Chess Forum
[ mod this thread ] << - < - > - >>
| From | Message |
| poulovas 5/22/2004 06:29:17 [ report this post ] |
 Subject: Smith-Morra Gambit...I need helpMessage: I don't use this gambit very often and the reason is that usually black manages to escape and hold his extra pawn.Then White begs for a draw.I am playing in a local tournament and I want to introduce this gambit to my repertoire for the first time.Please give me some tips.I'll appreciate it. PS:Sorry for my bad English! |
| kai_sim 5/23/2004 01:59:51 [ report this post ] | Message: mco-14 (our bible ;p) best regards and good luck kai |
| wadvana 5/23/2004 02:31:25 [ report this post ] | Message: Its been a long time I encountered the Smith Morra. I think that you will do better knowing general principles in the Moraa than to learn the nuts and bolts of theory. Always keep in mind that you have sacrificed a pawn and that you need to play dynamically and aggresively to get full compensation. Slow moves dont count. White gets a strong initiative, but it all depends on how you convert it, Black only needs a few developing moves to diffuse the attack, and as you said, White will start begging for a draw. In such an opening, you are almost forced to find the best move - otherwise your initiative runs out - If you can manage this then I would check out some White wins at www.chessgames.com Best of luck |
| eurookie 5/23/2004 06:39:32 [ report this post ] | some thoughts Message: after all experiences i've had and after all i've heard about the morra-smith gambit, i would not recommend it. also many expert players advise, not to play the morra because the sacrificed pawn will not be fully compensated. a much better gambit against the sicilian is the wing-gambit: 1 e4 c5 2 b4!? poulovas, you asked for tips about the morra. what exactly do you want to know? i guess you know what whites basic plan is, don't you? (things like O-O, Qe2, Rf-d8 etc etc) un saludo eurookie |
| wadvana 5/23/2004 06:55:47 [ report this post ] | eurookie Message: You say that experts say not to play the Smith Morra, yet GM BAlterman done a recent lecture on the opening. Check out the statistics. White wins 35.3% Draw 21.4% Black wins 43.3% These are based on master level and up games. That means that White does not do so badly. No one defends perfectly, and so The smith morra is playable and a good way to fight. Its good as a surprise weapon rather than a permanent weapon against The Sicilian. |
| eurookie 5/23/2004 08:25:26 [ report this post ] | wadvana Message: You say that white does not so badly - i thought white should win more games than black. am i wrong? what is your definition of good statistics (i'm asking because i'm not very familiar with reading chess statistics)? i don't see any advantages for white, when reading your statistics, sorry The advantages you are listing about the smith-morra are (in my opinion) even better when playing the wing gambit. i'd say the wing-gambit is an established gambit against the sicilian. it is surprising and it is much more difficult to defend... what variations are you actually talking about when saying "permanent weapon against the sicilian"? |
| kai_sim 5/23/2004 19:08:40 [ report this post ] | regarding statistics Message: i don't believe in them in OTB chess. i've won an entire blitz tournament by playing halloween gambit (if accepted) and Budapest or others with black (if accepted). under time pressure i don't think "White wins 35.3% Draw 21.4% Black wins 43.3%" matters, because first of all many players simply don't expect the sacrifice or don't know the lines. often when they found out, it's too late allready. i've seen so many players hold thier heads with big wide open eyes who couldn't believe how they came into that bad position with for example one knight behind. and second it looks pretty even to me (OTB related)... i've allways supported players who play unorthodox OTB. so, poulovas if you feel confident with it, go for it, but make sure you know your lines! best regards and good luck kai |
| eurookie 5/24/2004 03:45:15 [ report this post ] | Message: don't get me wrong there. i'm not telling anyone here what to play. and, of course - someone w a rtng 100 pts or more above mine will eventually win using the morra-smith against me. i, for myself just would not recommend it. i've won every game so far, when playing the black pieces against the morra-smith. when playing white, i didn't win any game (some draws and some losses). moreover, i don't think the morra-smith could be considered an unorthodox opening(?) regarding the statistics; kai_sim, you are certainly right about blitz games. but other OTB play, such as 1.5 hrs + .5 hr (or 2 hrs + 1 hr) will (especially when played on master level) provide serious statistics. don't you think so? un saludo eurookie |
| wadvana 5/24/2004 03:49:29 [ report this post ] | Message: Eurookie, It seems you get influenced by statistics. They dont count, We are not 2700 players. Those stats are from master+ level games and so when Black encounters the Smith Morra he/she is most likely prepared. The wing gambit is also playable. The point here is to get chances of winning, sure - White scores less than Black, but who cares when at the end of the day you are playing a fighting game of chess with good chances to score the point. A permanent weapon against the Sicilian would be the open sicilian or the closed sicilian; 2.Nf3 and 2.Nc3 respectively. |
| poulovas 6/01/2004 07:29:14 [ report this post ] | Message: Thank you my friends for your useful advises!Good luck with your games! |
Post a reply to this message: |
