This opening is the specialty of a longtime reader who is known in his chess club as “the Milford Morphy”, so I guess that counts as the last time I saw the Latvian Gambit used by a player with any kind of a title. Then last week an IM tried it against a fourteen year old. White managed to avoid the crazier lines, allowing Black to equalize, so it was another good day for the Gambit. Back at the 1955 US Junior Championships, twelve year old Bobby Fischer lost to the Latvian Gambit of Victor Pupols.
Liran Zhou(2393)-IM Michael Song(2409)
New York Summer A
7/9/22
3...Qf6 +0.92/22 4.d4 d6 5.Nc4 fxe4 6.Nc3 Qg6 7.f3 Be7 8.Ne3 Nc6 9.Nxe4 Nf6 10.Bd3 Qh5 11.O-O O-O 12.Bc4+ Kh8 13.Ng3 Qh4 14.Nef5 Bxf5 15.Nxf5 Qh5 16.Nxe7 Nxe7 17.Re1 Ned5 18.Bd2
6.Nf7 +1.28/22 6...d5 7.Nxh8 dxc4 8.e5 Nd5 9.Qh5+ g6 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.Qxg6+ Qf7 12.Qxf7+ Kxf7 13.c3 Be7 14.b3 cxb3 15.axb3 b6 16.Ba3 Bg5 17.Nd2 Nxc3 18.Nf3 Bh6 19.Bc1 Bg7 20.Bb2 Nd5 21.O-O Bb7 22.Rfc1 Ke7 23.Ba3+ Kd7
25.Rcc3 +1.03/23 25...Bg4 26.f3 Bh3 27.Nd6+ Kc7 28.Nf7 Bf5 29.Nxe5 Nxe5 30.Rxe5 Rad8 31.Rce3 g5 32.g4
28...h6 +0.10/26 29.Bxe4 Bxe4 30.Nxe4 Nxe4 31.Rxe4 Rxa2 32.Re6 c5 33.Rc2 Rg8 34.f4 Rg7 35.Rce2 Ra1+ 36.Kf2 Ra4 37.Re7+ Rxe7 38.Rxe7+ Kd8
29...Rxa2 +0.72/24 30.b4 Nd7 31.Nxh7 Nf6 32.Ng5 Nd5 33.Bb3 Rb2 34.Bxd5 Rxd5 35.Nxe4 Rd1+ 36.Rxd1 Bxd1 37.Nc3 Bg4 38.f3 Bd7 39.b5 cxb5 40.Nd5+ Kd8 41.Rd3
30.Nxf3 +1.10/26 30...Rxf3 31.Rxf3 exf3 32.b4 Ne6 33.Be4 Rxa2 34.Rxc6+ Kd7 35.Rxb6 Ra1+ 36.Kh2 Rf1 37.Bxf3 Rxf2+ 38.Bg2 Ke7 39.Kg1
43.Rc8 +1.02/26 43...Rc1 44.Rd2+ Ke7 45.Rd5 Rd6 46.Rcxc5 Rxc5 47.Rxc5 Rd2+ 48.Kf3 Rxb2 49.Rh5 Ke6 50.g4 Rb3+ 51.Kg2 Rb2+ 52.Kh3 Rb3+ 53.Kh4 Rf3 54.Rxh6+ Kd5 55.f5 b4 56.Rb6 Kc4 57.Kh5 b3 58.f6 Kc3
½-½
Robert James Fischer-Victor Pupols
US Junior Championships
6/11/55
15.a6 -0.30/22 15...b6 16.dxc6 Bxc6 17.Ned5 Nxd5 18.Nxd5 Bh4 19.Be3 Rab8 20.Qd4 Rbd8 21.c4 Rf7 22.Qd1 Rff8 23.Qd4
