Latvian Gambit: Mayet Attack, Poisoned Pawn Variation
Latvian Gambit: Mayet Attack, Poisoned Pawn 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. d4 Qxg2. White opens with 1. e4 (the king's pawn) and Black answers 1... e5. After 10 moves it is White to move. After the last move Black is a pawn 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. d4 – White plays the pawn to d4
5... Qxg2 – Black takes on g2 with the queen
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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