Latvian Gambit: Behting Variation is a chess opening with the ECO code C40, part of the Latvian Gambit family. It goes 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5 3. Bc4 fxe4 4. Nxe5 Qg5 5. Nf7 Qxg2 6. Rf1 d5 7. Nxh8 Nf6. White opens with 1. e4 (the king's pawn) and Black answers 1... e5. After 14 moves it is White to move. After the last move White is 4 points ahead in material. The lesson on the board explains every move of the line and lets you play it yourself; it is free.
The moves
1. e4 – White plays the pawn to e4
1... e5 – Black plays the pawn to e5
2. Nf3 – White plays the knight to f3
2... f5 – Black plays the pawn to f5
3. Bc4 – White plays the bishop to c4
3... fxe4 – Black captures on e4 with the f-pawn
4. Nxe5 – White takes on e5 with the knight
4... Qg5 – Black plays the queen to g5
5. Nf7 – White plays the knight to f7
5... Qxg2 – Black takes on g2 with the queen
6. Rf1 – White plays the rook to f1
6... d5 – Black plays the pawn to d5
The line goes on for 2 more moves; the lesson shows them all.
About the Latvian Gambit
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3, Black plays the risky 2...f5. It is like a King's Gambit for Black, but a tempo down, so it is objectively dubious.
Black wants to open the f-file and attack fast.
White's strong reply is 3.Nxe5, hitting e5 and eyeing Qh5+.
The e8-h5 diagonal is weak for Black; watch for Qh5+ tricks.
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