ChessPub Forum - Smith-Morra

Ben_Hague

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Smith-Morra - d6 and a6
06/20/03 at 12:55:42

Hi,
I'd like peoples opinion of a line I've been looking at in this system-
1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 7.O-O Nf6 8.Bf4. Now 8...e5 looks dodgy after Ng5, it gets messy but there are a lot of positions where white can take the rook on h8 and the knight escapes. 8...b5 allows 9.Bxf7+ Kxf7 10.e5 winning the piece back with an attack. So 8...Bg4 looks critical when after 9.Qb3 e6 I play 10.Ng5!?. One idea is that after 10...Na5 11.Qa4+ b5 12.Bxb5+ axb5 13.Nxb5! is close to winning for white, and against other moves white can play f3 either playing it positionally and locking the bishop out of the game, or tactically with the sac on e6.

I've had quite good results in Blitz, but I haven't had a chance to test it serious games yet.

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Harvey Williamson Junior Member Offline Posts: 61 London Gender:	Re: Smith-Morra - d6 and a6 Reply #1 - 06/22/03 at 03:46:03 I have had some good wins for White with this line: 8.b4!? Bg4 9.b5 Bxf3 10.gxf3 axb5 11.Nxb5! If you have access to CHESSPUB go to the B21 section and see Williamson v Overton one of my games analyzed by Gary Lane.
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Bernhard Guest	Re: Smith-Morra - d6 and a6 Reply #2 - 05/04/04 at 12:00:15 The line given by Ben Hague is interesting, but what is White's answer to 10...b5 ?
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Ben_Hague

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Re: Smith-Morra - d6 and a6
Reply #3 - 05/04/04 at 13:22:20

After 10...b5 the sac looks almost forced, 11.Nxb5 Na5 (11...axb5 12.Bxb5 Rc8 13.Rfc1 +-) 12.Qa4 axb5 13.Bxb5 Nd7 looks like the main line. I'm not sure what's happening here, white can get another pawn for the piece with 14.Nxf7 Kxf7 15.Bxd7, and there is clearly some compensation for the material, but if it's enough is hard to say. My gut feeling is that while there are good practical chances it may not be quite enough.

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MNb God Member Offline Rudolf Spielmann forever Posts: 7590 Moengo Gender:	Re: Smith-Morra - d6 and a6 Reply #4 - 05/10/04 at 06:39:19 The defense 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 is just another ugly Hydra head. I can not find anything after 7.o-o Nf6 8.Bf4 Bg4! 9.Qb3 e6 10.Ng5 b5! 11.Nxb5 h6! And 11.f3 bxc4 12.Qb7 Ne7 13.fxg4 Qb8 is not very inspiring either. So maybe one can make 8.b4!? work?
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alumbrado

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Re: Smith-Morra - d6 and a6
Reply #5 - 05/10/04 at 07:28:40

Tibor Karolyi suggests (1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6) 7.Bg5!? Nf6 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.Nh4!? Shocked

with the idea Qh5, and there are some speculative knight sacs on f5 and/or d5 further down the line.

However, I gave this a go against Fritz (OK OK, bad idea!) and it came up with 9...Qa5!?, completely cutting across the Qh5 idea Angry

I suppose White could play 10.0-0 (I was not concentrating and played 10.Qh5 anyway Embarrassed

) and have Nd5 and Nf5 in reserve still, and then Qh5 after that.

Frankly, though, the whole idea looks a bit suspect anyway - what sort of gambit play is it to decentralise a knight that you have already moved!?

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Ben_Hague

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Re: Smith-Morra - d6 and a6
Reply #6 - 05/10/04 at 07:34:35

I don't think it's so clear after 11...h6

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 7.O-O Nf6 8.Bf4 Bg4 9.Qb3 e6 10.Ng5 b5 11.Nxb5 h6 12.Bxe6
( 12.Nxe6 fxe6 13.Bxe6 axb5 14.Bxg4 Nxg4 15.Qe6+ Qe7 16.Qxg4 unclear)
hxg5
( 12...fxe6 13.Nxe6 Bxe6 14.Qxe6+ +- )
( 12...axb5 13.Bxf7+
( 13.Nxf7 Nd4 14.Qe3 Ne2+ 15.Kh1 Nxf4 16.Qxf4 Bxe6 17.Nxd8 Rxd8 +/- )
13...Ke7 14.Bh5 Qd7 15.Qf7+ Kd8 16.Bxg4 Nxg4 17.Ne6+ Kc8 18.Qf5 +/- )
13.Bxf7+ Kd7 The critical position
( 13...Ke7 14.Bxd6+ +- )
14.Bxg5
( 14.Nxd6 gxf4
( 14...Bxd6 15.Bxd6 Kxd6 16.f3 unclear)
15.Nf5 Kc7 16.Rfd1 Qc8 17.Qc4 Bxd1 18.Rxd1 unclear)
14...axb5 15.f3 Nd4 16.Qd3 Be6 17.Bxe6+ Nxe6 18.Qxb5+ unclear

I'm not sure that all this works, but I think that at least it deserves analysis.

