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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) History of the 'Morra' Gambit (Read 42887 times)
MNb
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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #14 - 09/15/11 at 14:12:14
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Michel Barbaut wrote on 09/14/11 at 22:00:10:
2) Matulovic played not to much Morra (Smith) gambit and gave it up in 1958 .... not too much faith to it

I beg your pardon? You call 21 games (+14, =5, -2) not too much?! I don't know why Matulovic gave it up. It might have nothing to do with the Morra Gambit itself, as he switched to 1.c4.

Michel Barbaut wrote on 09/14/11 at 22:00:10:
Next time I hope to prove this gambit is sound, sorry Phil but I disagree with you and Patrick ...

You might check a few threads in this section, as Djy and I have had fun with this. Now I'm too lazy, but there is some analysis to be found on the topical 6...a6; on the Queenside Expansion (without ...Nc6); on the ...Bd7 lines and on the ...Nge7 line Esserman used to crush Van Wely.
At the moment I don't feel like digging up these threads; maybe later.
  

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Michel Barbaut
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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #13 - 09/14/11 at 22:00:10
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MNb wrote on 09/14/11 at 20:25:33:
Michel Barbaut wrote on 09/14/11 at 19:09:21:
For me the Morra-Smith gambit is : 1.e4,c5  2.d4,cxd4  3.c3,dxc3  4.Nxc3 (ok it's an accepted one) but the game you give is only a 2.c3 Sicilian ...

Of course, but only because Smith choose so.

Sure Benkö was not the first to play the Benkö-Gambit, but he certainly was the first to play it with success and on a regular base. This is a common argument. So still both Morra and Matulovic have stronger claims.
I do know that such claims are not always granted. Fact is though that the name Morra Gambit is very common (just check Wikipedia in various languages) and that there is not a strong argument to attach Smith' name.
We're not going to rename the King's Gambit after Chigorin and Spielmann either, are we? They both played ánd wrote about 2.f4.


Interesting thoughts but I'm not convinced :

1) The french Wikipedia quote "(Smith) Morra gambit" ...

2) Chigorin & Spielmann wrote about the King's Gambit .. OK, but were they alone ones to wrote about it ? I doubt as it was a major opening at that time.

2) Matulovic played not to much Morra (Smith) gambit and gave it up in 1958 .... not too much faith to it  Cry

3) How many wrote so much about the gambit ?
Smith is alone in this case ! He popularized, studied and published a lot on it ... like Benkö with it's own gambit !!

So I really think it's worth adding his name.
Morra-Smith gambit what else ?

P.S : Morra-Smith and not Smith-Morra because the french player was the first to studied it seriously so it was the reason I prefer the first one … and because we’re both French !
 
Next time I hope to prove this gambit is sound, sorry Phil but I disagree with you and Patrick ...
  
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MNb
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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #12 - 09/14/11 at 20:25:33
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Michel Barbaut wrote on 09/14/11 at 19:09:21:
For me the Morra-Smith gambit is : 1.e4,c5  2.d4,cxd4  3.c3,dxc3  4.Nxc3 (ok it's an accepted one) but the game you give is only a 2.c3 Sicilian ...

Of course, but only because Smith choose so.

Sure Benkö was not the first to play the Benkö-Gambit, but he certainly was the first to play it with success and on a regular base. This is a common argument. So still both Morra and Matulovic have stronger claims.
I do know that such claims are not always granted. Fact is though that the name Morra Gambit is very common (just check Wikipedia in various languages) and that there is not a strong argument to attach Smith' name.
We're not going to rename the King's Gambit after Chigorin and Spielmann either, are we? They both played ánd wrote about 2.f4.
  

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Michel Barbaut
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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #11 - 09/14/11 at 19:09:21
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For me the Morra-Smith gambit is : 1.e4,c5  2.d4,cxd4  3.c3,dxc3  4.Nxc3 (ok it's an accepted one) but the game you give is only a 2.c3 Sicilian ...
Ken Smith wrote more than anyone else about the gambit, analysis and books. More than Pierre Morra himself  Cry
So I believe that both names attached to this opening seems the right one.
After all, Pal Benko did not invent the gambit that bears is name, Philidor never played his opening, and so on ...
As I said before a never ending story ....

