Recently interest in the Smith-Morra gambit (defined by 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3) has surged due to practical examples featuring Alex Lenderman and Marc Esserman. In addition, Hikaru Nakamura has weighed in with some positive comments whereas veteran GMs such as Patrick Wolff are doubtful about its quality. I don’t think white has enough for the gambitted central pawn, but we should be concrete here.
We can only explore the truth by looking at the variations. By learning resources for both sides in the following illustrative games and variations and giving feedback, we can advance theory as a whole!
Let’s start with historical material for some context.
Bobby Fischer – Viktor Korchnoi Buenos Aires 1960 Round 14.
In this
late round, both players (although Bobby was only 17!) show fatigue.
1. e4
c5 2. Nf3 a6 The rare O’Kelly
variation.
3. d4
cxd4 4. c3 Theoretically not good is 4. Nxd4? Nf6
5. Nc3 e5! and this is fine for black, for
example 6. Nf5? d5! hence Fischer’s choice to
transpose to the Smith-Morra. In the early 60’s, there was very little
theory and it’s instructive to see how two strong players handled the position.
4… dxc3
5. Nxc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 d6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Bg5 e6 9. Qe2 Be7
Another example game: 9...
h6!? 10. Be3 (10. Bf4 is more active) 10… Ng4 11. Bf4 Nge5 12. Nxe5 dxe5 13. Be3 Be7 (13…Nd4! 14. Qg4 b5 is also fine
for black) 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. Rac1
O-O 16. Bb3 Qa5 17. Na4 Nd4
18. Bxd4 exd4 19. Rxd4 b5 20.
Nc5 Qb6 21. Qc2 a5 (white
has nothing after the developing 21…Bb7 or 21…Ra7) 22. a3
Ra7 23. Ba2 a4 24. e5? Last chance to equalize was 24. Rd3. 24…Rc7 25.
Bb1 g6 26. Rg4 Bxc5 and white resigned, 0-1
10. Rfd1 Qc7 11. Rac1 O-O 12. Bb3 h6 13. Bf4 e5 Here, black can play an interesting queen
shift to the kingside: 13... Rd8 14. h3 Qa5 15. Bd2 Qh5!? 16.
Bf4 b5! and if 17. Nxb5? Qxb5 18. Qxb5 axb5 19. Rxc6 Nxe4 black is better.
14. Be3 Qd8 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Bd7 Approximately equal.
17. Nd2 Nb4 Here, interesting is 17... Bg5!? setting a trap. If 18. Bxg5? (18. Nf3
is about equal; 18. Nc4 Nd4 19. Bxd4
exd4 20. Rc2 Bb5 21. Bxb7 Rb8
22. Bd5 Bf6 and this is equal) 18... Nd4! and with this nice zwischenzug now black is getting an edge. It’s often the case in the Smith-Morra that black can conveniently occupy d4 since white’s gambitted c-pawn takes away c2-c3; no more pawn! For example, 19. Qe3
Qxg5 20. Kh1 Bg4 21. Qxg5 hxg5 22.
f3 Be6 23. Bxb7 Rab8 24. Rc7 f6 25. a4 Rf7 26. Rxf7 Kxf7 27. Bxa6 Ra8 28. Bb5 Nxb5 29. axb5 Rb8 30. Kg1 Rxb5 31. Nf1 Ke7 32. Rd2 g4 33. Ne3 gxf3 34. gxf3 g6 and
black has a nice ending edge.
18. Bb3 If 18. Bxb7 Rb8 19. Bxa6 Nxa2 and it’s equal. Fischer is right not to take.
18... Bg5
19.
Bxg5 Qxg5 20. Nf3 Bg4? A serious mistake.
Correct is 20... Qf4! 21.
Rc7 Bb5 22. Qe3 Qxe3 23. fxe3 Nd3 24. Rxb7 Nc5 25. Rc7 Nxb3 26. axb3 Rac8 and it’s
level.
21. Rc7 Qd8? Another blunder. 21... Qg6 22. Rxb7 Nc6 is a plus for white but black can
fight on.
22. Rxb7?
Fischer very rarely missed these opportunities. The tactical blow 22. Rxf7! is strong. 22…Rxf7
23. Bxf7+ Kxf7 (23... Kh8! is relatively best: 24. h3
Bxf3 25. Qxf3 Nc6 and black is worse but not lost yet.
24. Qc4+ Be6 25. Qxb4 Qc7 26. Qxd6 Qxd6 27. Rxd6 Kf6 28. g3 and white will easily convert this.
22... Rb8! Now black is out of danger. A lucky escape. 23. Rxb8 Qxb8 24. h3 Bxf3
25. Qxf3 Nc6 26.
Qd3 Nd4
27. Bc4 a5 28. b3 Qb4 29. f4 Kh7 {Agreed drawn.}
½ - ½
After, for example, 30. Rf1
f6 and black is fine.
