The Latvian Gambit is 1. 2. : as Black you offer the f5 pawn and hit e4 on move two, even though your e5 pawn is left undefended against the knight. Across 37,246 Lichess games rated 900 to 1700 (September 2026 data), you score 48%. Online players rated over 2200 score 52 out of 100 with it, and in over-the-board games above 2300 it shows up just 5 times.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
26 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After , 40 out of 100 opponents at your level take with 3., and you score 50 against it. The knight grab 3. comes in 19 out of 100 games at your level but 50 out of 100 among players rated over 2200, where it's the most common reply. Against the knight on e5, strong players pick half the time, while just over 1 in 4 players at your level do. It scores 51 for you; , the most popular choice at your level at 34 out of 100, scores 48. Next come 3. and 3., at 13 out of 100 each.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40.5% | 50.4% | 14.6% | no data | |
| 18.8% | 53.2% | 49.9% | no data | |
| 12.8% | 54.4% | 5.9% | no data | |
| 12.8% | 51.7% | 8.5% | no data | |
| 7.2% | 53.7% | 2.8% | no data | |
| 5.6% | 54.9% | 18.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34.2% | 51.8% | 11.9% | no data | |
| 26.5% | 49.0% | 50.4% | no data | |
| 15.9% | 60.3% | 12.3% | no data | |
| 8.1% | 56.6% | 8.2% | no data | |
| 6.5% | 56.0% | no data | no data | |
| 3.4% | 50.9% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 17.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71.8% | 50.1% | 90.4% | no data | |
| 9.0% | 58.2% | 8.2% | no data | |
| 7.4% | 28.2% | no data | no data | |
| 6.3% | 43.3% | no data | no data | |
| 4.1% | 49.3% | 1.4% | no data | |
| 1.3% | 47.8% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76.4% | 46.6% | 95.6% | no data | |
| 12.3% | 54.0% | 2.2% | no data | |
| 11.4% | 65.5% | 2.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50.1% | 54.9% | 91.5% | no data | |
| 32.7% | 40.4% | 5.2% | no data | |
| 6.4% | 46.6% | 3.3% | no data | |
| 5.5% | 30.0% | no data | no data | |
| 5.2% | 33.0% | no data | no data |
Against 3., strong players continue 4. 5. 6. . The whole line revolves around the e4 pawn: you kick the e5 knight with a pawn, take on e4 with your f-pawn to level the material, and finish with your queen on g6 holding that pawn. You start from a tough spot: after , the evaluation is 1.74 pawns in your opponent's favor.
hits the knight and defends your f5 pawn, which the e4 pawn was attacking. It also covers f7 and g6, the squares on the diagonal that 4. would use to check your king. Only 7 out of 100 opponents at your level try that check, and you score 72 out of 100 against it.
4., chosen by 90 out of 100 strong players, props the knight up with a pawn. That's why follows: a pawn is worth less than a knight, so attacking it with one forces the knight back. 96 out of 100 strong players and 76 out of 100 players at your level go for it, and you score 53 with it.
After the retreat 5., played by 92 out of 100 strong players, the e4 pawn still has no defender at all. , played by every strong player in the sample, picks it up. Your pawn on e4 takes d3 and f3 away from your opponent's pieces, and your queen sits on the half-open f-file, eyeing f2.
6., the choice of 63 out of 100 strong players, attacks that pawn. , played in 89 out of 100 games, defends it along the diagonal and also hits the g2 pawn, which only the f1 bishop covers.
At your level the line breaks down earlier. After 3., just over 1 in 4 players choose , and is more common. On move five, 33 out of 100 opponents retreat with 5. instead of 5.: you score 60 out of 100 against 5. and 45 against 5..
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 1,416 | 49.9% | |
| 706 | 50.4% | |
| 355 | 90.4% | |
| 321 | 95.6% | |
| 305 | 91.5% | |
| 277 | 100.0% | |
| 274 | 62.8% | |
| 167 | 88.6% |
After 3. 4., leaves your f5 pawn undefended against the e4 pawn, and the c4 bishop covers g8: you can't castle kingside yet. 5. hits e5 with a pawn and a knight. takes the pawn and attacks the f3 knight. 32 out of 100 players choose it; you score 46 with it and 65 with .
