This was my first time playing the Latvian in a longer time control. I think Latvian players will find it a nice treat 🙂
If he refuses the sac with 11.d4 then I have 11....Nxf2 12.Kxf2 Bg4+ 13.Nf3 Rxf3+ 14.gxf3 Qh4+ 15.Ke3 Bxf3 16.Bxd5+ Kh8 17.Re2 Qg5+ 18.Kf2 Bxd4+!!
If he refuses that sac with 12.Qd2 I have 12...Nd3 13.dxc5 Nxe1 14.Qxe1 h6 15.g4 hxg5 16.gxf5 Rxf5 and its unclear but I can probably still win.
Originally posted by greenpawn34Well yes but its the closest i've come to one in a longer game.
Hi Tom Tom - could not wait.
[pgn]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 f5 4.exf5 Nf6 5.Bc4 d5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.0-0 0-0 8.Re1 e4 9.Ng5 Bxf5 10.h3 Ng4 11.hxg4 Bxf2+ 12.Kxf2 Bxg4+ 13.Nf3 Qh4+ 14.Kg1 exf3 15.Bxd5+ Kh8 16.gxf3 Qg3+ 17.Kh1 Rf5 18.Bf7 Bxf3+ 19.Qxf3 Rxf3 20.Re8+ Rxe8 21.Bc4 Re1+ 22.Bf1 Rexf1 0-1[/pgn]
Good game but not a 100% Latvian - some kind of Ponziani.
C'mon, bit e the bullet. 2....f5!
You played that last game well - you know what it's like to
come screaming down the f-file.
What out for Qh5+ and be prepared to take Mr. King a for a
walk in few games.
3.exf5 is the most popular choice in the blitz room.
3.d4 comes very very close to busting the Latvian.
Originally posted by greenpawn34Its not that I wouldn't play it... Its just I'm a sicilian man and usually only play 1...e5 in blitz... BUT i've grown bored with the sicilian lately so I expect to be delving into 1....e5 openings more often and the Latvian does look enticing.
C'mon, bit e the bullet. 2....f5!
You played that last game well - you know what it's like to
come screaming down the f-file.
What out for Qh5+ and be prepared to take Mr. King a for a
walk in few games.
3.exf5 is the most popular choice in the blitz room.
3.d4 comes very very close to busting the Latvian.
What about 3.Nxe5? Isn't that the supposed "refutation" to the Latvian?
No he said 3.d4!
3.Nxe5 Qf6 and White needs to know a bucket load of theory for
an opening he will rarely meet. Black on the other hand will be finely tuned.
After 3.d4! White need only know one line.
If Black tries to avoid it White is basically playing a Falkbeer/Vienaa
Gambit a tempo up and the tactics simply flow from White.
This is the main line 3.d4 you know it's dodgy when Black HAS to
walk into discovered check shedding a Rook.
And they (the book) reckon Black is OK?
I've always won on the White side of this and have scrapped a few draws
as Black and during those games I've seen better moves for White.
Have lost 90% of these in blitz as Black,
it's very difficult to spot all the shots, I prefer to be the shooter
in these type of positions. Most Lavtian Gambiteers do.
So 3.d4 is a good mind games weapon too.