To be continued ....
  
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MNb
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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #10 - 09/14/11 at 14:57:39
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Michel Barbaut wrote on 09/14/11 at 06:43:05:
Morra Gambit : “… a widely used name … Pierre Morra (1900-1969) wrote analysis of the gambit which was published at Nice in 1945 … at a time when there was no general acceptance of another name”

It's pretty obvious that there was no general acceptance of another name in the late 40's. But do you and/or Zinser have more explicit information on Morra's published analysis?

Michel Barbaut wrote on 09/14/11 at 11:30:29:
as I’m French I prefer Morra-Smith Gambit just like the 1981 book by Janos Flesh “Morra (Smith) Gambit”

That has not so much to do with you being French.
Rolf Schwarz, 1980.
Paul Boersma, 1981.
Sport-Verlag Berlin, around 1985.

The name Morra Gambit (ie without Smith) seems to be one of the few subjects the whole old continent agrees on. Frankly I don't think Smith' claim very strong: he did not invent it, he was not the first to play it on a regular base, he was not the first to apply the standard plan of castling, Qe2 and Rd1, he was not the first to publish analysis. The following remarkable game is not the first one played in the USA:

Westbrock,J - Smith,K [B22]
USA Open Cleveland (12), 16.08.1957



Myers' conclusion is based on quicksand.
  

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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #9 - 09/14/11 at 11:30:29
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@ Phil Adams : I agree it's Sylvain Zinser , I write too quickly ....

My opinion about the gambit is the following :

-      Tartakower was the first strong player to used it at high level

-      Pierre Morra was the first to write analysis about it and to play it in correspondence

-      Milan Matulovic is a Grand Master who played it regularly but gave it up, apparently, after his loss against Kotov at Zagreb in 1958.

-      Ken Smith was an American Master who played the gambit more often than anyone else, and especially wrote and published a lot of analysis and several books on it

So, I agree  with the late Hugh Myers that “Everything considered Smith-Morra Gambit is the best choice" but as I’m French I prefer Morra-Smith Gambit just like the 1981 book by Janos Flesh “Morra (Smith) Gambit”

Concerning the evaluation of the gambit I'll give more opinions (including GM) soon, and some of them are a little bit surprising.

I will show you that "Gambit is not a crime !"  Wink

To be continued ....
  
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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #8 - 09/14/11 at 10:44:19
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Michel Barbaut wrote on 09/14/11 at 06:43:05:
@ Michel Barbaut: from which year is that Sylvain Sinzer quote?
MNb : Sinzer traduction of Gufeld “Morra Gambit” book is from 1984. The most recent game in this book is from 1981 .

... Continuation :
Morra Gambit : “… a widely used name … Pierre Morra (1900-1969) wrote analysis of the gambit which was published at Nice in 1945 … at a time when there was no general acceptance of another name”

Matulovic Gambit : Milan Matulovic (Yugoslavia, born in 1935) played it many times in tournament, starting by at least 1953.

Smith-Morra Gambit : Ken Smith (1930-1999) accepted the name “Morra gambit”, and then attached his name to it.

So what is the best choice  ? Maybe a never ending question …

To be continued ...


Most internet sources give the author's name as "Sylvain Zinser", not "Sinzer", e.g.

http://www.libfly.com/sylvain-zinser-auteur-99522.html

and that is also how he appears in the FIDE list.

As an aside, recently in the Boston Globe the now retired GM Patrick Wolff, who used to play the Morra himself in his youth, commenting on the game Esserman-van Wely (1-0), characterised it thus:

"The Smith-Morra accepts a theoretically inferior position for marvelous over the board opportunities."

- which struck me as pretty accurate.
  
