Just no

I've been looking at the SMG lately from the black perspective. Black has many systems available, but I have not found one that yields more than equality for black. In other words, no refutation.

TopNotch wrote on 11/24/20 at 19:16:45:


I agree. A main line of the Taylor system is
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. h3 Bxf3!? 10. Qxf3 e6 11. Rfd1.
Black has excellent win/loss results. But white has equality in hand. The play seems a little dry. Still the first priority of the recipient of a gambit is to survive! This should achieve that result with some up-side potential.

A very main line is:
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cd4 3. c3 dc3 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 e6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Qe2 Be7 9. Rd1 e5. This often leads to a game with character. However objectively I don't think it is as good as the Taylor line given above. 

Less explored and more dangerous for both sides is 1e4 c5 2d4 cxd 3c3 dxc 4Nxc3 e6 5Nf3 a6 6Bc4 (6Bf4) b5 7Bb3 (7Bd3 white may later play a4) Bb7 and now the two moves covered by Palliser and Esserman are 80-0 and 8Qe2. Esserman favors 80-0. Both authors continue with 8...b4. If the game reaches this position, black has a alternatives on move 8 to consider that are not explored in the published literature that I have.

Thanks for the excellent explanations, TopNotch.
I suspected that the provoking 7.O-O b5 8.Bd3 Nge7 9.Bg5 h6 (or f6) 10.Be3 in some lines is a slight improvement. However 9.Be3 Ng6 10.a4 b4 11.Nd5 Rb8 12.a5 Nxa5 13.Re1 Bd6 14.e5! Nxe5 15.Nxe5 Bxe5 16.Qh5 d6 17.Bg5 shows that White wants the pawn on h7.

MartinC wrote on 12/15/20 at 10:35:51:


The 7. Bd3 idea is the one that makes the most human sense to me, and is the one that made me rethink my views on the Morra as being Dynamically equal. I did lots of analysis on the resulting positions which I don't intend to post, but suffice it to say White has interesting compensation everywhere, particularly in OTB play which is all I'm really interested in.

While I'm not in the mood to post long analysis, I will share with you the Blueprint, or formula if you will of White's play in these early b5 lines:

• Early b5's are best met with Bd3, after which ...Na5 ideas are no longer an issue

• It turns out that in these early b5 lines, his further development is surprisingly problematic as attempts to incorporate the natural d6 is often met by the shockingly strong Nxb5!! in one form or another, one of the perks of dropping the Bishop back to d3 and not b3

• So with d6 being difficult to execute successfully Black will probably employ the common Nge7 to g6 setup, but White meets this with Be3, intending to meet ...Ng6 with a4 followed by the typical sacrifice Nd5 and full compensation. This is why Bd3 is better than Be2, as we need the e-file unblocked to make our counterplay work in some lines.

• Even if black is aware of all these nuances, he then has to find some very unnatural moves in his attempt to prove an advantage and still White's initiative lingers and his position remains easier to play in practice. Usually when natural moves fail to solve opening problems, it is a red flag

• My findings and formula as far as I know remain unpublished in any repertoire books or specialised books on the Morra, so black will have to find his own way at the board. Good luck with that

So yeah, what can I say, the Morra lives and while it does not promise an advantage it does offer interesting compensation which I was unable to refute. 

Tauromachie wrote on 12/14/20 at 12:13:11:


Well, look at it this way. What's good about putting it on c4 to give black a useful extra development tempo and get it exchanged? 

6 Bc4 - in that specific position after black's a6/e6 - is about LC0's tenth choice! It even slightly prefers 6 Bc4 b5 7 Bd3 to 7 Bb3

Kyuken wrote on 12/14/20 at 16:45:58:

No need to disguise anything - 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 e6 5.Nf3 a6 6.Be2 Nc6 or d6 must be good for Black.
As for 5...a6 6.Bf4 Nc6 (or the other way round) there is 7.Bc4 b5 again.

I just checked 5...a6 6.Bc4 b5 7.Bb3 Nc6 (btw - 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 a6 7.O-O b5 8.Bb3 Na5 is another move order) 8.O-O Na5 9.Re1 Nxb3 10.Qxb3 Bb7 11.a4 b4 12.Bg5 and three corr games continued with f6 iso Be7 as given in the Esserman thread. Three games were drawn after 13.Bf4 Bc5 14.Rec1 and I understand nothing.

Is there some deeper idea behind 6.Be2? It just looks terribly wrong.

TopNotch wrote on 11/24/20 at 16:12:24:


I thought someone here had finally found a defense that gave Black some advantage.  Namely, 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 e6 5.Nf3 a6 6.Bc4 b5 7.Bb3 Nc6 8.0-0 Na5.  Here's one thread that discusses it starting at reply #130.   https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1340632131/all