The rest of the series!     Part 1     Part 2     Part 3     Part 4     Part 5

                                      Part 6     Part 7

Part 6 - 1/22/03

Today's line is the black defence with ... d6 and ... Nf6. It must be said that there is a right way and a wrong way for black to play theses moves.  Critical for black in this line is the advance ... a7-a6 securing the vital square b5. In the game Albert Hoogendoorn - Michael Betts 2000 you can see what happens, if black does not play the important move a7-a6.

The right way is 4. ... Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 a6 with the intention 7. ... Nf6 and 8. ... Bg4.  If white ignores black's plan with a stereotype continuation 7. 0-0 Nf6 8. Qe2 Bg4, black is at least comfortable.  See for this line the game Martinovsky - De Fotis 1990.

Ok, enough introduction. Let's look at the first game:

Albert Hoogendoorn - Michael Betts 2000
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4 d6
As mentioned in the introduction, this is the wrong way!  7. e5 ... Now first a diagram of this position.

At this point black is already in a difficult position.  7. ... dxe5 will be followed by 8. Qxd8+ leaving black the choice : Kxd8 or Nxd8.

Matulovic - Vanzetti 1951 is an example of the Kxd8 line :  1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. e5 dxe5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Ng5 Kc7 10. Nxf7 Rg8 11. Nb5+ Kb8 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. Bf4 Nfd7 14. Bxg8 a6 15. Nd4 Ka7 16. O-O 1-0

And Carr - Sutton 1986 is an example of the Nxd8 line :  1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. e5 dxe5 8. Qxd8+ Nxd8 9. Nb5 Rb8 10. Nxe5 e6 11. Nc7+ Ke7 12. Be3 b6 13. Rd1 Bb7
14. Bg5 Bc6 15. Na6 (15. Rxd8 Kxd8 16. Nxe6+ fxe6 17. Nxc6+ Kc7 18. Nxb8 Kxb8 19. Bxe6 gives white a better endgame.) 15... Rc8 16. O-O (16. Rxd8 Kxd8 17. Nxf7+) 16... Be8 17. Rc1 Nc6 18. Be2 h6 19. Bd2 Bd7 20. Nxd7 Kxd7 21. Bb5 Ne4 22. Bxc6+ Rxc6 23. Nb8+ Kc7 24. Bf4+ 1-0

But black has more options after the move 7. e5:

a) 7. ... d5 (Now 8. exf6 dxc4 is better for black) Now Burgess suggests 8. Bb3 Nd7 9. Qxd5 e6 10. Qb5 but in my opinion black has better : 8. ... d4! 9. exf6 dxc3 10. Qxd8 Nxd8 11. fxe7 Bxe7 and the position is equal.
So, white must continue 7. ... d5 8. Bb5 Nd7 9. Qxd5 ...
b) 7. ... Nd7 8. exd6 exd6 9. Qe5 and now 9. ... Nde5 or 9. ... Qe7+
White can try 8. Bxf7+ Kxf7 9. e6+ Ke8 10. exd7+ with an unclear position.

In the game Albert Hoogendoorn - Michael Betts followed: 7. ... Ng4 8. e6 Bxe6 9. Bxe6 fxe6 10. Ng5 Nge5 Ngf6 might be considered. 11. f4 Nf7 12. Nxe6 Qd7 13. Qe2 Nfd8 14. f5 Nxe6 15. fxe6 Qc8 16. O-O
a nice open f-file!

16... Nd8 17. Be3 Qxe6 18. Nb5 Qd7 19. Bc5 if 19. ... dxc5 then 20. Rad1! Qc6 21. Nd6 19... Ne6 20. Bxa7 Nc7 21. Nxc7+ Qxc7 22. Rac1 a nice open c-file!

22... Qa5 23. Be3 Qd5 24. Rc7 e6 25. Qc2 Qb5 26. Rc8+ Rxc8 27. Qxc8+ Ke7 28. a4 if 28. ... Qxa4 then 29. Bg5# 28... Qxf1+ 29. Kxf1 Kf6 30. Qxb7 e5 31. a5 1-0

Now we'll look at a game where black defends correctly with the move a7-a6.  The example for this line is the game Moore - Silman 1991  1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 a6

As I already mentioned in the introduction, white must now avoid the stereotype continuation with Qe2 followed by Rfd1.

In the game Martinovsky - De Fotis 1990 white had a difficult game,
and black ended with two pawns extra, winning the game.