32 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 3.4 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.1%; scores 64.6%.
After 3., wins the pawn back but does nothing about 4. down the h5-e8 diagonal. After 5. 6. , you've lost a rook and a pawn for a knight and can no longer castle. 16 out of 100 players choose it. You score 40 with it and 51 with , which covers g6 and f7.
16 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 3.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 39.7%; scores 51.0%.
After 3. 4., stops pressuring e4 and does nothing against 5.: the knight is given up, but leaving f3 opens the d1-h5 diagonal for the queen. After 6. , you've won a knight for a pawn but lost castling. 32 out of 100 players choose it. You score 45 with it and 50 with .
32 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 3.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 45.4%; scores 50.4%.
After 3. 4., releases the pressure on e4, already defended by pawn and knight, and leaves your f4 pawn supported only by e5. After 5. 6. 7., the h1 rook bears down on h7. 40 out of 100 players choose it. You score 49 with it and 56 with , which defends e5.
40 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 3.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.6%; scores 56.2%.
After 3. 4., bishop and knight both aim at f7. hits the bishop and blocks its diagonal, but after 5. you're two pawns down. attacks the knight and guards f7. 70 out of 100 players choose it, and at your level it rarely gets punished: your score shifts by less than 1 out of 100.
70 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 3.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 42.3%; scores 42.5%.
After 3. 4., aims at f2, but 5. attacks the bishop and shuts that diagonal. After 6. 7., the knight hits it again. attacks the e5 knight and pins it to the e1 king. 25 out of 100 players choose it, and at your level it rarely costs you: you score 52 with either move.
25 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 51.8%; scores 52.4%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 9,848 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 7,147 |
| Not castled | 5,773 | |
| 4,271 | ||
| Not castled | 3,557 | |
| 2,565 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 1 |
| 1 | ||
| 1 |
1. 2. 3. · 15,996 amateur games · 4 over the board
Your opponent takes with 3., the top reply at your level; you score 50 out of 100.
1. 2. 3. · 4,750 amateur games
With 3., your opponent defends e4 with the knight; you score 46 out of 100 at your level.
1. 2. 3. · C40
2,381 amateur games · White's score: 54.4%
1. 2. 3. · C40
2,173 amateur games · White's score: 55.3%
1. 2. 3. · C40
1,127 amateur games · White's score: 53.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C44
999 amateur games · White's score: 48.5%
1. 2. 3. · C40
550 amateur games · White's score: 56.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C40
478 amateur games · White's score: 51.7%
1. 2. 3. · C40
223 amateur games · White's score: 45.3%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · C40
106 amateur games · White's score: 39.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C40
99 amateur games · White's score: 55.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C40
28 amateur games · White's score: 60.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · C40
13 amateur games · White's score: 46.2%
1. 2. 3. · C40
9 amateur games · White's score: 100.0%
1. 2. 3. · C40
7 amateur games · White's score: 64.3%
1. 2. 3. · C40
1 amateur game · White's score: 100.0%
1. 2. 3. · C40
1 amateur game · White's score: 100.0%
It's 1. 2. : instead of defending your e5 pawn, you counterattack e4 with the f-pawn. It's a rare choice, with 37,246 Lichess games at 900-1700. The evaluation after gives your opponent 1.74 pawns, with 3. as the best reply, and strong players answer that with .
Your opponent takes with 3., as 40 out of 100 players at your level do, and you score 50 out of 100 there. After 4., aim for : it attacks the knight on e5 and pins it to the king on e1. looks natural, but 5. chases the bishop away.
You score 48 out of 100 with it at your level, from 47 in the 900-1100 band to 49 at 1500-1700. The reply matters a lot: you score 50 against 3. but 46 against 3. and 3.. Online players over 2200 score 52 with it, while over-the-board players above 2300 almost never use it.