Jumping ahead
to the 1970’s, a classic encounter where Ken Smith was absolutely mutilated by
the foxy GM Larry Evans.
NM
Ken Smith - GM
Larry Evans,
Local entrant
and National Master Ken Smith arrived to many games at
1. e4
c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Bg5 e6 9. Qe2 h6 10. Bh4 g5 11. Bg3 Nh5! Hunting down the bishop gives black an
unopposed one on the beautiful g7-a1 diagonal.
Black is already very happy.
12. Rfd1 Nxg3 13. hxg3 g4
14. Ne1 Ne5 15. Bb3 h5 16. Nd3
Bg7 17. Nf4 h4! Very forceful. White is entirely on the defensive so his
gambit has totally backfired.
18. Qd2 (18. Qe3 h3 19. gxh3 gxh3
20. Qe2 is terrible for white)
18...
hxg3 19. fxg3 Qb6+ 20. Kf1 Bd7?! (Not that it matters, but Black already
misses a more direct and brilliant win 20... Nf3!! 21. gxf3
gxf3 22. Ba4+ Bd7 23. Bxd7+ Kxd7 24. Qxd6+ Qxd6 25. Rxd6+ Kxd6 26. Kf2 Rh2+ 27. Kxf3 Rxb2 28. Nd3 Rd2 29. e5+ Ke7 30. Ke3 Bh6+ 31. Nf4 Rad8
and black wins)
21. Rac1 Rd8 Once again a move apparently not on Evans’s
radar, 21... Nf3! 22. Qd3 Rh2 just wins.
22. Ke2 Nf3 Finally!
23. Qd3 Nd4+ 24. Kd2 Nxb3+ 25. axb3 Qf2+ (also easily winning is 25... Qxb3 26. Rc2 Rc8 27. Kc1 Bb5 28. Nxb5 Qxb2+ 29. Kd2 Rxc2+ 30. Qxc2 Qxb5)
26. Nce2 Bb5 27. Qe3 Qxe3+ 28. Kxe3 e5 29. Nd5 Bh6+ Caught in the crosshairs of the bishop
pair. What a total disaster for white.
30. Kf2 Bxc1 31. Rxc1 Bc6 32. Nec3 Kd7 33. Nf6+ Ke6
34. Nxg4 f5 35. exf5+ Kxf5 36. Ne3+ Ke6 37. g4 d5 38. Ne2 d4 39. Nc4 Rdg8 40.
Kg3 Rg5 0-1
This was one of the stem
games that cast a pall on the gambit.
Smith went on to suffer
another debacle with this gambit at the same tournament. In the next game, GM Mecking
plays simply and just reacts to Smith’s wild and unsound sacrifices. In other words, the grandmaster did nothing
but accept white’s gifts.
Ken
Smith – Henrique Mecking San Antonio 1972
1. e4 c5 2. d4
cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6
5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 a6 7.
O-O Nf6 8. a3?! Obviously slow.
8…e6?! The
text is passive. 8…b5 9. Ba2 e6 is fine for black. 8... Bg4
9. Qb3 e6 10. Qxb7 Na5 11.
Qb4 Nxc4 12. Qxc4 Bxf3 13.
gxf3 Be7 is more adventuresome; black is equal after e.g. 14. Qc6+ Nd7 15. Bf4 Qc8 16. Qxc8+ Rxc8 17. Rfd1 Ne5 18. Bxe5
dxe5
9. Qe2 h6 10. Rd1 e5 11. Nd5 White would have had better luck with 11. Be3 Be7 12. Nh4.
12…O-O is met by 13. Ng6! and white is happy.
11… Be7 12. Be3 (12. Nxe7 Qxe7 13. Qd3 Be6 14. Bxe6 Qxe6 15. Qxd6 Qxd6 16. Rxd6 Nxe4 is good
for black.
12... Nxd5 13. exd5?!
13. Bxd5 with a knight tour Nf3-d2-c4 is more logical with
counter-chances.
13…Nb8 14. Nxe5?? Simply crazy. White had to play 14. Rac1 and play on with
nebulous compensation.
14…dxe5 15. f4 exf4 16. d6 fxe3 17. Qxe3 Nc6! It’s not clear what
Smith overlooked but the gambiteer is down in
flames. The game mercifully concluded
quickly with
18. Bd5 O-O 19. Bxc6 Bg5 0-1
The
tournament book mocked Smith mercilessly.
In one game, a grandmaster played 1. e4 e6 and the GM annotator, I think
it was Bent Larsen, said “? – 1…c5 wins a pawn.” Thus the gambit fell into the shadows.