen away from control of c7. If 4. Ne5 Nf6 is necessary to prevent Qh5+ and overwhelming control of f7: 4...Qf6 fails because White's knight increases the f5-pawn's control of g6. 3. Nc3 is called the Mlotkowski variation. The idea is not to answer 3...fxe4 with 4. Nxe4 (4...d5 5. Ng3 e4 6. Nd4 Bc5, Black gets a big centre and the initiative and it is hard for White to exploit their open king) but with 4. Nxe5. 3. d4 is the sharp Mason countergambit. 3. Bc4? is the extraordinary Mayet attack. White concentrates on exploiting the weakened kingside and allows Black to take 3...fxe4, planning 4. Nxe5 d5 5. Qh5+, where 5...Ke7?? leads to forced mate. If Black finds the right moves, which include the shocking 5...g6!, sacrificing the exchange, then they equalise, though the position is sharp. 6. Nxg6 hxg6 7. Qxh8 Kf7 protects the knight, White's queen is almost trapped and White's bishop is still hanging. 4...Qg5 is the old line, attacking the knight and g2. If Black avoids ...fxe4 until after they have played 3...Nf6, "playing it safe" and defending the kingside against infiltration by Qh5, then they are no worse than they would have been after 3. Nxe5 or 3. exf5―which is to say, they are much worse and White is winning. 3. c4? is the Diepstraten countergambit. White has to be wary of their knight being trapped after 3...fxe4 4. Nxe5, for example 4...Nf6 5. d4?? d6-+. 3. g4? is the incredibly strange Lobster gambit. White hopes for 3...fxg4? 4. Nxe5 where the game is close to equality, but after 3...fxe4! 4. Nxe5 d6 Black is better. 3. b4? is the extremely rare Senechaud gambit which sets a trap. After 3...fxe4 4. Nxe5, Black may be tempted to capture the seemingly free pawn with 4...Bxb4?? but this ends in ruins due to 5. Qh5+! g6 6. Nxg6 Nf6 7. Qe5+ Be7 8. Nxh8+-. Black can just play 4...Nf6 with a better position though. History The Latvian gambit is also known as the Greco countergambit after Gioachino Greco (1600–1634). Theory table 3. Nxe5 Qf6 4. d4 d6 5. Nc4 fxe4 6. Nc3 Qg6 7. Ne3 Nf6 8. Be2 c6 9. O-O Bilguer variation ++ 3. ... ... 4. Nc4 fxe4 5. Nc3 Qf7 6. Ne3 Foltys-Leonhardt variation ++ 3. exf5 e4 4. Nd4 Qf6 5. Nb5 Na6 6. N1c3 Latvian gambit accepted ++ References See also Latvian Gambit Kosten Tony The Latvian Gambit Lives! 2001 0-7134-8629-5 Batsford