Hey I'm looking for someone to play black from smith morra gambit[B21](1. e4 c5 2.d4  cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3)  If anyone's interested please challenge me to a game titled Smith Morra, rated or unrated is up to you it really makes no difference to me. 

If anyone has any advice about playing SM gambit I could really use the advice. Thanks to all and peace til later.

????????? can you explain???????????

It's unsound!!

i'll say this: i HATE playing against the smith morra!

Although it's unsound, it's full of traps.  Black gets a slight advantage with accurate play from both sides.  Here are some of the traps...

KillaBeez, your first example doesn't make any sense. White can win the queen with 8. Bxf7+ in that one, just like in the second one. This is why black usually plays e6 early in the SMG, usually right after white plays Bc4, to weaken the bishop's attack on f7.

 

Here's a move order that you need to be aware of when playing either side of this gambit: 

 

 

Also, watch out for the Siberian Trap if you play the SMG as white:

 

 

These are all pretty easy traps to avoid as long as you know about them. 

--Fromper 

Fromper, my first example makes perfect sense.  White cannot win Black's Queen with Bxf7+ because the Knight on c6 defends the Queen.  In the second example, the Knight on c6 is gone, so Black's Queen is hanging

i've recently been trying the SMG in my games as white, and i really like it. i think it fits my style of play, more of an open board, with traps abound.

 

...ryan 

KillaBeez wrote: Fromper, my first example makes perfect sense.  White cannot win Black's Queen with Bxf7+ because the Knight on c6 defends the Queen.  In the second example, the Knight on c6 is gone, so Black's Queen is hanging

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 Doh! Sorry, that's what I get for posting from work without really studying the position properly.

 

--Fromper 

What's so special about 4. ... a6? Obviously, white needs to respond with 5. Bc4, before black gets a chance to play b5, but that would seem to me to just transpose to the same main lines of the gambit that I normally play as white.

 

--Fromper 

Chess Mentor has a nice lesson on the SMG. I think that lesson offers good advice for black.

 

Erik: Please remove that lesson! It might be harmfull for my SMG Fun Time as white  

The a6 is giving me problems as white.  Does anyone have any suggestions against it after black plays b5 I end up going piece for 3 pawns(really piece for 2 pawns after gambit pawn is returned) then trading bishops does any one have any better suggestions.

mhbat14 wrote: The a6 is giving me problems as white.  Does anyone have any suggestions against it after black plays b5 I end up going piece for 3 pawns(really piece for 2 pawns after gambit pawn is returned) then trading bishops does any one have any better suggestions.

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 Again, I'm confused. Can you give an example of the line you're talking about?

 

Here's a good tutorial on the SMG:

 

http://www.chessville.com/instruction/Openings/Smith-Morra/

 

--Fromper 

Fromper wrote: mhbat14 wrote: The a6 is giving me problems as white.  Does anyone have any suggestions against it after black plays b5 I end up going piece for 3 pawns(really piece for 2 pawns after gambit pawn is returned) then trading bishops does any one have any better suggestions.

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 Again, I'm confused. Can you give an example of the line you're talking about?

 

Here's a good tutorial on the SMG:

 

http://www.chessville.com/instruction/Openings/Smith-Morra/

 

--Fromper 

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the link provided is down!!

 

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the smith morra gambit is completely sound

im just wondering, usually when black responds with e6 instead of d6 early on, why does white still place bishop on c4?

c4 is still the best square for the bishop, Be2 is to passive, Bd3 blocks the d file, Bb5 is pointless, and g3, Bg2 is to slow.