the game after move 21 is a very interesting position.
Were I playing white, I would be very tempted by 22.Nxg6 Bxh4 23.Nxf8. It's unclear to me who is winning after that, but it seems at least possible that white is ahead, and it gets him out of a tight spot.
Yeah, I thought he would take both my rooks in exchange for the queen with 22. Nxg6. He didn't though...I guess he didn't know about how two rooks vs. a queen is a tough fight for both sides.
I'm quite intrigued by the Latvian gambit. At present I feel like I play a great deal worse as black compared to white. As white I play King's Gambit and I feel very comfortable with those kinds of positions. I love the initiative it gains me and often find that I can turn the development lead I gain into a winning material advantage
The e5 - f5 sequence that opens the Latvian seems very appealling to me, as obviously it seems similar to the King's Gambit. Have you ever played King's Gambit as white, and if so, would you say the Latvian produces similar types of game or is it very different?
Yeah, the Latvian is pretty easy for White to play against if he knows the lines and Black doesn't. If both know what they are doing, it can lead to a very interesting game! This big center doesn't normally arise for Black in the Latvian, but I took the opportunity to establish it when the chance presented itself.
The Latvian, by many, is viewed to be at best, bleakly drawing for Black. Still, it can be easy to snare unwary opponents. This was a game where I just happened to score a good attack. Still, I think there were a few instances where I could have done better.
The time control was 7 minutes, no bonus time. It was a blitz game.