Smith-Morra Gambit | The Sensei Speedrun | GM Naroditsky

[@t4lon114]

I'm not a consistent Twitch user, so I massively appreciate you making so much great content available on KZbin as well. Cheers!

[@k0vae]

got into chess recently, im pretty bad (like 380) but i love how you explain your thought process and allow me to try to implement them into my own game. it’s so rare to essentially get lessons from a top 1% player in a game for free, thanks !

[@felipeulloa6205]

Bro you’re not bad, you’re just beginning. Plus it’s important to remember to play for fun!

[@k0vae]

@@felipeulloa6205 of course! i’m looking forward to coming back to this comment in the future when i’m a lot better haha

[@alihasanaxe4936]

Dude there's no such thing as being "pretty bad" at 400. You're just a beginner who hasn't gotten the basics down yet, give it a couple months and you'll likely be pushing 1100-1200. Best of luck!

[@snes09]

Congratulations on your new obsession lol And agree Daniels courses are hugely helpful for us beginners. I'd also recommend GothamChess for his how to win at chess series and opening series. Both are exceptional educators.

[@IlluviumGaming]

@@k0vae Sorry for the unsolicited advice but at that rating I really recommend you spend time learning basic end games (checkmating with queen/king vs king, or rook/king vs king) to make sure you can convert winning endgames into actual wins. Between that, doing puzzles and tactics (take your time understanding solutions, understanding 5 puzzles a day is better than spamming 50 puzzles and making mistakes on the majority) and learning fundamentals (develop minor pieces first, play to control the center, castle and protect the king, develop your major pieces too, defend with lower value pieces, etc) and you'll be 1000 rating in no time at all.

[@SilverVayne]

It doesn't matter what time I wake up, there's a new Sensei Speedrun waiting

[@kruksog]

No. Wrong. I wake up all the time without a new speedrun video. Never tell Danya he's doing enough. We need MOAR.

[@ritenger87]

@@kruksog cool last name

[@mr.gubagub1899]

@@ritenger87 cool name

[@carterwilliams4716]

Thank you for uploading this series and all the past speed runs!! They help me as an intermediate player tremendously.

[@adrianok7329]

What's your rating as an intermediate? I am officially 1608 rated on ChessResults.

[@rgqwerty63]

Chess is a small world, really funny how Mark Esserman was in the chat while he analysed his game

[@nashh600]

It's marc

[@waveexistence5742]

@@nashh600 Oh, Hi Marc!

[@nashh600]

@@waveexistence5742 what

[@mono1813]

​@@nashh600hi marc. I like your playstyle.

[@yayuuuhhhH]

He wasn’t saying he is marc he was correcting the spelling lol

[@shakeslm6978]

Absolutely love this one, I felt like I could hear Ben Finegold in the background going "and I kept giving away all my pieces, but I kept winning"

[@mmmaaarrrkkk12321]

Daniel got me back into chess, he is so instructive and shows exciting lines

[@sbxftr]

Esserman being on the stream when Danya was showing his game is wholesome for some reason

[@JM_-ix7yh]

the Morra made me love chess again. So many videos online of people playing the London. The Morra is a fantastic attacking antidote.

[@ДенисИванов-э9у]

I mean, e4 is generally for attacks and tactics, London is out of d4 which is usually more solid and positional

[@scoutbane1651]

As a freshly 1500 Smith-Morra player this is right on time. Thank you Danya!

[@scheimong]

I learnt the Smith Morra from John Bartholomew's videos, and have played it with great success. At the very minimum you get a huge time advantage while the opponent wonders how to stop all the different threats.

[@vincentpanhuysen9771]

As a Morra lover, I applaud this upload. I hoped to see the mainline of the dragon morra, where white temporarily sacks a second pawn to deprive the black king of castling (e4 c5 d4 cxd4 c3 dxc3 Nxc3 Nc6 Nf3 g6 Bc4 Bg7 e5! Nxe5 Nxe5 Bxe5 Bxf7+! Kxf7 Qd5 e6 Qxe5). Like Danya said, it's such a helpful opening to reconsider your relation to material, you really learn to play with bite and initiative if you play the morra.

