Combating 2 c3, the closed, the morra gambit and other tricky ideas the budapest gambit. White starts off with a queens pawn opening but play quickly switches over to the kingside after 2. Some say that the smith morra has been refuted, but its still fun to play in the club. View and download countless other grandmaster chess games from our pgn file collection, completely free. It has been my main weapon against the sicilian defense and my sympathies are clearly on the white side, but during my detailed study of it, i had to correct many of my assess. Moreover, ken also recommended that players, as part of their development, should adopt, at least. Not only is it chock full of interesting ideas and original games in the smithmorra gambit 1. I like playing the smithmorra as white against the sicilian. By sacrificing a pawn, white aims to rapidly develop his pieces with the objective of delivering a swift knockout blow to the unprepared black camp. Drawing upon his own experience and analysis, lawrence trent put together a complete dvd on the smithmorra gambit, 1 e4 c5 2 d4 cxd4 3 c3. The following variation of the smithmorra gambit is one of my favorite opening lines with white. Forum poster eric knudsen, under the pseudonym victor surge, contributed two blackandwhite images of groups of children to which he added a tall, thin, spectral figure wearing a black suit.
Andreaschek gambit g welling vs brinkhorst, 1980 b21 sicilian, 2. Icc chessfm presents the smithmorra gambit part 1, by im. Watch im mark ginsburgs video series best play against the smith morra part 1, part 2, part 3. Alejandro ramirez, esserman finished with a score of 7 points, a half point behind the leaders. Accepted scheveningen formation r malidh dongre vs a mirzoev, 2000 b21 sicilian, 2. Nxc3 and a pawn in the center, while black has an extra pawn and a central pawn majority. Andreaschek gambit r krogius vs a ojanen, 1944 b21 sicilian, 2. Blacks king is frequently stuck in the middle if he makes any innaccuracy and whites pieces will flood forward. Alexander beliavsky is a product of the legendary soviet school of chess and once a contemporary of anatoly karpov. This is a fantastic read, filled with compelling characters, layered world building and a fascinating plot which, though partially developed, has left me gasping for more. Search the chess games database, download games, view frequent practitioners and browse the opening explorer. White is trying something similar on the kingside this time. The plan is to trade off the c8 bishop usually via bg4 after they play nf3, then trade bishop for knight, play e6, then put pressure on d4 via nc6, qb6, nh6f5 or ne7f5. It is more solid as gambits go than say the latvian gambit for instance.
He was a noted practitioner of the morra gambit against the sicilian, viz 1. Mccall smiths novels are beautifully precise and psychologically acute the independent alexander mccall smiths standalone books, fiction and nonfiction alike, feature a wideranging vision always full of wit and charm, creating a world in which complex characters can safely explore new situations. Official games recorder and is preparing a book of the tour nament. What surprises me thus far is that players below 1800ish will nearly always take the gambit. In chess, the smithmorra gambit or simply morra gambit is an opening gambit against the sicilian defence distinguished by the moves 1. In this video we take a look at how to play against the smith morra gambit. It is not widely respected among gms but at club level it is extremely potent. Watch more free videos from gm ivan salgados antisicilian repertoire series at. The blackmar diemer gambit has some similarities to the smith morra gambit in terms of concept and aesthetics. The smith morra gambit is a variation of the sicilian defence in which white sacrifices a pawn right in the opening to get a small long term positional advantage. Ken smith smithmorra comparing poker and chess gambits.
Champion will prepare several gambit variations to test fisch. Chow urged me to keep exploring the possibilities hidden in the gambit, and projected that in my hands the morra may morph into a formidable weapon after all. Mayhem in the morra by marc esserman, opening chess book. You move all your poker chips to the middle of the table when you think you have the best hand. Im marc esserman smithmorra gambit thematic simul at the.
His is a good example of how a video dvd can provide a solid starting point even if it isnt as analytically complete as a fulllength book on the subject. Accepted scheveningen formation monokroussos vs igor ivanov, 1985 b21 sicilian, 2. The morra gambit is a popular weapon at club level, but can it be effective at gm level. It is questionable if this slight edge justifies to sacrifice an important center pawn, the cpawn. Winning with the smithmorra gambit batsford chess library. As you play your gambit, you are projecting all the confidence in the world. He has been a regular contributor to chessbase and coauthor, with karsten mueller and matthias wahls, of the modern scandinavian. Not only is it chock full of interesting ideas and original games in the smith morra gambit 1. The book i refer to is mayhem in the morra by marc esserman, and the game i. On move two white sacrifices a pawn for fast development and good attacking chances, and black can easily fall into one of the many devious opening traps. Gambit just found its way into being my favourite book thus far this year. The thread was a photoshop contest in which users were challenged to create paranormal images. The smith morra gambit isnt for everyone, and consequently this book is not for everyone, however if you are failing to comprehend the complexities of the open sicilian, or your failing to make progress with your antisicilian pet line, give the smith morra gambit a try, youll be surprised at how many people blunder when only following common. Sicilian players, what do you play against the morra gambit.