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Qe2 Bg4 9. Rd1 e6 10. h3 Bxf3 11. gxf3 Be7 12. f4 Qc7 13. Be3 O-O 14. Rac1 Rac8 15. f3 Qa5 16. Kh2 Qh5 17. Rg1 h6 18. Qg2 Ne8 19. Be2 d5 20. Na4 Rd8 21. Bb6 Qh4 22. Bxd8 Qxf4+ 23. Kh1 Bxd8 24. exd5 (24. Bxa6 is better) 24... exd5 25. Nc5 Bb6 26. Nd7 Bxg1 27. Rxg1 g6 28. Nxf8 Kxf8 29. Qg4 Qd2 30. Rg2 Qxb2 31. Bxa6 Qb1+ 32. Rg1 Qb6 33. Bf1 Nf6 34. Qa4 Qf2 35. Qf4? (35. Bg2!) 35... Kg7 36. Bd3 Nh5 37. Qg4 Ne5 38. Qxh5 Qxg1+ 39. Kxg1 gxh5 40. Be2 Ng6 41. Kf2 Kf6 42. Bb5 h4 43. Ke3 Ke5 44. Be8 d4+ 45. Kd3 Nf4+ 46. Kc4 Nxh3 47. a4 Nf4 48. Bd7 h3 49. Bxh3 Nxh3 50. a5 Nf4 51. Kb5 d3 0-1

Moore - Silman continued as follows: 7. O-O Nf6 8. Bg5 Now black's idea 8. ... Bg4 will be met by 9. Qf3!

Other moves for white are:
a) 8. b4 (with the idea Nxb4 9. e5 Nd7 10. exd6) Bg4 (or 8. ... b5) 9. b5 Bxf3 10. gxf3 Ne5 11. bxa6 Nxc4 12. axb7 (Regan-Tisdall 1977 1-0)
b) 8. a3 is a slow move that is met by 8. ... e6 with changes for both sides.
c) 8. Qe2 Bg4 9. Rd1 e6 might be better for black

8. ... e6 9. Qe2 h6 10. Be3 Ng4 11. Bf4  11. Bd2 or 11. a3 are other moves that have been tried, with different results.  11. Bf4 Nge5 12. Rfd1 Qf6 13. Nxe5 dxe5 14. Be3 Be7 15. Na4 O-O 16. Nb6 Rb8 17. Rac1 Qg6

The following move is an improvement over 18. Bd3 as played in the game Moore - R.Anderson 1989 0-1

18. Bxa6 Qxe4 19. Bd3 Qh4 20. Rc4 Qf6 21. Be4 Rd8 22. Rdc1 Bf8 23. Bxc6 bxc6 24. Nxc8 Rdxc8 25. Rxc6 Rxc6 26. Rxc6 e4 27. Rb6

27. ... Rxb6 28. Bxb6  Now white has a clearly better ending. Black can try to advance his kingside pawns, but white's free Queenside pawns are much stronger.  In the endgame followed:  28. ... e5 29. Qb5 Qd6 30. h3 f5 31. a4 f4 32. a5 Qd1+ 33. Kh2 e3 34. fxe3 f3 35. Qc4+ Kh8 36. Qc8 Qd6 37. gxf3 Qd2+ 38. Kg3 Qe1+ 39. Kg4 Qg1+ 40. Kf5 Qg5+ 41. Ke4 Qg6+ 42. Kxe5 Qd6+ 43. Ke4 Qg6+ 44. Kd4 Qf6+ 45. Kc4 Qxf3 46. Kb5 Qf1+ 47. Kc6 Qf3+ 48. Kc7 Kh7 49. Qd7 Qg3+ 50. Kb7 Qf3+ 51. Ka7 Qh5 52. e4 Qe2 53. Qf5+ Kg8 54. Bd4 Qd2 55. Qd5+ Kh7 56. a6 Qb4 57. e5 Qe7+ 58. Qb7 Qh4 59. Qd7 Qe4 60. Kb8 Qd3 61. a7 Bc5 62. a8=Q Bxd4 63. Qad5 Bxe5+ 64. Kb7 1-0

So far, this interesting line of the Smith Morra Gambit.

When you click here you will find all games of this article for viewing and downloading.  I have added an extra game here: Sleisz - Laszlo 1993
But I have prepared more materials to study on MyChessSite.  When you click here you will find a list of all games and articles about the Smith Morra Gambit.

Here you will find my download files.  One file for free (2150 games) and a big database of over 9600 games for only USD 5.95

Until next week. Then we'll discuss some different lines, like the Siberian trap.  I'm still working on an article about the Smith Morra Gambit Declined,
and the Finegold Defence, but that will take some more time.

Be happy, play chess!