Smith-Morra Gambit ⎸Sicilian Defense Theory

[@noelangelo1]

I have a Mini Chess tournament in our school (Round Robin, winner gets plus points in Math) When I heard that one of the players was a good Smith-Morra Gambit player I frowned since I was just finished with your Ruy Lopez Theory and your Sicilian Introduction >That moment I got shook when you posted the Smith-Morra Gambit and Taimanov theory video. THANKS SO MUCH YOU EARNED A SUB

[@HangingPawns]

Haha:D It's great when things work out like that! Thanks for subscribing!

[@greenland8376]

hey how did the tournament work out?

[@burningMallowz]

how did it turned out?

[@12jswilson]

Stjepan says there are no players that play the Morra regularly. That's true of GMs, but IM Marc Esserman plays it frequently. He's a pretty strong IM with a couple of GM norms.

[@kidneys4014]

*_Timestamps for study_* (recap if you prefer to look at position quickly and read this if so pause the video and click the timestamps) 1:20 *d4* _Smith morra gambit_ 1:36 *c3* _Taking back with the queen is a waste of time. Black has to except, black can't really defend with e5, because black would have a weak pawn and then white would recapture. White is giving up a pawn for faster development_ 1:56 *dxc3* & *Nxc3* _black trades his only developed pawn and white is ahead in development_ 2:36 Black has 3 responses. *e6,d6* are both pawn type structures 2:47 Black does _e6_ whites response is _N-f3_ black does _N-c6_ 2:58 After the mainline if black chooses to do pawn to _d6_ then _B-c4_ and white is better developed 4:15 After _b-c4_ *Black has to start developing so* _b-e7_ wanting to castle as soon as possible White castles _0-0_ _N-f6_ then Q-f2 4:29 N-c6 has to be played 4:44 If black castles, then e5 is almost winning for white black has to play N-e8, any other move loses some material 4:54 than white plays Nxd6, B-xd6 White Now has a huge advantage 5:20 So after _R-d1_ black has to play e5 himself 5:24 6:40 R-c1 7:26 N-c6 7:27 0-0 get all of your pieces active and your king safe

[@trevbarlow9719]

My hero!

[@aaryanchokshi3862]

Wow. Looks like agad's positionerino has started giving his services to other chess channels as well

[@dakshmavi3428]

Thnx

[@justforlaughs7712]

noice

[@PsychedelicRealities]

Thank you for the videos friend, very good lessons and analyses !!! I 've already subscribed. Greetings from Cyprus. Simon.

[@HangingPawns]

Thanks for watching and subscribing! It's great to hear that you like the lessons. Any input, feedback or suggestions appreciated!

[@GermanAssum]

Thank you, dude. Nice channel you got here. Keep it up with the good work!

[@HangingPawns]

No problem! I'm happy to hear you like the channel.

[@mikaelballack1821]

Stejpan bravo! I am learning e4 as white and sicilian as black as a second option and you help me very much!

[@hiddenint]

An important move to note on move 11 for white is the option Nd5! The computer line goes exd5 exd5 Nce5 d6 and apparently white has compensation for the piece. With black some players play Rb8, and white is better. It is a dangerous sideline to remember.

[@AaronBrand]

Hanging Pawns! The first place I go to learn something new about chess. Thanks for sharing your insights!

[@girurerumu]

Around 17 minutes you say you haven't found a player who plays this opening a lot, but I came here because of Eric Hansen's road to 3000 speedrun. Maybe it's not useful for higher rated players, but it's certainly useful for players at least until 2000. Thank you for another great video!

[@vlobster7660]

Really good explanation in a calm thorough manner.

[@HangingPawns]

Thanks a lot:)

[@iaraculonna]

how could I live for so many years without knowing your channel?

[@blackbeardchess3049]

Thanks for the video! Very helpful explanations.

[@Parabletrader]

Well done my Friend

[@HangingPawns]

Thanks mate!

[@richardsleep2045]

Thanks Stjepan, this is my go-to channel for chess openings. Really useful explanations for practical games. I'm going to try this as I hate facing the Sicilian - this might throw someone :)

[@xcvxcvcxvxvcq]

Wonderful explanation, I’m a new player learning Sicilian defense, very happy to find your channel!