15...Nxc4 -1.21/22 16.Bxc4 Ng4 17.Qe2 Bh4 18.Nxe4 Rae8 19.f3 Nf2+ 20.Rxf2 Bxf2 21.Qxf2 Qxe4 22.fxe4 Rxf2 23.Kg1 Rff8 24.Bd2 Rxe4 25.Bd3 Re5 26.a6 b6 27.dxc6 Bxc6 28.Bb4 Re6 29.c4 Ref6 30.Bf1 R8f7 31.Rd1
16.Nxe5 -0.35/21 16...dxe5 17.Bxg4 Bxg4 18.Qe1 Bf5 19.Qe2 Bb4 20.dxc6 Qxc6 21.Be3 a6 22.Rfd1 Bxc3 23.bxc3 Be6 24.Qh5 Qxc3 25.Rab1 Rab8 26.Qg5 Rf6 27.Ba7 Rg8 28.Qg3 Qc7 29.Bb6 Qxc2 30.Be3 Rf7
16...Nf3 -5.63/23 17.gxf3 exf3 18.Rg1 fxe2 19.Qxe2 Nxf2+ 20.Qxf2 Rxf2 21.Rxg6 hxg6 22.Rb1 Rxc2 23.Na3 Rf2 24.Be3 Rf3 25.Nc2 Bf5 26.Kg2 Rxe3 27.Nxe3 Bxb1 28.Nxb1 Bg5 29.Nc4 cxd5 30.Nxd6 Rf8 31.b3 d4
21...Nf4 -0.23/21 22.Bxf4 Rxf4 23.dxc6 Bxc6 24.Qe3 Raf8 25.Nd5 Bxd5 26.Bxd5 Bh4 27.g3 Rf3 28.Bxe4 Bxg3+ 29.Kg2 Rxf2+ 30.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 31.Bxg6 Bxe3 32.Be4 Rf2+ 33.Kg3 h5 34.Bg6 Rf6 35.Bxh5 e4 36.c3
22.dxc6 +0.07/22 22...Bxc6 23.Qe2 Bb4 24.Rfd1 Bxc3 25.bxc3 Nf4 26.Qg4 Qf6 27.Rd2 Rfc8 28.Rb1 Be8 29.Rb4 Bc6 30.Rd1 Rf8 31.Kh1 Be8 32.Rdb1 h5
23.Rg1 -0.53/23 23...Bb4 24.dxc6 Bxc6 25.Qf1 Bxc3 26.bxc3 a6 27.Rd1 Rf5 28.Bc5 Rh5 29.Re1 Bb5 30.c4 Bd7 31.Bb4 Qg4 32.Re3 Rd8 33.Rh1
24.f3 -2.32/21 24...Rae8 25.Qd2 e3 26.Qe2 Be5 27.dxc6 Bxc6 28.Rfd1 Bxc3 29.bxc3 Rf5 30.Ba4 Rc5 31.Bxc6 Qxc6 32.a6 b6 33.Ra3 Rc8 34.Rd4 Rc4 35.Ra2 b5 36.Ra1 Qg6 37.Rxc4 Qg3+
25...Qh6 -11.58/24 26.h4 Rae8 27.Kg1 Rxe4 28.Nxe4 Qh5 29.Rfe1 Qg4 30.Bc4 cxd5 31.Nxd6 dxc4 32.Nxc4 Qxc4 33.Ra3 Qxc2
27.Rfe1 -0.73/23 27...Be5 28.dxc6 bxc6 29.Re3 Bf6 30.Rxe8 Qxe8 31.Qb4 Be7 32.Qd4 Bxh3 33.Re1 Bg2 34.Qg4 Rf6 35.Re6 Qd7 36.Qh5 g6 37.Qg4 Rf5 38.Rxg6 hxg6
30.Rxe5 -1.81/21 30...Rxe5 31.dxc6 bxc6 32.Qd4 Re8 33.Bf7 c5 34.Qd2 Rf8 35.Bc4 Qh5 36.Qxg5 Qxg5 37.hxg5 Bxc2 38.Rc1 Bg6 39.Nb5 Rxg5 40.a6 Bf7 41.Bf1 Rd8
33.Ne4 -3.60/22 33...c5 34.Qd2 h2+ 35.Rxh2 Qxd2 36.Nxd2 Bxg3 37.Rxe8 Bxh2+ 38.Kxh2 Rxe8 39.Nxf3 Re2 40.Kg3 Bxc2 41.Bc4 Re4 42.b3 h5 43.Kh3 Rf4 44.Kg3 Rg4+ 45.Kh2 Be4 46.Ne1 Bh7 47.Ng2 Rd4 48.Ne3 Bd3 49.Kg2 Bxc4 50.bxc4 h4 51.f3 Rf4
34...Bd4 -3.76/25 35.Qd6 Rd8 36.Qe7 Qxe7 37.Rxe7 Bxf2 38.Be6 Bc5 39.Bxf5 Bxe7 40.Bd3 Bb4 41.Ne4 Bxa5 42.Kxh3 Rd5 43.Kg4 Bd8 44.b3 Re5 45.Rf1 Bb6 46.Nd2