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Michel Barbaut
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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #7 - 09/14/11 at 06:43:05
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@ Michel Barbaut: from which year is that Sylvain Sinzer quote?
MNb : Sinzer traduction of Gufeld “Morra Gambit” book is from 1984. The most recent game in this book is from 1981 .

... Continuation :
Morra Gambit : “… a widely used name … Pierre Morra (1900-1969) wrote analysis of the gambit which was published at Nice in 1945 … at a time when there was no general acceptance of another name”

Matulovic Gambit : Milan Matulovic (Yugoslavia, born in 1935) played it many times in tournament, starting by at least 1953.

Smith-Morra Gambit : Ken Smith (1930-1999) accepted the name “Morra gambit”, and then attached his name to it.

So what is the best choice  ? Maybe a never ending question …

To be continued ...
  
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MNb
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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #6 - 09/13/11 at 23:51:50
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Several of the Matulovic games can be found in Rolf Schwarz' book (1980) on the Morra Gambit too. My database contains 21 of them.

@ Michel Barbaut: from which year is that Sylvain Sinzer quote?



Matulovic,M - Segi,L [B21]
JUG, 1953

  

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Djy
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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #5 - 09/13/11 at 20:00:01
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Phil Adams wrote on 09/13/11 at 16:11:45:
According to Gligoric and Sokolov in their 1967 book on the Sicilian, Matulovic introduced this gambit into "modern master play" in games played between 1953 and 1958. Matulovic was born in 1935.

Yes I know these games (in ken Smith / bill Wall book 1992).
  

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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #4 - 09/13/11 at 16:30:53
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Name of the gambit …
In the preface of the book « Le gambit Morra » Grasset-Europe Echecs, Sylvain Sinzer (the traductor) said “ The merit to imagine this gambit is coming from the French player Pierre Morra … the idea of the pawn sacrifice is from  the XIXth century … and first play by the Vienna players, but in memory of the first theoretical discovery and research about it, the name of Morra was awarded to it”
In the Myers Opening Bulletin (New MOB 2 exactly) January-March 1993, Hugh Myers discussed the history of the name  in 4 pages.
Here is a short summary :

Morphy Gambit : “…old, but understandably obsolete.” Morphy played the sacrifice but only in response to the e7-e5 move, or to cover check  :
France , 1958 : 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3 e5 4.Bc4 Be7 [4...Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.bxc3 Bc5 7.Nxe5 Morphy-Preti, 1–0 (24)] 5.c3 d6 6.Qb3 dxc3 7.Bxf7+ Kf8 8.Nxc3 Morphy-Journoud, 1–0 (17)


Tartakower Gambit : or “Tartakower-Morra gambit” as in MCO 1965
“ He was the first grandmaster to analyse the gambit and to play its modern variation …  1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Bc4 d6 6.Nf3 e6 7.0–0 Nf6 8.Qe2 a6 9.Rd1 Qc7 : Tartakower-Müller, simul 1912… he continued to occasionally play it in strong tournaments on into the 1950’s, as against Najdorf and Glioric in 1948-50"

To be continued …
  
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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #3 - 09/13/11 at 16:11:45
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Djy wrote on 09/13/11 at 15:32:10:
Many thanks to Michel Barbaud

I 've this one (include in Senechaud's article)
[Event "Nice"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1951.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Morra, Pierre"]
[Black "Monkiewicz"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. c3 Nf6 5. e5 dxe5 6. Nxe5 Nbd7 7. Qa4 e6 8.
cxd4 Be7 9. Bb5 O-O 10. O-O Nb6 11. Qd1 a6 12. Bd3 Nbd5 13. a3 Qc7 14. Bd2 b5
15. Nc3 Bb7 16. Rc1 Qb6 17. Bg5 Rfd8 18. Nxd5 Rxd5 19. Be3 Rad8 20. Qe2 Bd6 21.
f4 Bb8 22. Bb1 R5d6 23. Rfd1 Ba7 24. Bf2 Nd5?  25. Bxh7+!  Kf8 26. Qh5 g6 27.
Qh6+ Ke7 28. Qg7 Rf8 29. Nxg6+ 1-0

Probably pierre Morra himself with the help of his revue 'L'Echiquier Niçois' have worked for his name . It seem that at the time Matulovic was the name in use in France



According to Gligoric and Sokolov in their 1967 book on the Sicilian, Matulovic introduced this gambit into "modern master play" in games played between 1953 and 1958. Matulovic was born in 1935.
  
