In chess, the Smith–Morra Gambit (or simply Morra Gambit) is an opening gambit against the Sicilian Defence distinguished by the moves: White sacrifices a pawn to quickly and create attacking chances. In exchange for the gambit pawn, White has a piece developed after 4.Nxc3 and a pawn in the, while Black has an extra pawn and a central pawn majority. The plan for White is straightforward and consists of placing his bishop on c4 to attack the f7-square, and controlling both the c- and d- with rooks, taking advantage of rapid development, open lines, and Black's difficulty in finding a good square for the queen. The Smith–Morra is popular at the club level and played occasionally by masters.

History

The Smith–Morra is named after Pierre Morra (1900–1969) from France, and Ken Smith (1930–1999) of the Dallas Chess Club. In Europe the name Morra Gambit is preferred; other names for it, including Tartakower Gambit and Matulovic Gambit, have disappeared. Around 1950, Morra published a booklet and several articles about the Smith–Morra. Smith wrote a total of nine books and forty-nine articles about the gambit. At the San Antonio 1972 chess tournament, Smith played it against Donald Byrne, Larry Evans, and Henrique Mecking, but lost all three games. International Master Marc Esserman, author of the 2012 book Mayhem in the Morra!, is one of the leading advocates of the opening. In the Chessable Masters tournament in April 2023, Hikaru Nakamura played it in two rapid games against Fabiano Caruana, winning one and losing the other.

Continuations overview

Black has a wide choice of reasonable defences after 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3. White sometimes plays 2.Nf3 and 3.c3, which depending on Black's response may rule out certain lines. 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3 is the Sicilian Center Game, similar to the Center Game, 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3.

Themes for White

In return for the sacrificed pawn, White acquires a number of benefits that can be used to create active plans: To survive against a well-prepared White player, Black must first navigate the minefield of traps in the opening, then contend with White's long-term pressure and initiative. If Black manages to do this while holding on to the extra pawn, he/she will have good chances to win the ensuing endgame. This is not easy, however, and many Sicilian players opt to decline the gambit altogether.

Morra Gambit Accepted: 3...dxc3

4.Nxc3

Scheveningen Formation

Paulsen Formation

Kan Formation

Larsen Defense

Morphy Defense

Morphy Defense Deferred

Pin Defense

Sozin Formation

Taimanov Formation

Classical Formation

Fianchetto Formation

Chicago Defense

Finegold Defense

4.Bc4 or 4.Nf3

This line is similar to the Danish Gambit: 4...cxb2 5.Bxb2

Morra Gambit Declined