Trents presentation is systematic and clearly outlined and the morra is a great opening with which to teach younger players basics like the value of development, while developing their tactical skills. Both morra accepted and morra declined avenues are richly annotated with replies that at first seem to gambit perhaps another pawn, knight or bishop but offer more hidden avenues to winning that will defy the bean counters of chess. Im marc essermans brilliant mayhem in the morra arrived in the mail this weekend and has not been out of my hands very much since. This is the first game in a series on the delightfully aggresive smithmorra gambit. Qxd4 really isnt a promising option, since the queen will be pushed around, while black makes developing moves like nc6. Goodreads members who liked the slender man also liked. Do the course the morra gambit for black from from fm thomas wolskis mentor course the sicilian defense. When smith participated in an international tournament against several top grandmasters in san antonio in 1972, he essayed the opening three times, against donald byrne, larry evans, and henrique mecking, but lost all three games. The smithmorra gambit isnt for everyone, and consequently this book is not for everyone, however if you are failing to comprehend the complexities of the open sicilian, or your failing to make progress with your antisicilian pet line, give the smithmorra gambit a try, youll be surprised at how many people blunder when only following common. Uptodate coverage of a dangerous gambit the modern morra gambit. I do admit that his book is a little optimistic, but there is no proven way to get anymore than equality for black.
Smithmorra gambit from im john grefes mentor course a kaleidoscope of openings. Players 22002400 do not take it and it usually transposes to an alapin. The senior american master ken smith, who died last month february 1999, was an advocate of gambits. A very dangerous gambit by white with the variations in this video. This is a useful book for any sicilian player who favors e6 or classical.
For explanation of theory tables see theory table and for notation see algebraic notation 1. Modern morra gambit supplier of chess books, chess. The company was founded by three chess players and editors, grandmasters john nunn and murray chandler, and fm graham burgess. Alex lenderman, smith morra gambit, part 1 free, part 2, and part 3. I also check out the alapin sicilian and the chekhover variation. He has played the morra gambit successfully against both grandmasters and international masters. Watch im mark ginsburgs video series best play against the smithmorra part 1, part 2, part 3. When youre ready to take your chess studies to the next level, check out pgn mentor, the very best program available for.
The smithmorra gambit system against the sicilian defence. In chess, the smithmorra gambit or simply morra gambit is an opening gambit against the sicilian defence distinguished by the moves. Nf3 and decides by the reaction of black whether to enter the gambit theory table. Gambitguidesmithmorragambit1 play chess with friends. Do the course the morragambit for black from from fm thomas wolskis mentor course the sicilian defense. But thats probably the rating threshold where you should switch to a more mainline opening.
Also, unlike the center game, the trade of the cpawn for the dpawn also gives black added central control. Ive actually seen an 1800 rated player beat a grandmaster online on icc with the smithmorra gambit. Trents presentation is systematic and clearly outlined, and he doesnt ignore challenging lines. Big al as hes affectionately know as, is a fourtime ussr champion 1974, 1980, 1987 and 1990, and has played at the olympiad for three countries, first starting with the ussr, the latest being his now adopted homeland of slovenia. Smith morra gambit from im john grefes mentor course a kaleidoscope of openings. Gambit publications a dedicated chess book publisher, whose aim is to produce a select range of quality chess books aimed at players of all levels. Marc esserman vs loek van wely us open 2011 duration. Morra published a booklet and several articles about the smith morra around 1950.
The smith morra gambit is a very interesting answer from white to the sicilian gambit. The slender man was created on june 10, 2009, on a thread in the something awful internet forum. A58, a59 gm misa paps volga benko gambit artillery on the a and b files added on 04. Marc esserman believes so and he has 2700rated scalps to back up. Ken smith 19301999 was well known as one of the gambits biggest exponents. Three spassky adherents picked their man by three points, three. I have finally annotated the seven available games from im marc essermans 8board smithmorra gambit thematic simultaneous exhibition at the kenilworth chess club, which followed his lecture about the opening on april 15, 2010. The modern morra gambit introduction when i began writing this book, after having played the morra gambit for some years, i was of the opinion that i knew my opening. In exchange for the gambit pawn, white has a piece developed after 4. Morra gambit by janos flesch and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
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