Latvian Gambit

The Latvian Gambit arises after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5. Black leaves the e5-pawn unprotected and strikes at e4, aiming for ...fxe4 to break up White's center. The structure resembles a King's Gambit with colors reversed, but Black is a tempo short, and the advance loosens the e8-h5 diagonal, so Qh5+ becomes a recurring tactical resource for White. It is also called the Greco Countergambit, after Gioachino Greco, and is among the oldest recorded openings: Giulio Cesare Polerio examined it in the late 16th century. The modern name honors the Latvian players who analyzed it, above all Kārlis Bētiņš.

3. Nxe5 is regarded as the main line and is the engine's first choice. Regaining the pawn at once fails, since 3...fxe4?? 4. Qh5+ costs Black material. Black usually plays 3...Qf6, hitting the knight and covering g6. White then chooses between the traditional 4. d4, often followed by 4...d6 5. Nc4 fxe4 6. Nc3 Qg6, and the Leonhardt Variation 4. Nc4, which keeps open the plan of breaking with d2-d3. Less common replies to 3. Nxe5 are 3...Nf6, 3...Nc6 (the Fraser Defense) and 3...Qe7 (the Greco Variation).

On Lichess the most frequent reply is 3. exf5, the Latvian Gambit Accepted. Black then drives the knight with 3...e4; 4. Nd4 is considered the sharpest retreat, while 4. Ne5 Nf6 5. Be2 is a calmer option recommended by John L. Watson and Eric Schiller. The Mayet Attack, 3. Bc4, invites 3...fxe4 4. Nxe5 and produces the most thoroughly analyzed tactics of the opening. The old 4...Qg5 leads to lines such as the Behting Variation, 5. Nf7 Qxg2 6. Rf1 d5 7. Nxh8 Nf6, whereas the Svedenborg or Polerio Variation, 4...d5 5. Qh5+ g6, is now often preferred. The Mlotkowski Variation, 3. Nc3, published by Stasch Mlotkowski in 1916, intends to answer 3...fxe4 with 4. Nxe5, because 4. Nxe4 d5 hands Black a broad center. The Mason Countergambit, 3. d4, is sharp; 3. d3 is quiet and harmless for Black; and the Diepstraten Countergambit (3. c4), Lobster Gambit (3. g4) and Senechaud Gambit (3. b4) are curiosities.

The engine assessment gives White a clear advantage, and FIDE Master Dennis Monokroussos has called it possibly the worst opening in chess, yet results on Lichess are almost even. It has never been common at top level and relies largely on surprise value. Mikhail Chigorin and Boris Spassky used it, mostly in casual games, and both Bobby Fischer and José Raúl Capablanca lost to it. It has a following among correspondence players, and grandmaster Jonny Hector employs it in serious events, contending that White's edge is smaller than its reputation suggests.