[@Kuribohdudalala]

The Morra might just be the coolest opening in chess

[@profitpulseEKG]

Perfect timing! I just took my nightly melatonin and this is the first video to pop up on my feed.

[@SilverVayne]

Sleep well

[@Aarron-io3pm]

Sweet prince

[@brysongarland4094]

best way to spend an evening as always

[@shampooner]

well said bryson

[@user-cs6zr4nw2z]

Agreed

[@hendrew6652]

damn this knight manouver to rebuild the discovered check of the king winning the queen was just brilliant

[@khaluu2000]

I cant do much, but as a patreon donating I encourage you keep doing what you do. A lot of this lesson is helping everyone at all levels improve and learn. And for that i’ll keep wanting to see more, thank you prophet lol

[@dakotatuttle6156]

Contents A+, thumbnails are abysmal though. Really holds back the channel and I love this guy

[@heronymousbot5883]

I’m so looking forward to the smith morra videos coming out!! I’ll even turn off my ad blcok for them.

[@KF1]

That would be a tactical error. No real master would approve of you disabling your adblock.

[@Leumaz.z]

@@KF1 :D

[@banzaiburger]

Looking forward to the Smith-Morra video. Great job as usual Danya.

[@wilhelmkohler5684]

Well, just go ahead and watch it

[@MyDarkMuffin]

@@wilhelmkohler5684 a video that he hasn't made yet? thnx cool

[@wilhelmkohler5684]

@@MyDarkMuffin There are no limits for a true Naroditsky fan

[@jayr3276]

Thank you for your speed runs! I was having a hard time getting back to 1400 during the last year until I found your videos. Your videos also help make my cardio days speed by at the gym.

[@samirrezgui3680]

Love the videos my man thanks for the daily uploads! I will say the cut editing in this one was kinda throwing me off. I think the normal videos with no cut editing run smoother! Just my own opinion tho lol thanks for all the content

[@donniekarns2082]

Came here to say the same thing. I know it's common to edit the pauses out of videos, but for these kinds of explanatory videos those pauses are actually very helpful to give us time to absorb, and also give us a break after a complex line of reasoning. I found the edits jarring and distracting.

[@nftease659]

edits were very distracting

[@scheimong]

Ben Finegold's lecture on the Smith Morra also featured this game Esserman v.s. Van Wely. It was one of his most enjoyable lectures IMO.

[@DarkSideChess]

"But I'm van Wely" :-D

[@shanastroskyphazer8172]

Great lesson GM Danya ! Thanks. Looking forward to next lesson on that opening. I sometimes play f4 after ...d3

[@Rebirth4312]

Thank you for uploading these amazing Chess videos! I love finding out that you have uploaded a new video.

[@bwgolem]

You are nasty man. Explanations so crisp and crushing. Love your channel.

[@Pitsenberg]

Thx Daniel your speedruns are amazing

[@harryarmstrong5728]

Opponent spends 17 seconds on the entire opening against a dangerous gambit and gets absolutely crushed. Seems about right.

[@tiagohello]

Great video! Thank you so much! ❤

[@Legacy_Inc.]

Almost 250.000 subscribers! What a milestone!

[@AugustFreestyle]

I work in the disarmament movement and needless to say the last few weeks have been pretty grim. Sometimes I feel like just giving it all up, but then I remember that Daniel Naroditsky is still making videos and that makes me happy and keeps me going. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this excellent content ❤️

[@SpliefDaGrief]

What is the disarmament movement?

[@AugustFreestyle]

@@SpliefDaGrief Pretty much the same as the peace movement

[@Vepporizer]

Absolutey favorite series on youtube. Always excited when a new video is out

[@Vanegas.3]

Great as usual, ty 🖤🤍

[@Gigloria14]

Thank you for all your videos! You're more than deserving of 1M subs!

[@DavidEmerling79]

I don't know if watching your videos helps or discourages me. Your thinking is on such a high level, I'm constantly thinking, "I would've *never* thought of that!"

