Is this the Danish Morra?

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Ziryab

Ziryab

But the Danish is played against 1...e5, not against the Sicilian. Moreover, Black can play e6, which is common against the Morra and impossible against the Danish.

Ziryab

Lol. Weak or not, I want a name. I invented it in a game in a bowling alley several years ago. It only worked once against my victim that day, who beats me more than he loses these days. 

It's a fun blitz weapon. I doubt that I would ever play it in a serious game. OTOH, I played the Ponziani twice in the most important tournament of the year one year ago (see http://chessskill.blogspot.com/2014/02/losing-my-virginity-with-ponziani.html).

Ziryab

Right. I actually thought I was playing the Danish on the day that I invented it.

Dolphin27

When I first started playing I saw this opening on a Smith-Morra youtube video made by Kevin from the Chess Website.

I guess great minds think alike huh? (Ziryab and Kevin from the Chess Website)

Perhaps you can call this the Bowdler Attack Gambit, since like the normal Bowdler Attack, you're inexplicably developing your bishop to c4 in anticipation of Black playing e6.

I played the Smith-Morra for over a year and still play the Danish vs 1...e5. I found my Smith-Morra games frustrating and my Danish games much easier. I attribute this partly to Black having an e pawn in the Morra, which gives them a central pawn majority and ability to block the bishops diagonal. It's amazing what a difference Black having their e-pawn makes in the character of the game.

Ziryab

I score well with this line.

 

Dolphin27 wrote:

When I first started playing I saw this opening on a Smith-Morra youtube video made by Kevin from the Chess Website.

I guess great minds think alike huh? (Ziryab and Kevin from the Chess Website)

 

 

I think Kevin is a weak player and a poor teacher.

Ultraman81

I believe Esserman briefly notes this possibility in his book "Mayhem in the Morra" but without any theory or illustrative games. Looks like fun though.

PhantomCapablanca
Fiveofswords wrote:

oh thats funny i didnt see you did 1..c5 in the game. i just brain farted. This is actually not the danish at all. you could just consider it a weak sideline of the smith morra then.

For some reason I did the exact same thing. Probably because I saw "danish" in the title and just assumed he played e5 when I sped through the moves.

Ziryab

Lots of posts disappeared when a forum troll was caught cheating.

Ziryab

Another one bites the dust.