I'm playing in an otb thematic SM tourney soon. Anyone have any suggestions on playing the SM?

im kinda amature but the aim is to gambit a pawn to have the c and d files on lock-down for a strong transition into mid-game right? so make sure thats your main goal.. also if you're playing the main line which involves moving queen to e2.. make sure to be aware that your rook will prolly end up on d1 and if the f3 knight moves black could skewer the queen to the rook with Bg4!.. best to play h3 at some point even if the knight remains at f3 because having that knight pinned would be a real headache too

im doing some heavy chess studying during the next 2 weeks drop me a message to let me know how the sm worked out for you

Play black.

I would recommend getting your rooks on the C and D files as soon as possible, this will provide you with a strong mid game position with a lot of good possibilities.

watch out for this trap

That is a great trap above, posted by pvmike. If you see it coming in time, you can play 8 h3; or if you see it a little late, you can play 9 g3. I play the SM quite a lot; as in any gambit, ususally you want to go for quick piece play, but sometimes you do need to pause for a preventative move like h3. My favorite move is e5, when my R on d1 pins the P on d6 against the black Q on d8. (I've got an exciting K-hunt after that thrust going on in a game right now, down a little material.) As in most Sicilians, always be on the look-out for the possibility of jumping your N into d5. Another idea, if Black plays an early ...e5, is to back up your B on c4 with Qb3, but watch out for ...Na5.

NICE trap, pvmike!

ADK

The trap above is known as the "Siberian Trap".  It can happen in a few openings, but the Smith-Morra version is the most notorious.  The tip-off is the Black q on c7, coupled with N's on f6 and c6.  The two most popular ways to deal with it are 1) 7. Qe2 instead of the O-O; 7...Nf6 is then answered by 8. e5 followed by 9. Bf4 and (my preference just because of its colorful nature!) after 8...Ng4 is 9. Nd5?! (if the knight isn't taken, white follows with 10. Bf4).

I played the Smith-Morra for over 20 years on and off.  I've recently given it up due to the popularity of 3...Nf6 which seems to equalize quite handily for black, without the muss and fuss of trying to hold onto a gambit pawn.

ChuckG 

I discussed this opening at the chess club, he told me that d5 was a good respons instead of taking the c-pawn :

The Morra Gambit is especially popular at sub-master levels, but many strong players are of the opininon that the pawn sac doesn't yield quite enough. I tend to agree, but of course one can always argue about whether this really matters at our mere mortals' level.

If you don't feel you have to try and refute the gambit as Black, the moves suggested above (3...d5 and 3...Nf6) are a good alternative. However you should be aware that they are no offbeat "declined Morra" variations but in fact transpose to the mainlines of the Alapin Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.c3 and now either 2...Nf6 2...d5). Taking a Morra player out of his book and into calmer positional waters is probably a good idea, especially if you are familiar with the arising variations, but on the other hand, the Alapin is one of the most established variations against the Sicilian, a merit certainly not widely associated with the Morra.

in the thematic tourney the starting position is 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3

anyway, i dont think d5 is any better than dxc3

i do play half the games as Black.

great trap!

the tourney isnt for a while. i will not message u but post it in this forum when my games are done.

uhurmm

ubo ubo ubo

what?

Here's one to prevent the trap I posted earlier, but this line can get rather complex and white may have to sac more matieral to keep an advantage.

From wikipedia

Smith-Morra Gambit

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted

In chess, the Smith-Morra Gambit (or simply Morra Gambit) is a gambit against the Sicilian Defence distinguished by the moves 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3. It is not common in grandmaster games, but at club level chess it is an excellent weapon.

The gambit is accepted by:

• 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3

White sacrifices a pawn to develop quickly and create attacking chances. In exchange for the gambit pawn, White has a piece developed and a pawn in the center, while Black has nothing but an empty space on c7. The plan for White is straightforward and consists in putting his bishop on the c4 square with attack on the f7 square, and control of both the c and d files with rooks, taking advantage of the fact that the black queen can hardly find a suitable place.

[edit] History

The Smith-Morra is named after two players, Pierre Morra from France (1900-1969)^[1], and Kenneth Ray Smith of the United States (1930-1999)^[2]. Hence in Europe the name Morra gambit is preferred; names like Tartakower Gambit and Matulovic Gambit have disappeared.

Morra published a booklet and several articles about the Smith-Morra around 1950. Smith wrote a total of nine books and forty-nine articles about the gambit. When Ken Smith participated in the international tournament against several top grandmasters in San Antonio in 1972, Smith essayed the Smith-Morra three times, against Donald Byrne, Larry Evans and Henrique Mecking, but wound up losing all those games. In fact, when Mario Campos Lopez played the French Defence (1...e6) instead of the Sicilian against Smith, Bent Larsen gave Lopez's move a question mark along with the comment "stronger is 1...c5 which wins a pawn".^[3]

[edit] An incomplete overview

Black has a wide choice of reasonable defences. 1.e4 c5 2.d4 (sometimes White plays 2.Nf3 and 3.c3) cxd4 3.c3

A) The Morra Gambit Accepted: 3...dxc3 4.Nxc3

Classical Mainline: 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Qe2 Be7 9.Rd1 e5 10.h3 or 10.Be3

Scheveningen setup: 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.0-0 Nf6 (or Be7) 8.Qe2 a6 9.Rd1 Qc7 (probably inferior Qa5) 10.Bf4 (10.Bg5) Be7

Siberian Variation: 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Nf6 and 7...Qc7

Nge7 Variations: 4...Nc6 (or 4...e6) 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 a6 (Nge7) 7.0-0 Nge7 (d6 8.Qe2 Nge7 9.Bg5 h6) 8.Bg5 f6 9.Be3

6...a6 Defence: 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 eventually 7...Bg4

Fianchetto: 4...g6 (4...Nc6 5.Nf3 g6 allows 6.h4!?) 5.Nf3 Bg7 6.Bc4 Nc6

Chicago Defence: 4...e6 5.Bc4 a6 6.Nf3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.0-0 and Black plays ...Ra7 at some stage

Early Queenside Fianchetto: 4...e6 5.Bc4 a6 6.Nf3 b5 7.Bb3 Bb7

B) The Morra Gambit Declined:

Advance Variation: 3...d3

First transpostion to the Alapin: 3...Nf6 4.e5 Nd5

Second transposition to the Alapin: 3...d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 (Nf6) 5.cxd4

The latter has a bad reputation, as square c3 is free for the knight. Still 5...Nf6 (5...e5; 5...Nc6 6.Nf3 e5) 6.Nf3 e6 7.Nc3 Qd6 is likely to transpose to a main line of the Alapin: 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 e6 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 Be7 9.Nc3 Qd6.

[edit] See also

Another anti-Sicilian gambit is the Wing Gambit (1. e4 c5 2. b4).

[edit] External links

• The Smith-Morra gambit

1. ^ Chess Notes by Edward Winter, see entry 3953 ("Morra")
2. ^ Kenneth Ray Smith (1930-1999) Obituary at the US Chess Federation
3. ^ Bent Larsen and David Levy (1972). San Antonio, 1972 : Church's Fried Chicken, Inc. First International Chess Tournament. R.H.M. press.en.wikipedia.org:Smith-Morra_Gambit"> 

Tourney starts Jan 8, rapid 25 5 i think.