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 The Latvian Gambit Pro's & Cons2.Nf3,f5 I will be getting into this gambit as time goes on,but just wanted to make a few comments for now,including a couple of links.I'll catch up more on the weekends. It is true,regardless of the disagreements on the lower rating levels about blacks success's with it,that it does lack true soundness and as Silman states..."The line you faced is known as the Latvian Gambit. There is a whole community of players who live for this opening, but the fact that no grandmasters use it speaks volumes for its true lack of soundness." Truth is Silmans response can be misleading!Yes,he is correct in the fact that on the higher levels of play from master to GM levels it is rarely played in serious OTB competition.Yes,a few times decades ago,but rarely anymore.Aggressive play is the theme of that opening defense,but aggressive play does not always have the desired theme of many masters to GM players to begin with!In addition,the Lat does not offer or have a really fine statistical win record for black.....ON THE MASTER TO GM LEVELS. If you break down the Lat into subcategory usage,however,you will find some interesting facts.It has in the past and still today,is used extensively in some correspondence circles,postal chess and quite often in blitz play.And used by many masters and senior masters!So Silman is correct,however,his viewpoints are primarily based upon the "GM" OTB tourney play at the peak levels.Not to say,for example,that there were no GM losses from it! Take these 2 games! Fischers loss to the Lat: www.chessgames.com Spasskys win with the Lat: www.chessgames.com But above,you will notice the years those games were played!1955 and 1959! So,with the advent of computers and refutations since those early years,new lines have come about to dismantle the gambit in favor of white wins more than not...well,at least on the much higher levels of play! For example,many databases will basically give you approx. 85% wins for white against the gambit over a 1000 game check with 3.Nxe5 or declining the gambit with 3.Nc3.But records can be misleading!How?Why? Those records do not necessarily reflect how black performs on the rating levels from approx 1800-1900 and below!!! Lets give just one example from GK.I do not know this player,but he reminds me of "me"in my early HS days when I was around 1800 in rating: gameknot.com See?Like me,this player enjoys aggressive play and taking risks!Remind you of someone with the Basman defenses,Sokolsky and Q sacs?That's right,me!And the Lat player playing the black side won the game! See,while Silman and other GM's may be correct about the Lat,that does not mean that players from approx 1900 and below cannot use the Lat as a surprise weapon on GK.The "pro"part of the Latvian is that it has unfathomable tactical complications at times combined with extensive aggressive play on one or both sides.And for white,it is indeed many times NOT expected for black to play the Lat...thus white is not prepared many times to handle the Lat properly and ends up losing rather quickly! So,like my friend Kevin suggests on the chesswebsite(or youtube),it is a good weapon to use for players at an 1800 level or below: www.youtube.com The bottom line? What makes the Latvian a good choice for players 1900 or below is that it teaches complex tactical play rather than long term positional strategy like may occur in a French Defense.It teaches aggressive play much more than passive play.It has a wake up call for those who have not prepared for it on the white side,regardless of opening databases.It only takes a move or two to move out of book and still remain very aggressive and tactical with decent play for black.....on the lower rating levels!Tactics usually come first before long term strategy in the learning process of,say,1400-1800 players,so the Lat is recommended by me. Would I play it OTB or on GK?No,not at my level.My opponents are highly skilled at refutations and my winning chances are statistically not good.But unrated(OTB and corresp) and in blitz...absolutely! But that certainly does not mean that you,as a 1900 or below rated player will not have success with using it!Plus,even if you do not have a great deal of success with it in winning,it has positive value in tactical melee study and learning!And lastly,do not forget that one day you may encounter it from the white side.Now what?Are you prepared?Have you played a few games from whites side to instantly know how to meet the Latvian Gambit? The player above in that GK link game was not prepared! More to come,but that's it for now! |