[@HangingPawns]

Thanks Jake:)

[@verdumusic]

Hi Stjepan! Thanks a lot for your videos. You're doing an amazing job!! I was wondering: doesn't black have the option of transposing to the Alapin Defense after 3. c3 - Nf6? Or is after Nf6 4. cxd4 a sound line? Thank you!!!

[@fikrinikon4481]

nice to see you back w/ Sicilian theory. :D

[@HangingPawns]

I'm glad you think so:) Finally managed to find somt time to get around it. I was awfully busy lately.

[@indef2def]

I'm a 1700 Sicilian player, and I find most opponents willing to try Smith-Morra get quite confused by my declining and advancing the pawn.to d3. After either the bishop or queen capture, I feel like I've just equalized white's starting advantage (even though it doesn't feel like a Sicilian game anymore!)

[@hiddenint]

That is an interesting move, and the computer response c4 is very hard to find. Nice idea. It gives back the opening advantage to white but white is probably out of theory and has to play accurately.

[@psymon3823]

Great information, i cant wait to try this out more. have you played the Smith-Morra in a tournament yet and if so how was your success with it?

[@HangingPawns]

I haven't yet. I prefer f3 setups and Nc3 Grand Prix lines. I play it in blitz often though. I will prepare it for a tournament game soon though:)

[@neonjoe529]

Psymon - It’s a difficult book to find - do you know where to purchase?

[@JannesDragon]

Mayhem In The Morra, enjoy@@neonjoe529

[@fabian13333]

Thank you

[@adityajambhalikar]

Hi there, I have been watching your opening tutorials for 2 weeks... It's really good as there not toooo much theory and it's apt and to the point. However I have questions, idk whether you have made video on that or not, when your are a beginner and playing some opening and opponent suddenly stops playing standard moves in middle like on 6th or 7th move, how to proceed in such cases? In brief how to continue game when it's not started as per book moves

[@jaydub2971]

Back studying this because of transposition from the Old Benoni

[@johnp845]

GM Stephan, At the 9:00 mark, isn't Bc4 a waste of time? Why not Bd3, that way it is at least feasible to attack the h7 square? Thank you for all you have done for the chess community!

[@Ivan-Shved]

I love this channel, I use your videos for my home preparation. It's you who are to guide me on my road to 1800! Frankly, IMHO it's one of the worst videos on this channel. The transpositions to Panov attack, Alapin etc aren't covered, along with the best counterplay by black in SMG. I'd suppose to make the 2nd part of the video due to insufficient informativeness for black. Anyway, I enjoyed. Thank you!

[@stefanobaghino]

9:00 I don't think black "has" to play a6; in that situation I would also consider Bb4, developing a piece while pinning the knight. If white starts pushing pawns to harass the bishop it can retreat to c2, guarding the d3 square against a knight intrusion. If white castles, black can develop and fight for initiative. At that point the issues are developing the king side and finding a way to get the light-squared bishop in the game, but overall I don't dislike the position using this approach.

[@cobeferraro3464]

Good general overview. Nd5! Is the move there, not Nd4. Nd5 threatens to win the queen with Bb6! Also, if white plays ne5 we take take and blast open with f4. Also, Bb3 is the only move. Be2 is wrong. We will force the diagonal open manually, and the bishop stands most active cutting the king off and all of that on b3. Good overview though!

[@whynotsquat8315]

At 15:20 what if instead of Knight to e7 black pins our c3 knight with Bishop to b4? This happens in my games

[@viktormoskov1167]

I actually think the Morphy Gambit in the Smith Morra Gambit is a good opening. 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3.Nf3

[@tanmaydas4485]

Kindly explore the pirc defense

[@HangingPawns]

I will be covering the Pirc. Have a list to go through however so it's going to take a while:) I 'm gonna do 3-5 videos on the Pirc:)

[@tanmaydas4485]

Hanging Pawns thanks a lot, was planning to play the pirc in my next tournament.

