kylemeister wrote on 07/31/12 at 02:44:08:


Not too much ignore since there is a chapter in Flesch's Morra book , in the introducdtion he said " "The 6...a6 line is therefore an interesting highlight in the theory of the Morra gambit"  ... 

PatzerKing wrote on 07/30/12 at 20:47:08:


Excellent post, and I agree with your observations and conclusions 100%. I would just add that although 2...Nf6 offers objective equality for Black, to my mind the key positions are all easier to play for White. Moreover from a practical point of view, not all Sicilian players prefer the 2...Nf6 line against the Alapin, and against such players the Morra could be a useful move-order tool in one's armoury, provided of course one knows how to handle the gambit accepted as White. Indeed as a Sicilian player myself I must confess that despite its exalted theoretical reputation, the lines springing from 2...Nf6 as Black never quite appealed to me, since in most lines it's White who enjoyed the initiative albeit in balanced positions.

PatzerKing wrote on 07/30/12 at 20:47:08:


Not a stupid question at all, and it should have been covered somewhere in those two scheveningen chapters, but somehow it wasn't. The closest that Esserman comes to examining positions akin to the Eliskases-Variation is in the game Esserman vs Thomas Bartell pg 68, which went:

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cd 3. c3 dc 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 e6 7. 0-0 Be7 8. Qe2 Nf6 9.Rd1 e5 10.Be3 0-0 11.Rac1 Bd7!?, Curiously Esserman now comments: "An odd development for the bishop, which I had never seen before at this juncture, nor since."

However for Esserman to employ his favorite setup against the Eliskases proper he will have to lose a tempo on the Bartel game, which may or may not prove significant:

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cd 3. c3 dc 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 e6 7. 0-0 Be7 8. Qe2 a6! 9. Rd1 Bd7 and now What? If we follow Esserman's methodology I would expect the following to happen 10.Bf4 e5 (Winning the tempo I mentioned) 11.Be3 Nf6 12.Rac1 0-0 reaching more or less the same position as in the Bartel game except with the extra move 8...a6 thrown in for free, considering that Bartel plays a6 a few moves later in his game we begin to see the point of the Eliskases subtle move order.

Topster

Hi,

I would like to share my point of view about the book. Normally I play 2.c3 against the Sicilian defense, so the Morra-Gambit fits quite well in my opening repertoire. But I come back to this later.

I worked through the Introduction, Siberian Wilderness and The Scheveningens 1+2 chapters and the Morra Gambit declined chapter with 3...Nf6. So all further comments belong to these chapters.

Negative points:

• Wrong diagram on page 57

• With White I normally delay the move d2-d4 in the Alapin variation with 2…Nf6. I don´t consider the line that Esserman gives as critical for Black but the idea is quite original because it isn´t recommended or analyzed by other Alapin player deeply. So it could be a surprise for Black. But if you have one game in this variation in the database it is easy for Black to get an acceptable position.

Positive points:

• Even if you don´t play the Morra Gambit there are so many original sacrifices and typical ideas for White that can be used in other variations of the open Sicilian.

• The analysis is very good. I don´t have the feeling that he tries to hide something.

• I think that the book is very well written: Very entertaining, good balance between explanation and analysis. The ideas and methods become quite clear after reading each chapter.

I would give the book 4/5 stars.

But I also have a (stupid?) question: Some people complain that Esserman doesn´t mentioned the Eliskases-Variation. After reading the different threads that were referred to, isn´t it the Scheveningens chapter or is the big difference that Black delays Nf6? Would be great if the concreate move-order would be given.
Thanks!

Hi All

This book is superb. Esserman has written a Classic in my opinion. He challenges many strong players who hold the view that the Morra is un-playable and backs it up. The Morra might not be everybody's cup of tea but having looked at this book I am really enthused to give it a punt. Of course the downside is that I think most people will avoid it. Not surprising really!!

If Esserman is reading this. Can you please write some more books please!!

A fantastic effort and a real triumph. Well done mate!!

Akita

Benoniac wrote on 07/29/12 at 09:36:57:


You could find out in other threads here, for example:
http://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1266964341/16

Stigma wrote on 07/28/12 at 23:15:18:


Yes its a odd omission for sure, worse yet I know he's aware of the line, as I found two games on the ICC where he was White against this setup and lost both. However, it was blitz and it was against a computer so the results were no surprise.

Strange too that he humorously quotes IM Jeremy Silman at the beginning of one chapter, as follows: "Ive always considered the Morra as a bit of a joke... It's a perfectly reasobale choice for those playing with ratings of 1900 and below. But if we decide to give the Smith Morra Gambit an honest grade as to its true theoretical worth, we have to throw it on the garbage heap along with other 'toss it out and cross your fingers' systems." 

Ironically Silman is a chief proponent of the Eliskases System, and enthusiastically promotes it in his writings.

Perhaps Quality Chess could be persuaded to provide a pdf update on his website covering these inadvertent omissions.   

Mr. Aagaard are you reading this.

Toppy 

Had the book Mayhem in the Morra a few days now, and I'm quite impressed with the quality of analysis and witty writing style of the author.

I do have two minor quibbles though, the first being that the Eliskases defense has somehow been omitted from the book, and secondly, the line he gives against the Taylor Defence, i.e 8.Bf4!? does not consider the natural 8...e5 in reply, presumably this is met by 9.Ng5 but it has never been clear to me that this gives White an advantage.

Nevertheless Esserman has succeeded in convincing me that the Morra Gambit must be taken very seriously, and indeed I intend to add it to my White repertoire as an occasional weapon. 

Bye for now folks.

Tops