Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit

About this variation

White gives up a pawn with 2. d4 and 3. c3 for fast development and open lines. It is an aggressive gambit that is far more common below master level than in master games.

The Smith-Morra Gambit goes 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3. If Black accepts with 3...dxc3 4. Nxc3, White has given up a pawn for a lead in development and open lines on the c- and d-files. The usual follow-up is Nf3, Bc4, O-O, Qe2 and Rd1, with the rooks aimed at Black's backward d-pawn and the bishop aimed at f7.

White's attacking ideas are direct. Nd5 sacrifices or jumps into the hole on d5, e5 opens the long diagonal and the d-file, and the bishop on c4 combines with a knight on g5 against f7. Several traps catch unwary Black players: for example, an early ...Nf6 can run into e5, and careless development can let a knight land on d6 with check while Black's king is still on e8.

Black has several sound replies. Accepting and developing carefully with ...Nc6, ...d6, ...e6, ...Nf6 and ...Be7 usually holds the extra pawn or returns it at a good moment. Declining with 3...Nf6 or 3...d5 transposes to Alapin-style positions where White has no gambit compensation to play for. Most opening books consider White's compensation insufficient, but the defense is hard to play over the board and the gambit is dangerous for an unprepared opponent.

Players with White who like quick attacks and simple, repeatable plans enjoy the Smith-Morra. Black players should learn one safe set-up against it, since the traps are well known and catch many unprepared players.

When defending, it helps to remember that the extra pawn matters most in the endgame. Black's goal is not to win quickly but to finish development, castle and trade a few pieces, after which White's pressure usually fades. White's goal is the opposite: to keep pieces on the board and strike before Black's king is safe.

It is one of the main lines of the Sicilian Defense.