[@dnykultur]

Thank you so much for all the amazing videos! Did you do a video on the smith-morra in the end? That would really be an interesting one, hoping for that in the future!

[@seven3197]

That knight maneuver was beautiful

[@rahuldonde1352]

Best thing to watch while eating breakfast

[@ZZuluZ]

Awesome video as always! More Smith-Morra videos would be amazing!

[@pauchalo]

Yayyyy! I just love the Morra!! I've been playing it since watching a video by IM Andrew Martin some 15 years ago. Later bought Essermanvs book of course. I'd love to watch your take on it!!

[@TheDannytaz]

After Danya makes his videos on the Smith-Morra, it will be played more which will lead to a big streamer doing a video on how to refute it and traps against it. Which means we'll probably see a lot more people playing the Siberian line in a few weeks/months. So if you're a Smith-Morra player make sure your Siberian line (easiest trap to learn) is OP and you'll be ahead of the curve. Same thing happened after Levy's video on how to beat the Sicilian with the Grand Prix attack. Saw a surge in that line and people keep taking on d5 early and giving up part of their center for nothing even tho Levy basically screams in the video to not do it lol

[@BillRatio]

This really makes me sad. I have Esserman's book and the Smith-Morra is my favorite opening. It's going to be played by so many people once Danya's videos come out.

[@kendreamer6376]

Great content Daniel you and John Bartholomew help improve my chess to mastery. That and all the chess books I've been studying lol. Keep up the good work. 👍

[@ALCATRAAAZZ]

Thank You Daniel for the video! I have been playing Smith-Morra OTB and at my level 1500-1800 ELO out of around 10 games my opponents have declined 2 of them. Unfortunately, the results in slow games for me are poor 0 w 2d 2L (2 of them declined). Thanks for the encouragement, I was thinking to switch to Alapin :D One more thing to add - even if you do everything by Marks book and get around +1 advantage being a pawn down in the late middle game it is hard to find how to crack the opponent. And if you make a mistake you are a pawn down in the endgame.

[@ortegafilms4575]

I always decline any kind of gambit, easiest way to stay out of trouble.

[@earthwormsim8068]

@@ortegafilms4575 Unfortunately not very fun, but very solid. Chess is always fun though

[@RaptureReady2025]

I’ve studied the morra and Marc esserman is a beast. Looking fwd to the morra video series!! 🤔

[@DarkSideChess]

When someone plays cxd4. Call it a day.

[@BroEdymaniax]

Such great content, remarkable SenseiDanya, keep it up!

[@MilkCarton35]

Danya makes chess so fun. this is an awesome video

[@ivancarli1800]

Yes please more video on the Morra!!

[@Zineddin_ghol]

Come on guys this guy deserve more than 5 million subs thank u so much sensi danil for that

[@fredwalter923]

Danyaaaa, I got tired of every single youtuber I watch, your speedrun videos are the only videos I enjoy and look forward too. Thanks Ive already seen this tho cuz I got impatient and watched your twitch Vods RiP

[@diarenee9012]

Good luck on your match with jospem! I have a suggestion, what if you make a series discussing various different traps in certain openings, how to avoid them etc, from both white and blacks perspective. Anyways great video!

[@BBNC420]

Danya so nice in real life but a brutal general on the battlefield.. forcing opponents king back onto a forkable square with the queen.

[@noahlevine7894]

I just had an idea for some video you could do. You should play games online like in the speed run but in the style of famous GMs. So one game you would play like Tal but another game you would play like Karpov.

[@albertk.nelson12]

Ok, so that answers one question I´ve had for "ages" - what openings go well together. A lot of people go "Oh, no, opening X is nothing like opening Y". So Smith-Morra gambit goes well together with the Sicilian Alapin - great! The Modern/Robartsch goes well together with the Pirc. My question - what opening/-s go well together with the Scotch and the English (for white/avoiding the Ruy Lopez and the G.P.)?

[@MrBonified66]

Can't wait for more Morra videos!

