Editing Latvian Gambit (section)

==3.Nxe5 (Main line)==
White's 3.Nxe5 is considered the main line against the Latvian. After the usual 3...Qf6, the traditional main line has been 4.d4 d6 5.Nc4 fxe4, however recently the immediate 4.Nc4 (the [[Paul Saladin Leonhardt|Leonhardt]] Variation) has become popular.

===3...Qf6 4.Nc4===
4.Nc4 has the advantage of allowing White to open the {{chessgloss|centre}} with d3, for example 4...fxe4 5.Nc3 Qg6?! 6.d3 exd3? 7.Bxd3 Qxg2? and now White is winning after 8.Qh5+ Kd8 (or 8...g6 9.Qe5+ and 10.Be4) 9.Be4. If 6... Bb4, however, White must be careful following the same line, e.g. 7.Bd2 exd3 8.Bxd3 Qxg2 9.Qh5+ Kd8 10.Be4 Nf6! because now if White plays Bg5, which would be necessary to win the queen in the earlier line, then ...Bxc3+ wins for Black. The main line continues 5...Qf7 6.Ne3! Black usually responds with 6...c6!?, when White can either accept the [[pawn (chess)|pawn]] [[sacrifice (chess)|sacrifice]] with 7.Nxe4 d5 8.Ng5 Qf6 9.Nf3, or decline it with the more popular 7.d3 exd3 8.Bxd3 d5 9.0-0.<ref>Kosten 2001, pp. 78-79, 83-84.</ref> The latter variation has been deeply analysed; the British [[Grandmaster (chess)|grandmaster]] [[Anthony Kosten]] analyses one line to move 32.<ref>Kosten 2001, p. 96.</ref> One line discussed by IM [[Jeremy Silman]] is 9...Bc5 10.Na4 Bd6 11.c4 d4 12.Nc2 c5 13.b4 Ne7 14.Nxc5 Bxc5 15.bxc5 Nbc6 16.Bb2 0–0 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Bxd4 Bf5 19.Bxf5 Nxf5 20.Be3 Qxc4 21.Qb3 Nxe3!? 22.fxe3 Rxf1+ 23.Rxf1 Qxb3 24.axb3 Rc8 25.Rf5 and now 25...Rd8 or 25...Rc6 gives Black an excellent chance to [[Draw (chess)|draw]] the pawn-down [[Chess endgame|endgame]].<ref>Jeremy Silman, [http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_opng_anlys/040801_two_wild_black_systems.html Two Wild Black Systems]. Jeremysilman.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-11.</ref> Silman later argued that 10.b4!! and now 10...Bxb4 11.Ncxd5 cxd5 12.Nxd5 or 10...Bd6 11.Re1! Ne7 12.Nexd5 cxd5 13.Nb5 is close to winning for White, and that the "old, discredited" 9...Bd6 (rather than 9...Bc5) might be Black's best try, though still insufficient for {{chessgloss|equalise|equality}}.<ref>[http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_opng_anlys/040223_more_splat_the_lat.html More Splat the Lat]. Jeremysilman.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-11.</ref>

===3...Qf6 4.d4===
A possible continuation after 4.d4 is 4...d6 5.Nc4 fxe4 6.Nc3 Qg6 7.f3 exf3 8.Qxf3 Nf6 9.Bd3 Qg4 10.Qe3+ Qe6 11.0-0 Qxe3+ 12.Bxe3 Be7 13.Rae1 0-0. White is better here, but Black has chances due to White's misplaced king and weak light squares.

===3...Nc6===
Also possible is the eccentric 3...Nc6?!, against which [[John Nunn]] recommends 4.d4, preferring principled opening play to the unclear tactics resulting from 4.Qh5+. After 4.d4, if 4...Qh4? (Kosten's original recommendation) 5.Nf3! Qxe4+ 6.Be2 leaves Black with a lost position.<ref>[[John Nunn]], ''Secrets of Practical Chess'', Gambit Publications, 1998, pp. 70-74 {{ISBN|1-901983-01-3}}</ref> After 4.d4, Kosten analyses 4...Qf6!? 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.exf5! Nxe5 7.Qe2.<ref>Kosten 2001, p. 112.</ref>

Instead of 4.d4, Kosten says that White can accept the proffered rook with 4.Qh5+ g6 5.Nxg6 Nf6 6.Qh3 hxg6 7.Qxh8 Qe7 (7...fxe4? 8.d4! is strong) 8.d3! (Stefan Bücker gives an alternative 8.Nc3! Nb4 9.d3 as also winning for White)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140508043113/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/kaiss44.pdf Lower Life in the Latvian Gambit Part 1]. Retrieved on 2010-05-09.</ref> 8...fxe4 9.Be3 d5 10.Bc5! Qxc5 11.Qxf6 Bf5 12.dxe4 Nd4 13.exf5! Nxc2+ 14.Kd1 Nxa1 15.Bd3 Qd6 16.Re1+ Kd7 17.Qf7+ Be7 18.Re6 winning.<ref>Kosten 2001, pp. 107-12.</ref>