Latvian Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nxe5 Qf6 · C40
Starting positionWhite to move
0 / 14
The f-file is the whole attack
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The idea
Black meets the knight's attack on e5 with a pawn sacrifice on f5, playing for a direct attack on the white king at the cost of real material.
Main line: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nxe5 Qf6 4.d4 d6 5.Nf3 fxe4 6.Bg5 Qf5 7.Nfd2 Nf6
What White wants
- Accept the pawn and consolidate carefully
- Return material at the right moment to blunt the attack
- Develop with Nc3, Be2 and O-O and hold the extra pawn
What Black wants
- Open the f-file and aim at f2 and the e1–h4 diagonal
- Use the queen on f6 and f5 and the knight on f6
- Play for mate before White consolidates
Key idea
Understand this and the moves stop needing to be memorised.
The f-file is the whole attack
Every Latvian idea — ...Qf6, ...fxe4, ...Nf6 — points at f2 and the a7–g1 diagonal. If White defends that diagonal calmly, Black has no compensation for a pawn.
Common mistake
Playing the queen to f6 and then leaving it there while White develops. The queen on f6 blocks the knight and becomes a target for Bd3 and Re1.
Mistake example: Nfd2.
Representative position
The position this opening is aiming at. Copy the FEN, or open it in the analysis board and let the engine tell you what it is worth.
rnb1kb1r/ppp3pp/3p1n2/5qB1/3Pp3/8/PPPN1PPP/RN1QKB1R w KQkq - 4 8
Analyze this position