[@wecameasinkas]

Forcing the discover chess was crazy

[@SuperCakeFTW]

Excellent attack.

[@mouwersor]

I'm so looking forward towards the smith-morra video

[@zmo1ndone502]

Absolute tactical genius

[@jackcook3471]

Looking forward to more opening videos you keep hinting at

[@24yroldchessimprover84]

SF thinks f6 was the losing move as pointed out by Danya. After black played e6, it turns out that the best move is Bg5 instead of playing e5. This move along with Qd6 creates a bind on black's position where even when black does castle in the end, the dark squared bishop re-maneuvers to Be3 to Bb6 to restrict black's Q-side play. After analyzing this opening with an engine, I think I understand why people love it. This opening is practically the definition of being a pawn down yet having a very scary and equalizing initiative.

[@chex1007]

Looking forward for a Smith Morra video!

[@mauliksata3491]

Well a video in the morning feels good

[@alexwiththeglasses]

Ouch - this response to C5 looks nasty! I’m looking forward to GM Danya’s Smith-Morra video simply because he tends to explain the thinking behind the moves so clearly instead of just “this is refuted by xyz…” which doesn’t help a beginner like me with no interest in wrote memory at all. I’m just trying to wrap my head around the basic ideas & reasoning, and at this point GM Danya’s channel is the best one I know of for that.🙏

[@reddd-77]

Look into the channel "advice cabinet" if you wanna learn the morra.

[@waltersundberg4047]

Just be ready to play the Alapin if black doesn't want to take on c3.

[@Omsamara6]

Would love to see some Open Sicilian games, the other speedruns feature a lot of the alapin. The morra is always interesting though

[@singami465]

5:45 Isn't there Qa5 for black? Still terrible position, but you avoid discovery and attack the bishop.

[@Kokurorokuko]

double-check with Nxc8

[@danilthorstensson8902]

Honey wake up, there’s a new Danya speed run video up

[@evansteel6652]

@5:40 doesn’t black have pawn e4. Threatening the knight and rook

[@skurrskurr2032]

Damn the second pawn sac was really instructing

[@aslampervez2294]

Thanks sir

[@kinggambit4708]

Right on

[@muellernikolai8630]

5:39 isn't b3 a blunder? black has e4, attacking the knight and opening a discovery on the a1 rook. If Nd4 to defend both threats then that cuts off the queen's defence of the d6 knight and black is free to capture with the king. It looks dangerous but white has no discoveries with Nc6 check because the king guards that square.

[@JoolDK]

White can completely ignore both attacks on the Rook/Knight and continue with Ba3 like in the game. The discovery is too powerful and if black takes either of the pieces he just gets checkmated faster.

[@mikhailmikhailov8781]

You just ignore all those threats and go Ba3 anyway.

[@ryanduarte10]

In that line, if black king takes the knight, then Nf5+ (double check). If king goes to the c-file, then Qd6#. If Ke5, then Qd4+ Kxf5 g4+ Kxg4 Qxe4+. If Kh5, then Be2#. If Kh3, then Qg2+ Kh4 Qg3+ Kh5 Be2#.

[@dakotathomas2139]

Hey Danya great content as always thank you very much for your hard work. On your next Sensei video could you consider a gambit for black? Preferable not a queens gambit variation. Thanks again!

[@randomname5580]

I lost a blitz game against the 4. Bc4 line even though I’m typically good against gambits and I was wondering what black should do. I’m guessing that you should take the third pawn (witch I didn’t) instead of playing the move 4.Nc6 anyway?

[@randomname5580]

Probably a pointless question considering I didn’t lose the game in the opening and it was a blitz game lmao

[@RG001100]

Taking the pawn on b2 is probably what gambit players want you to do; it allows white to get the bishop on the long diagonal.

[@randomname5580]

@@RG001100 yeah I don’t know theory so I avoided it but it seems awfully similar to the danish gambit witch is pretty bad for white if black know what they’re doing. The real answer is probably either learn more theory or just go into that alapin line he showed

[@cassidycook9018]

Smith-Morra hype! :D

[@veselinvasilev3499]

Comment for the algo, tx for the video!