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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #2 - 09/13/11 at 15:32:10
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Many thanks to Michel Barbaud

I 've this one (include in Senechaud's article)
[Event "Nice"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1951.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Morra, Pierre"]
[Black "Monkiewicz"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. c3 Nf6 5. e5 dxe5 6. Nxe5 Nbd7 7. Qa4 e6 8.
cxd4 Be7 9. Bb5 O-O 10. O-O Nb6 11. Qd1 a6 12. Bd3 Nbd5 13. a3 Qc7 14. Bd2 b5
15. Nc3 Bb7 16. Rc1 Qb6 17. Bg5 Rfd8 18. Nxd5 Rxd5 19. Be3 Rad8 20. Qe2 Bd6 21.
f4 Bb8 22. Bb1 R5d6 23. Rfd1 Ba7 24. Bf2 Nd5?  25. Bxh7+!  Kf8 26. Qh5 g6 27.
Qh6+ Ke7 28. Qg7 Rf8 29. Nxg6+ 1-0

Probably pierre Morra himself with the help of his revue 'L'Echiquier Niçois' have worked for his name . It seem that at the time Matulovic was the name in use in France

  

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MNb
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Re: History of the 'Morra' Gambit
Reply #1 - 09/13/11 at 14:25:04
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It would be nice if you could (re)produce some biographical data and a few games. Also I would like to know who decided to attach Morra's name to the gambit. I suspect it's Tartakower.

Edit: I see that there are three games by Morra in the Von Hennig-Schara thread.

Michel Barbaut wrote on 09/13/11 at 14:10:43:
Morra, P- Goupy
Echiquier Niçois, 1956
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. c3 dxc3 5. Nxc3 e6
(5... d6 6. Bc4 a6 7. Qe2 Nf6 8. O-O Bg4 9. Rd1 Qc8 10. Bf4 g6 11. Rac1 Bg7 12. Nd5 Morra-Musso, Nice 1956)
6. Bc4 d6 7. O-O a6 8. Qe2 Nf6 9. Rd1 Qc7 10. Bf4 b5 (10... Be7 11. Rac1 O-O 12. Bb3 Qb8 13. h3 e5 14. Bh2 Nd8 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Morra-Petite, Nice 1956) 11. Bxb5 axb5 12. Nxb5 Qa5 13. Bxd6 Bxd6 14. Nxd6+ Ke7 15. Rac1 Nb4 16. Nd4 Rd8 17. N4b5 Ba6 18. Rc7+ Kf8 19. Rxf7+ Kg8 20. Qc4 Bxb5 21. Qxe6 Rxd6 22. Rxd6 Qxa2 23. Rxg7+ Kxg7 24. Qe7+ Kg8 25. h3 Nc6 26.Qxf6 1-0


  

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History of the 'Morra' Gambit
09/13/11 at 08:38:15
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go on in the right section.

Dany Senechaud (with the help of René Bonnave archive and memory)have wroten a very interesting article in Europe-Echecs 562 (jannuary 2007).
he wrote :The Morra Gambit  like many others gambits went through several names: Fleissig,Matulovic, Smith-Morra.

In 1946 pierre Morra create 'L'échiquier Niçois'
In the 50's he quickly rename Matulovic's gambit wich create some contreversy.
Pierre Morra was not a great player but a very good analyst.
IM in correspondance chess

  

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La victoire est brillante mais l'échec est mat!  Coluche
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