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???????????

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 

I, like Erik used to hate playing against the Smith Morra Gambit, and i used to nearly lose every game against it as i was so bad at falling into its viciuos traps. Now, im a little older and wiser and love playing against it! As black, i stepped away from playing 4...Nc6 or 4...d6 to play the 4...a6 line. It seems a scarey option to take but is really clear line to follow. I use it all the time now and have great results, in fact i get into better positions going into the middlegame and often drawn positions in endgames against 2000+ players. I actually played against Fritz 9.0 using 4...a6. and achieved a draw. I have successfully tackled some of the 'big boys' [players 2000+] in this frightening opening for black. Hey, its even more frightening when somebody 2200+ plays it against you, but for anyone whos having trouble, look at the 4...a6 line and you will be sailing into the middlegame or even endgame with ease.

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.