Here is a game I played here on chess.com recently playing a deferred version of the SMG. I thought I played the middle game very well but I had nice opposition and just couldn't win the ending.
http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=3503081
Smith-Morra Gambit
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The morra smith gambit is a solid opening, the reason it doesn't get played alot at the gandmanster level is simple because after about twelve moves or so into the main line the game accutally looks drawish. But at the amauter level it works very well, and gives white good winning changes. I have the book by Hannes Langrock and wouldn't really recommend buying it. So far most of the people I play decline the gambit, and when somebody does accept it they don't really play any of the lines in the book. The book is also somewhat hard to navigate I think it could have been organized better. I would try to find a used book on the morra smith on ebay or amazon and save yourself a couple bucks. Also if you any specfic questions about a certain line just let me know and I'll look it up.
I played a tournament game that was drawn after 12 moves in the Smith-Morra. He forced Three-Fold Repitition because I forgot to play a6.
Tyrfing wrote: BILL_5666 wrote:
I can think of another named opening that isn't very good... "Damiano's Defense". For those who don't know it's 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 f6.
I am of the opinion that if an opening is popular enough to have received a name, then there may be something to it and you had best tread lightly if you encounter it and are ill prepared.
Yes and no. Since exaggeration furthers comprehension, I give you two named and famous lines of Gedult's Opening:
Hammerschlag Opening: 1. f3? e5 2. Kf2?
Fool's Mate: 1. f3? e5 2. g4?? Qh4#
I can think of another named opening that isn't very good... "Damiano's Defense". For those who don't know it's 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 f6.
KillaBeez wrote: I played a tournament game that was drawn after 12 moves in the Smith-Morra. He forced Three-Fold Repitition because I forgot to play a6.
I would love to know the moves of that game. And who the heck plays a gambit and then intentionally goes for a draw???
--Fromper
Graw81 wrote:
the s**t morra gambit?! my advice is dont play this opening at all, strictly blitz opening. otherwise you will be crushed =) by anyone who knows 'anything' about chess. This is terrible white choice, theres soo much better choices. Play open sicilians and be a real player.
Actually, The smith morra gambit is played in serious tournament games at the GM level. De Firmian lost a game to it as black a few years ago, and there are a couple of strong IMs now who actually believe it is a very good weapon.
The thing is, it depends on what you're looking for from an opening.
The downside of this gambit at the GM level is that they do not believe white their coveted first move advantage.... Of course, nowadays in pretty much all popular openings white comes out either with a minimal advantage, or with an approximately equal positions, unless some theoretical novelty was found...
However, in contrast with other stranger gambits (that are actually considered to be "junk"), even GMs claim that white has enough compensation for the pawn. Their problem is that they don't think he has anything more.
White does have a lot of pressure and it's a tense position. So if you're looking for a tense, double edged positions, it is considered a very good opening.
If that is not your approach to the opening, than indeed, it's not the opening for you.
I have played the SMG for about 30 years, and wholeheartedly agree with grolich, white gets alot of pressure for the first dozen moves or so, and the lack of a single pawn seems to rarely decide things. I must admit though, I pick my times and opponents to use this weapon against: blitz chess, rapidplay, passive players, weaker players and much older players. I guess I've got a ruthless streak.
May 19, 2009
0
#49
an interesting trap in Damiano's Defense is 1)e4 e5 2)Nf3 f6? 3)Nxe5 Qe7 4)Qh5+!? g6 5)Nxg6 Qxe4+! and black picks up the knight and probably the game. but Damiano's Defense is bad because after 3)Nxe5 black can't take the knight obviously or he looses his rook or gets checkmated (there is a defense to mate but its hard to find and black has to give up more material than the knight he gains.. so he looses) and after ....Qe7 (the only good move) white simply plays 4) Nf3 Qxe4 5) Be2 with a positional advantage to white! so no... don't play this opening!
Fromper, the Smith-Morra Gambit is a powerful weapon for white if accepted!
However your opponent played very badly against you, thus enabling you to win that easily. After your 14)Ra-c1, he failed to see all the tactical implications.
His moves seem to me to be suicidal from then onwards.
Hi folks, I'm a reasonable expert on the Morra and I'll give a long detailed post about the line in Fromper's game and some comments on book responses when I'm home later one.
In brief: 8.Qe2?! - I agree with Langrock's notation here because of 8...Ne7!
8.0-0 is best, an anti-Sicilian book I have at home (Palliser I think) suggests Black can get away with 8...b4, but his analysis is flawed and 9.Nd5 is at least very interesting, if not plain good for white.
Interestingly this is the line I play as Black vs the Morra. It has good practical chances of getting some sort of advantage, as White has to know *a lot* of theory not to end up simply worse.
But yeah, I'll go into it in a lot of detail later :)
Right folks. I'm having problems inserting these move diagram thingies with text in between, I can't seem to get text in the middle of them and stuff. Anyway, please look at the *second* diagram first to see why I/Langrock don't think 8.Qe2 is so hot, and then please look at the first diagram for an analysis of 8.0-0 b4. I've included some variations and stuff in it, so please navigate through the movelist for various lines and attempts, which I hope is fairly comprehensive coverage of this line.
Let me know what you think!
Bill I think I read your books when I was a teenager, I thought they were great!
As a matter of fact I won alot of speed chess playing the SMG in the 1970s and the ideas I got from that little book.
The declined versions are generally a moral victory for white on a two-fold basis:
1. It got them out of their lines and gets them to play a set-up they are not used to and;
2. They declined your gambit, showing respect for your opening.