Latvian Gambit
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- This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.
| Latvian Gambit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Moves | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ECO | C40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Origin | 17th Century | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Named after | Latvian players | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Open Game | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Synonym(s) | Greco Counter Gambit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chessgames.com opening explorer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Latvian Gambit is an aggressive chess opening, which often leads to wild and tricky positions. This opening is uncommon at the top level of over the board play, but in correspondence chess some players are devoted to it.[1]
It was formerly known as the Greco Counter Gambit. The original name commemorated the Italian player Gioachino Greco (1600-1634), who contributed to the early theory. The new name 'Latvian Gambit' was made official by the FIDE Congress of 1937. The name was a tribute to the Latvian players, notably Karlis Betins, who analyzed it in the early part of the 20th century. The opening is characterized by the following moves which give it the appearance of a King's Gambit with the colours reversed.
At this point several possible moves by White have been studied, of which the most important are
- 3.Nxe5 - the main line. Now after the usual 3...Qf6 (3...Nc6?! is also known), White chooses between 4.d4 d6 5.Nc4 fxe4 and the immediate 4.Nc4, which has the advantage of allowing White to open the center with d3, for example 4...fxe4 5.Nc3 Qg6?! 6.d3 exd3? 7.Bxd3 Qxg2? and now White is winning after 8.Qh5+ Kd8 (or 8...g6 9.Qe5+ and 10.Be4) 9.Be4 Qg6 10.Qxg6 hxg6 11.Bxg6.
- 3.Bc4 This may lead to perhaps the most notorious and heavily analyzed line of the Latvian, which begins 3...fxe4 4.Nxe5 Qg5 (4...d5 5. Qh5+ g6 6.Nxg6 Nf6 7. Qh4 is slightly less insane) 5.d4 Qxg2 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Bf7+ Kd8 8.Bxg6! Qxh1+ 9.Ke2 Qxc1 (9...c6 is a major alternative) 10.Nf7+ Ke8 11.Nxh8+ hxg6 12.Qxg6+ Kd8 13.Nf7+ Ke7 14.Nc3!.
- 3.Nc3 American grandmaster Joel Benjamin has claimed that this sensible developing move refutes the Latvian.
- 3.exf5
- 3.d4
The ECO code for the Latvian Gambit is C40 (King's knight Opening).
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Prof. Nagesh Havanur, The Latvian Gambit Revisited, Part One, chessville.com.
- Prof. Nagesh Havanur, The Latvian Gambit Revisited, Part Two, chessville.com.
- (French) Le gambit letton.