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Harvey Williamson Junior Member Offline Posts: 61 London Gender:	Re: Smith-Morra - d6 and a6 Reply #7 - 05/10/04 at 13:11:35 I would like to hear what people think of 8.b4!?
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IMRichardPalliser

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Re: Smith-Morra - d6 and a6
Reply #8 - 05/16/04 at 17:21:45

Hi Ben, Guys
11...h6 certainly looks pretty interesting, but surely white can't be too unhappy with the unsuing messy positions?
I've often played ...d6 and ...a6 due to being lazy and sticking to the line given years ago in the excellent 'Beating the Anti-Sicilians'. Am still working on 8 Bf4!? myself, but 8 b4!? also deserves attention as then 8...e6 9 Qb3 looks like quite a good Morra for White. Maybe Black must try the risky 8...b5!? whilst 8...Bg4 is also possible still surely?

Hardarson,R (2331) - De Firmian,N (2598) [B21]
Politiken Cup Copenhagen (3), 05.07.1999

1 e4 c5 2 d4 cxd4 3 c3 dxc3 4 Nxc3 Nc6 5 Nf3 d6 6 Bc4 a6 7 0-0 Nf6 8 b4 Bg4 9 b5 Bxf3 10 gxf3 axb5 11 Bxb5 g6 12 Nd5 Bg7 13 Bb2 Nh5 14 Bxg7 Nxg7 15 Rc1 0-0 16 Bxc6 bxc6 17 Rxc6 Rxa2 18 Rc8 Qd7 19 Rc7 Qd8 20 Rc8 Qd7 21 Rc7 Qd8 22 Rc8 Qd7 ½-½

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Schroeder

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Re: Smith-Morra - d6 and a6
Reply #9 - 01/28/09 at 00:58:23

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8.Bf4 Bg4 9. Qb3 e6 10. Ng5 b5 11.Nxb5 h6 may be considered as unclear, although Fritz & Co. see a clear Black advantage in all lines.

But, there ist also 10.-Na5 which might be a less risky way to a black advantage.

[Event "4NCL 2006-07"]
[Site "Wokefield Park ENG"]
[Date "2007.05.05"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Hague, B."]
[Black "Wells, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B21"]
[WhiteElo "2303"]
[BlackElo "2499"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2007.05.05"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2007.05.21"]

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8.
Bf4 Bg4 9. Qb3 e6 10. Ng5 Na5 11. Qa4+ Nd7 12. f3 Nxc4 13. Qxc4 Bh5 14. Rf2 Be7
15. Nh3 O-O 16. Rd1 Rc8 17. Qb3 Nc5 18. Qa3 Qb6 19. b4 Nd7 20. Na4 Qc7 21. Rfd2
e5 22. Be3 b5 23. Nb2 Qc3 24. Qxc3 Rxc3 25. Kf2 f5 26. exf5 Rxf5 27. Nd3 e4 28.
Ndf4 exf3 29. gxf3 Bh4+ 30. Ke2 Bf7 31. Rxd6 Re5 32. Ng2 Nf8 33. R1d4 Bf6 34.
Rg4 Re6 35. Rd2 Rec6 36. Nhf4 h5 37. Rg3 Rc2 38. Rh3 Bxa2 39. Nxh5 Bc4+ 40. Kf2
Rxd2+ 41. Bxd2 Bd4+ 42. Be3 Bc3 43. Ngf4 Bxb4 44. Ng3 Be6 45. Rh5 Rc2+ 46. Kg1
Bd6 47. Ne4 Bxf4 48. Bxf4 b4 49. Ra5 b3 50. Be5 Ng6 51. Ba1 Nh4 52. Ng5 Rg2+
53. Kh1 b2 54. Bxb2 Rxb2 55. h3 Bxh3 56. f4 Bg2+ 57. Kg1 Nf3+ 58. Nxf3 Bxf3 59.
Rxa6 Rb4 60. Kf2 Rxf4 61. Kg3 Rf5 0-1

Ben, can you comment on this game?

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ANDREW BRETT God Member Offline I Love ChessPublishing! Posts: 566	Re: Smith-Morra - d6 and a6 Reply #10 - 01/29/09 at 09:43:18 I would suggest anyone interested look at Richard Palliser's analysis in his anti-Sicilian book !
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