35.Qb4 -0.73/22 35...h5 36.Ne4 Qg6 37.Ng5 Bxg3+ 38.fxg3 Qxg5 39.Rxe8 Rxe8 40.Re1 Rxe1 41.Qxe1 Kh7 42.Qf2 c5 43.Qxf3 Qd2+ 44.Kh1 Kg7 45.a6 Kg6
35...h5 -1.16/22 36.Rxe5 Rxe5 37.Nd1 h4 38.Rg1 Qd6 39.Ne3 Re7 40.Qb6 Rg7 41.Nf1 Bd3 42.cxd3 Rb8 43.Qe3 Rxb3 44.Qe8+ Kh7 45.Qe4+ Kg8 46.Qe8+ Qf8 47.Qe6+ Qf7 48.Qc8+ Kh7 49.Qxh3 Rxb2 50.Qxh4+ Kg8 51.Qd8+ Qf8 52.Qxf8+ Kxf8
39...Bg1+ -8.68/27 40.Kh1 Be4 41.Qf4 Bxf3+ 42.Kxg1 Re1+ 43.Kf2 Qxf4 44.gxf4 h2 45.Kxe1 h1=Q+ 46.Kd2 Qa1 47.Bc4 Qxa5 48.Bd3 Qb4 49.Ke3 Bg4 50.Be2
43.Qd7+ 0.00/29 43...Kg6 44.Qg4+ Qg5 45.Qe6+ Kg7 46.Qg8+ Kh6 47.Qf8+ Kh5 48.Bf7+ Kg4 49.Be6+ Kh5 50.Qf7+ Kh6 51.Qf8+ Qg7 52.Qf4+ Qg5 53.Qf8+
44.Qf4 -0.72/25 44...Bxf3+ 45.Qxf3 Qe8 46.Qg4+ Kh8 47.Qf3 Qe7 48.Qg4 Qe4+ 49.Qxe4 Rxe4 50.Kh2 Re5 51.a6 Ra5 52.Bc4 Rc5 53.Bb3 Rh5 54.Bc4 Rc5
0-1
Alan Lasser
Hi Alan,
I'm glad to see you're still pushing wood and that you've forgiven me for hitting on your apple cider when we lived together at 33 Summer Hill Apartments in Middletown CT and I worked with the mental patients from '74 to '78 and finally realized that I didn't know which side of the keys I belonged on and my ADHD was even worse than it is now. I guess I stood up a good buddy there (and I don't mean Buddy Guy or Buddy Rich, or Bud Wiser I guess I didn't treat Mark Denihan right. Well, I'm trying to do better and lately, I've been inspired to do better by Playing for Change and especially by my main man, Buddy Guy performing on PFC. (Skin Deep)
He'll be performing live in Paso Robles on September 25, 2022, down the road a piece from SB (130 miles away from here)
God willin' and the creek don't rise I'll be there too.
Tony (Anthony Allen) Miller AKA Tony no Baloney
Namaste, Alan
ps. Is Mark Weeks living in the States now?
Is Alan Morril still alive and kicking? I see Timbersnake is still alive.
Is Bob Milardo still pissing off CT chess folks?
Fred Townsend?