[@anaspirant3725]

Things i learned from this video: 1. Smith-morra is very deadly. 2. How to play against it. 3. Concept of chess holes. 4. some tricks. If i forgot something you can add.

[@sonicfirefreak]

3 move rule

[@anaspirant3725]

@@sonicfirefreak thanks for mentioning that.

[@anthonygross1963]

Daniel, after n-d5 can’t black play rb8 instead and then there’s no bb6 for white?

[@alexf0101]

thanks

[@michaelfarabella4459]

Mora is super fun. Could you do a blackmar-diemer gambit video?

[@ProMeerder]

I am 1500 and few months ago I gave up on morra because it felt too theoretical. Yet DN makes it look so easy just using some general rules. I am looking forward for those morra vids!

[@DarkSideChess]

I find that learning Morra theory actually pays off. When you learn theory in other openings, its just so you can get some equal "playable" position. In the Morra theory, one wrong move by the opponent and it gets you massive material advantage

[@SomeDumbTrucker]

Play it by ear? Or play it by year? Which did u say?

[@HelloImDavid1000]

I would love the video on the morra

[@dobro.don87]

Nice to see the morra played correctly. Below 1400 almost everyone takes the pawn with the queen and runs into knight development with tempo. I always look foreword to that as black. Now I’m gonna learn this as white and hopefully crush lol

[@ryans9094]

I literally had to analyse the Smith Mora yesterday as I got crushed by it (although that person was 500 points higher to be fair and I actually hadn't faced it before). In the game my opponent just had an overwhelming kingside attack which I always find difficult to deal with in the Sicilian so if there's an opening video that's something is like to see how black defends. The knight sack on e5 was a really interesting move I seen with the opening explorer that first made me go wtf, but after Qxe5 the queen and bishop battery forces black to give back the piece with it Nh6, Bxh6 and O-O and black is worse.

[@DarkSideChess]

Defend by declining ;-)

[@marcofrey2903]

I wouldn't decline unless you enjoy the resulting positions. As a Morra player myself, I can recommend the Taylor Defense for black. It requires Morra players to think outside of the box and many of them won't: they'll play the moves they're used to and you'll get a better position. Even with best play from White, the Taylor defense is very testing.

[@ryans9094]

@@marcofrey2903 Thanks for that reply, the Taylor defence looks interesting and I found a great blog post on it on Lichess so I'll definitely be looking more at it

[@itzcoatlesquivelnieves8134]

dude Danya is the best

[@denisdebenis]

I think if opponent found d5 instead of f6 game goes on but this way it's just losing no way to keep the position together. BTW a6 is an ok move but you have to be precise to make it work, I've analized some of the lines in smith morra because my friend ONLY plays it vs sicilian.

[@nguyenquangminh4814]

There's gon be HELL. To pay! Luv it

[@seasideman]

These are very instructive clips, but I've been wondering: do the opponents know they are playing a grandmaster? Or do they think they just got slaughtered by someone the same grade as themselves?

[@MarioMartinazzi]

After watched this video I played a game with the exact same line on lichess xD . Ended with queen trapped on d8

[@godisgod]

We shant rest on our laurels!

[@alexgabriel5877]

yay Morra, best by test

[@pontiffmaximus]

Danya is the GOAT.

[@pisinoearschess1414]

i think that 1500 is tired, i play like that sometimes if i ever get frustrated when I miss certain moves

[@AM-rb4ps]

Would be good for Danya to post a primer on playing against the smith morra bc it kills me every time

[@BimalDaslol]

Reached 1300 today. Thanks Narodi.😂

[@bellure4971]

nice

[@francopascual6958]

Why does Danya have a different background in every single video lol

[@swift8821]

Volume was fine. :)

[@ajaybenjamin3087]

"What would Tal do"; What would Naroditsky do

[@matesenelinsti]

I saw Ba3 idea before he explained it. Does it gives me a GM norm?

[@buzz4162]

Let’s go e4