[@HangingPawns]

I would suggest Yasser Seirawan's games to start with. He is probably the strongest player ever to have employed the Pirc consistently. You can find them on chessgames . com

[@aesaehttr]

3:06 man emerges from Stjepans shoulder

[@smashu2]

f6 is a bad move I think as well as well a Nge7 is a bad move too I think b5 is better than Nge7 than white can chose Bd3 Be2 or Bb3 than for black Bb7 or Nge7 hard position to analyse even for SF developer and lc0

[@ДушкоАџиески]

On 14:30 what if black plays pown on b4 chasing the white knight and win white e4 pown???

[@sureshpala8204]

You have not shown the white night sacrifice on d5.. Which is one of the famous lines in smith morra...

[@josiahroyer1062]

I really want to understand that knight sacrifice better. Danny Rensch showed a game by Esserman with that sacrifice and I'd like to better understand when/why it works.

[@frostyphoenix2864]

Hey uhh I reviewed this with my computer and this only works if black goes for center control they can go for trades and make it completely equal

[@smashu2]

Instead od a6 there is another way to play for black with Bb4 very interesting.

[@Dybbouk]

Where should Black Queen go??

[@MartinMathers1]

What about a bishop sacrifice at 12:03 , Bxb5 axb5 Nxb5 with the threat of Nd6# I understand that if black plays it right, its probably not worth it, but how much of a risk am I actually taking?

[@paulfletcher7502]

Ng6!! Blacks a piece up for a pawn

[@Vladislav-Listev]

9:00 6.Bc4 Bb4 and black is better IMO

[@NamgyelRangdolPala]

What if the d pawn does not take c3?

[@jueeshinde2409]

S it is always changing while I write

[@Dybbouk]

I always lose against this. Where does Black put his Queen??

[@ryaghnaramansanthosh3140]

Hi, I am a new subscriber. I want to improve my calculations can you pls make a series for that?

[@HangingPawns]

I am going to be doing a series on pattern recognition, calculation basics and improvement, and on positional play. I plan to start after I've finished with the opening theory. Coming soon:)

[@ryaghnaramansanthosh3140]

@@HangingPawns thanks a lot🙏

[@somebodys7404]

I have been looking at 3. ... d5. Looking like a reasonable way to decline the gambit

[@12jswilson]

After e5, do you take on c3? If you don't, you basically transpose into an advanced French with both c pawns already traded off

[@somebodys7404]

@@12jswilson wouldn't it be more like a Panov, since Bf5 might be a thing?

[@pher8902]

I like this cuz I feel like I’m just saying screw your scisillion or

[@ravirawat6856]

Waiting for taimanov

[@HangingPawns]

Coming up in the next video

[@ritikrai4607]

How to play S-M gambit against any Dragon Sicilian?

[@Schnebbler]

You need to sacrifice another pawn, but at the end white is better (SF +0.9, practically arguably more because of king safety) 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 g6 6.Bc4 Bg7 7.e5! Nxe5 8.Nxe5 Bxe5 9.Bxf7+ Kxf7 10.Qd5+ Kg7 11.Qxe5+ Nf6

[@faizalkhan3042]

As Black, for beating the Smith-Morra Gambit in Sicilian Defense: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYuwiI2mjM91jsU

[@barryphillips5201]

Why no move list or ref?

[@HangingPawns]

I usually put the main branches in the description. For some reason I don't do it for less complicated variations which don't branch out as much. I'm gonna do it for all openings from now on. Thanks for the input!

[@archinsoni1254]

I always hate it when my opponent plays Smith morra as i am a complete Sicilian player with black

[@Sough]

Skimmed the vid but didn't see the Taylor defense, one of blacks most serious tries

[@excalibur5434]

Get the book Mayhem in the Morra

[@jackismname]

Excalibur is the book apt for a 1900 rapid player on lichess? ( around 1500-1600 fife)

[@benjamingerolst6051]

@@jackismname Absolutely! It's very clear.

[@andreydidenko8352]

so much for "Defense "

[@ivanshestakov6655]

Степан хиар

[@jueeshinde2409]

Booooooooo