Adventures in Chess - Latvian Style

-Friends-

For weeks, my daughter Lisa has cajoled me to contribute something meaningful to the "Chess Club of the Golden Crescent"/Victoria Chess Club Blog. But various things prevented me from responding to this most reasonable request - writer's block, a severe audit of my non profit agency by its state government funding source, family difficulties, poor time management - but most importantly, I couldn't find THE chess game or THE chess topic that was worthy of posting on any chess blog.

I am an avid chess enthusiast in Waco. In the past couple weeks, I have spent most evenings playing chess with my friend, Waco Chess Club President (the title is more impressive than the reality) Ken Henkelman, a retired USCF 1800 player for whom "chess is life". Ken is a wonderful friend - he is someone who will play chess with anyone at any time on ten minutes notice. You could call him at midnight - "Ken, how about some chess at the Whataburger in twenty minutes?" "Okay". Or you could call him on Sunday morning - "Ken - could you skip church today and play some chess with me at a McDonald's?" "Sure". Ken is a great person who loves chess.

Most of my games with Ken are losses - he is better than me. As I may have mentioned earlier (this is my second posting to the Victoria Chess Club Blog), I win about 1/5 of my games with Ken, and feel fortunate to win that many. So I have won about four or our last twenty games - most were relatively narrow defeats, but they were still defeats, and there were a few crushing defeats inflicted on me by Ken. When I have the Black pieces, we invariably play the Latvian Gambit (a Black version of the King's Gambit that is derided by virtually all chess players (including Ken) except Latvian Gambit enthusiasts. ( -1- e4 e5 -2- Nf3 f5 ) Ken has been feeling pretty cocky in recent days because he won about seven straight Latvian Gambit games against me by using the 3rd White move Bc4. Expert and master chess players who love the Latvian Gambit often claim that -3- N x P at e5 is the strongest 3rd move for White, and Ken has played that move against me with considerable success against me. However, Ken has been winning consistently with -3- Bc4 in our Latvian Gambit struggles. So he used it again tonight. However, I write down the moves of most Henkelman/DeVries chess games, so I learn even from my losses. I could feel myself improving against the -3- Bc4 variation against the Latvian Gambit, so I sat down at the chess board tonight with some confidence.

I was very frustrated during the sixty minutes before my entrance into Barnes & Noble. I called Ken on an hour's notice (early Saturday evening) - "Ken, could you meet me at the Barnes and Noble coffee area in one hour for a couple chess games?" "Sure". Then I misplaced my glasses and spent one hour frantically looking for them in my mother's small duplex apartment. Eventually, I ;located my glasses, and I got to Barnes & Noble about twenty minutes late, knowing that Ken would still be there waiting with his chess board. We sat down, and played the following Latvian Gambit game, and I won!!! I can truly say that this game is worthy of review. It deserves to be published in a Chess Blog. I present this game for your consideration.

I present this game for your consideration. Enjoy!!!!!

Henkelman vs DeVries (Casual Game) 02-27-2010 Latvian Gambit -3- Bc4 variation

-1- e4 e5
-2- Nf3 f5
-3- Bc4 d5
I have learned that ....d5 is the best move against -3- Bc4 -3- .....d6 does not work.
-4- P x P e4 x d5 Bd6
-5- 0 - 0 Ne7
All of this is standard in the Henkelman/DeVries chess rivalry. I have learned that
-5- ....Qe7 leads to disaster.
-6- Nc3 0 - 0
In the post mortem, Ken claimed (probably correctly) that -6- d4 was much stronger.
-7- d3 h6
-8- Qe2 Nd7
This hems in my Queen Bishop but gives protection to my vital pawn on e5.
-9- Re1 Ng6
More protection for the e5 pawn.
-10- a4 Qe8
-11- Bd2 Nf6
In the post mortem, Ken thought that -11- Bb5 might have been stronger.
-12- Bb5 Bd7
-13- B x B at d7 N x B
.The capture with the Knight gives important support to the e5 pawn.
-14- Nb5 a6
I want Ken to trade his knight for my Bishop on d6 - it gives me a chance to create an open file for my rook. Ken obliges.
-15- N x B P x N
-16- Bc3 Nf4!
I believe this move is one of my best moves of the game - Ken puts his Queen in awkward position.
-17- Qf1 N x P at d5
I win a pawn!
-18- Bd2 Qh5
A good square for my Queen.
-19- Qe2 Queen Rook to e8
More support for my e5 pawn.
-20- c4 Nf4
My pawns will be doubled if -21- B x N, and I will have doubled pawns, but I will have a mostly open file for my Rook.
-21- B x N P x B
-22- Qd2 Ne5
I liked this move, but in the post mortem, Ken suggested -23- Nd4 as superior to the text.
-23- N x N P x N
-24- Qc3 e4
-25- P x P P x P
My pawns are no longer doubled.
-26- QR d1 e3
-27- P x P ? P x P
Ken believes his game became lost on Move 27 - he should have moved -27- Rd5.
-28- Rd5 Qf7
Rd5 comes one move too late for White.
-29- Qc2 Qf2 check
Move 29 is the winning move for Black.
-30- Q x Q (forced - to avoid mate) P x Q check
-31- Kf1 R x R checkmate !!!!

A rare but satisfying victory over a strong opponent with my beloved Kamikaze-like opening,the Latvian Gambit!

Best Wishes,
John DeVries
Waco Chess Club