~~~A game I played a long time ago when I wasn't so busy and was able to do some studying. Anyway, any comments / analysis of the game would be appreciated. I love the gambit lines whether playing white or black. I am not 100% sure if this is still considered the Smith Morra because of the move order; however, it looks very similar to games I have played using the SMG style of play. Maybe someone can enlighten me on that since I don't really know for sure on the naming thing.

~~~Blitz 10|7

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~~~An attacking opening versus the Sicilian opening...

This is my favorite way to handle the Sicilian.....sort of. I think the immediate 3.c3 would make it a Smith-Morra. As soon as the knight comes out, it's something else. It's usually called the Morphy Gambit (nice name!), but I've also heard it called the Andreaschek Gambit. Anyway, what's in a name? Declining the second pawn seems like a mistake for black, as you could have simply exchanged on d4 and gotten a good game. Of course, you got a good game anyway, which is why black should have grabbed the material. White usually develops so rapidly in the Smith-Morra, black's only compensation is the extra material. Anyway, interesting game. I don't know if the sac on f7 is "sound", but it sure looks good. I even looked at the further sac 12.fxe5!? hxg5 13.Bxg5 Nxe5 14.Bxe7, but that might have been going too far. Instead of the Smith-Morra, I like the line 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bc4. According to some theory, black's best then is 4...g6, but nobody ever plays it in blitz, which is all I play. After 4...Nf6, you can castle or grab the d4 pawn. Either way you get a pretty good game. Also interesting, if you want to avoid the done-to-death lines against the Sicilian, is 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.f4!?, the Halasz Gambit. You never see this thing (yet...) in high-level games, but it turns up occasionally in the intermediate levels with some interesting results.