026. A Spectacular Queen Hunt

White: MarcShaw - thematic tournament, ChessWorld.net, 2014

Hunts in chess are always “spectacular”, aren't they. In this one the white queen rushes out early to h5, snaffles the rook on h8, is driven back by busy minor pieces and seeks shelter on the queenside, only to suffer the indignity of perpetual attack from a lowly bishop, forcing a draw.

Okay, this hunt is not really so spectacular. The initial queen sally is a known theoretical line, and her subsequent harassment forms the basis of Black's compensation for the sacrificed exchange. All the same, it's quite a nice sequence of events: Qd1-h5-h8-h7-h4-a4-a3-a6-a4-a6 and draws.

It also shows that, in the 3 Bc4 variation at least, The Latvian Gambit Lives!, even if Black's path to apparent safety remains quite narrow: 3...fxe4 4 Nxe5 d5! 5 Qh5+ g6 6 Nxg6 hxg6! and so on. Everything else (e.g. 3...d6?!, 4...Qg5?!, 6...Nf6?!) is just good for White.

Since the 3 Bc4 Latvian can – and in fact did – arise via the Calabrese Counter-Gambit, it's a good thing for the latter that this line of the former is acceptable for Black. Regarding which, the game below is theoretically interesting.



From the diagram, the game continued 11...Ne5 12 Nd2 exd3 13 0-0 Nf6 14 Qh4 Qd6, which I think represents best play for both sides.

Instead, GM Kosten – working in, if not exactly pre-computer days, then certainly weaker computer days – gave a few erroneous assessments which are perhaps worth noting:
a) “11...exd3! and Black is at least equal”. Here 12 0-0 is good for White; e.g. 12...dxc2 13 Bxc2 Nf8 14 Qh4 Qxh4 15 gxh4, MarcShaw-Reprimand, ChessWorld.net 2013.
b) “13 f4! looks right, followed by Nf3-g5”. This lands White in serious trouble after 13...Nf6 14 Qh4 Neg4 15 Nf3 Qd6 16 Ng5+ Ke7.
c) 13...Qf6!? 14 f4 Nc4 15 f5 gxf5 “unclear”, H.Hage-F.Van der Muysenberg, correspondence 1995. This should have been met by 16 Nf3! with advantage.

At the time I was a bit worried about 15 Qf4, but now Houdini shows that 15...g5! 16 Qxg5 Rh8 17 Re1 Rh5 is fine for Black. I love computers :)

025. Two Terrible Blunders

Black: juliangon - thematic tournament, ChessWorld.net, 2017

I'm currently competing in a Latvian Gambit tournament, all the games to start with 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 f5. I've played the Latvian on and off over the board with reasonable results, and still bring it out in blitz chess from time to time. However, apart from 3 Bc4 which can arise via the Calabrese Counter-Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 f5 3 Nf3), I've not looked at the theory in years, especially the state of the 3 Nxe5 Qf6 4 d4 d6 5 Nc4 fxe4 main line.

Well, I have to say that this seems now to be virtually unplayable for Black, so that anyone who manages to scramble a draw from this position has, I think, done very well. So far I've not managed to do that and have been crushed twice. From the other side, I am (or was) looking at two solid wins as White. My third opponent might well draw as Black (well done!), while I might draw my third game too (hurrah!).

All the same, just ½/3 and having to work extremely hard for it... No, I don't think I'll bother anymore, thanks. If it's really true that The Latvian Gambit Lives, as GM Tony Kosten entitled his second book on the opening (Batsford 2001), it's only with a finger or two keeping the coffin lid from being nailed shut.

My two losses have come against 6 Nc3 Qg6 7 Ne3 and 7 f3 Be7 8 fxe4!. In the latter line, I look like drawing with each colour after 8 Nxe4. I'm a pawn up in the endgame as White, but it will probably resolve itself to three vs. two on the kingside, which won't be an easy win. Whereas two pawns up and three vs. one should be simple enough (as has occurred in another game after 3...Nf6 4 Bc4 Qe7 5 d4 Nc6 6 Nc3!).

In my final game as White, I went for Bronstein's 6 Be2, both for a change and because I've never been particularly happy facing this myself. Indeed, it all turned out very well for me, until my final move...



Here I intended 30 gxf6 Rxe5 31 fxg7 Kxg7 32 Ne4 and wins, while the tricky 31...Re1!? is refuted by 32 Bxh7+! Kxh7 33 g8Q+ Kxg8 34 Rg3+ (saving the rook) and 35 Qxe1. Instead, I apparently entered 30 Bxf6??, which is a terrible blunder since 30...Re1! now works and even wins for Black; i.e. 31 Qxe1 Qxf3+ 32 Kh2 Qxh3+ 33 Kg1 c4+ etc. As I wrote in an earlier post: “human stupidity can never be prevented entirely”.

Fortunately, I only discovered my mistake when glancing over an email notifying me that my opponent had resigned, which of course was a terrible blunder too.

Naturally, I was both surprised (at my mistake) and pleased (that it hadn't immediately cost me the game), if more surprised than pleased. In fact “shocked” and “relieved” would be more to the point there. But at least it was first thing in the morning rather than last thing at night. Otherwise I might have been tossing and turning for hours.