[Event "RHP Blitz rated"]
[Site "www.chessatwork.com"]
[Date "2009.5.12"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Otto Bergstrom"]
[Black "Habeascorp"]
[Result "0-1"]
1. e2-e4 e7-e5 2. Bf1-c4 f7-f5 3. e4xf5 Qd8-g5 4. Qd1-f3 Ng8-f6 5. d2-d4 Qg5-g4 6. Qf3xg4 Nf6xg4 7. d4xe5 Ng4xe5 8. Bc4-b3 d7-d6 9. Ng1-e2 Bc8xf5 10. Bc1-f4 Nb8-d7 11. Nb1-c3 O-O-O 12. O-O-O h7-h6 13. h2-h3 g7-g5 14. Bf4-h2 Bf8-g7 15. g2-g4 Bf5-g6 16. Ne2-d4 Nd7-b6 17. Nd4-e6 Rd8-d7 18. Ne6xg7 Rd7xg7 19. Nc3-d5 Nb6xd5 20. Bb3xd5 Rh8-e8 21. Rh1-e1 Rg7-e7 22. Bh2xe5 Re7xe5 23. Re1xe5 Re8xe5 24. Bd5-b3 Re5-e2 25. Rd1-f1 b7-b6 26. Kc1-d1 Re2-e7 27. Kd1-d2 c7-c5 28. Bb3-c4 Kc8-c7 29. Bc4-d3 Bg6xd3 30. Kd2xd3 Kc7-c6 31. c2-c4 a7-a6 32. a2-a4 b6-b5 33. c4xb5 a6xb5 34. a4xb5 Kc6xb5 35. Rf1-c1 d6-d5 36. Kd3-d2 Re7-e4 37. Rc1-c3 Re4-f4 38. Kd2-e2 Kb5-b4 39. Rc3-c2 d5-d4 40. Rc2-d2 c5-c4 41. f2-f3 Kb4-b3 42. h3-h4 g5xh4 43. Ke2-f2 c4-c3 44. b2xc3 d4xc3 45. Rd2-d3 Kb3-b2 46. Kf2-e3 Rf4-f8 47. f3-f4 c3-c2 48. Rd3-d2 Kb2-b1 49. Rd2xc2 Kb1xc2 50. Ke3-e4 Kc2-c3 51. f4-f5 Rf8-e8 52. Ke4-f4 Kc3-d4 53. f5-f6 Kd4-d5 54. g4-g5 Kd5-e6 55. g5xh6 Ke6xf6 56. Kf4-g4 Kf6-g6 57. Kg4xh4 Kg6xh6 58. Kh4-g4 Re8-f8 59. Kg4-h4 Rf8-g8 60. Kh4-h3 Rg8-g5 61. Kh3-h4 Kh6-g6 62. Kh4-h3 Kg6-f5 63. Kh3-h4 Rg5-g8 64. Kh4-h5 Rg8-h8 0-1
Not sure if this is a latvian? at least i played 2...f5
Originally posted by greenpawn34Yes but if you plan on playing it as black shouldn't you learn the theory of 3.Nxe5?
No he said 3.d4!
3.Nxe5 Qf6 and White needs to know a bucket load of theory for
an opening he will rarely meet. Black on the other hand will be finely tuned.
After 3.d4! White need only know one line.
If Black tries to avoid it White is basically playing a Falkbeer/Vienaa
Gambit a tempo up and the tactics simply flow from White.
This is the ...[text shortened]... d6 6. Nc3 dxe5 7. dxe5 Qxd1+ 8. Rxd1 h6 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Kd7 11. Nb6+ Kc6 12. Nxa8[/pgn]
Originally posted by tomtom232Of course - 3.Nxe5 is the most popular choice, White usually runs out
Yes but if you plan on playing it as black shouldn't you learn the theory of 3.Nxe5?
of book round about move 7 or 8.
A lot of players follow a line suggested by Bronstein in his 200 Open Games.
And all other writers just copied him - this is one great thing in favour
of the Latvian player, most analysis spewed up in opening books
is shody and out of date.
Very few writers actually re-search their work - most just copy.
I'm just warning you about 3.d4.
I don't want you sitting there in this position..........
......thinking you have done something wrong.
Get some set plays going v under 1400 this is a good way to
learn an opening.
My first 6 games on RHP were set up's with me taking the Black
side of a Latvian.
This one was good - my opponent was following the Bronstein game
till I deviated.
This position cropped up - time for a Latvian trap.
I played 15...a6 here. It is a trap using my e-pawn as bait.
I knew he was going to move his Bishop discovering an attack
on the e-pawn. I have a wee surprise in store (17...Qf3)
I did not want his Bishop going to b5 hitting the e8 Rook.
So 15....a6. and he went along by playing 16.Bc4.
If you don't like setting traps or taking chances then the
Latvian is not for you.
Originally posted by greenpawn34I think most people here know by now that I'm am not just willing to take chances but that its not really in me to NOT take chances.
Of course - 3.Nxe5 is the most popular choice, White usually runs out
of book round about move 7 or 8.
A lot of players follow a line suggested by Bronstein in his [b]200 Open Games.
And all other writers just copied him - this is one great thing in favour
of the Latvian player, most analysis spewed up in opening books
is shody and out of d ...[text shortened]... Qxe1+ 25. Kg2 Qe2+ 26. Kg3 Rf3+ 27. Kg4 Qg2+ 28. Kh5 Qg6[/pgn][/b]