I've decided to post a great game from the votechess between the Chess Team iternational (CTI) and the Indian Marauders (IM). I was with the CTI in which darius has created with which we got a great team there.

   I will invite both team members to join for the discussion and commentry.

  First I will post the the game here, and then we can discuss it. We started of with the Smith-Morra Gambit from the Sicili

an.

 

 1.e4  c5  2.d4  cxd4  3.c3  Smith-Morra Gambit, the idea is to obtain advantage in developing by sacrificing a pawn. Black here can either accept it 3...bxc3 or declined it 3...d3

 

 

 

here is the link if you want to see the whole game and our comments during the game ;  http://www.chess.com/votechess/game.html?id=9199415

Nice idea Kelvin .. IM will soon join discussions here.. thanks

3...Nf6 is rather common too. I prefer accepting the gambit.

why is best for black to accepted ?

if not accepted. after cxd4 white gets the complete control of the center. with pawns at e4 and d4.

white has to develop fast to get compensation for the pawn.. Black takes cxd4 preventing center control by two connected pawns..

My preferred line is this, where whites usual set uo is rather dubious.

continuing-

  4.Nxc3  e6  5.Nf3   Nc6  6.Bc4  Be7  7.0-0  d6

during that stage IPA-ray said "The "Finegold Defense" goes:

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 d6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Be7 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Qe2 a6 and may continue 9. Rd1 b5 10. Bb3 Nbd7

Black has to be very accurate in his move orders, but when he gets it right, white has problems. "

Did  you think of that line Indian Marauders ?

Yes IM was working for right order of moves at that stage..

 7...d6  8.Qe2  Nf6  9.e5  dxe5
  I think we have come to a crucial point here, either on the 8th or 9th move somebody suggested we move to Rd1

Here is two comments made by the CTI team;

yes.. we felt e5 was played too early here without back-up

Rd1 is the only move as far as I know. Don't have this line down completely since I play the one with a much earllier a6, but e5 is way too early and certainly an out of book move.

One of the key moves in this opening is achieving the e5 push with the d6-pawn pinned to the d-line and exploiting whites control of the c- and d-file. 9. e5 goes against the whole concept of this line and it seems strange that no one who suggested the gambit in the first place pointed this out.

  9...dxe5  10.Nxe5  Nxe5  11.Qxe5  0-0  
  12.Rd1  Bd7  13.Bf4  Rc8  14.Bb5  Rc5

Rc5 was well planned by IM with expected sequence of moves here.. IM had 100% voting for most of these moves at the crucial stages..

Seems to me like white has misplaced their bishops in this sequence. I would okace them on g5 and d3, possibly b3.

  15.Qe3  Nd5  16.Nxd5  exd5  17.Bd3  a5 
  18.Rac1  b6

15.Qe3,  would it have been better to go to Qe2 instead ?

Probably Qe2 was better.. Passed extra pawn keeps pressure throughout in the remaining game with black ready to give up the same for strong attacj at any moment