IM Marc Esserman's brilliant Mayhem in the Morra (Quality Chess 2012) arrived in the mail this weekend and has not been out of my hands very much since. Not only is it chock full of interesting ideas and original games in the Smith-Morra Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3), but it is also a fun book to read! In fact, I find it hard to remember the last opening book that was as entertaining to read as Mayhem in the Morra, which has an inspired and amusing style -- overflowing with personal anecdotes, quotes from James Bond and Austin Powers films, and incitements to romantic violence at the chessboard. Esserman's Harvard education shows in the quality of his prose -- quite rare for a chess writer these days -- and combined with the spectacular games, it's like a one-two punch that leaves your head spinning and your brain giggling from shock and awe. As its subtitle indicates ("Sicilian Refuted! Morphy and the Romantics Run Wild!"), the book is essentially an argument for a romantic revival, using the Morra Gambit to demonstrate just how far you can carry the initiative from a gambit if you are brave enough to go "all in." I did not need much convincing, as a life-long explorer of the Urusov Gambit, and I am sure I am not the only amateur who loves to find a fellow-traveller in gambit-land, especially a strong player willing to share his unpublished games and private analysis. But even a gambit doubter will likely end up agreeing with Esserman's assessment that "White is fighting for the advantage in the Morra Gambit." I have posted some notes on games and lines from the book that should help you to decide for yourself whether or not that is so.
Ultimately, Mayhem in the Morra is a personal "labor of love" and a must-have for anyone who plays the Smith-Morra from either side. Though the analysis often runs deep, the presentation is very straight-forward. Table of Contents
Foreword by Larry Christiansen 4 Foreword by Loek van Wely 5 Key to Symbols used 6 Preface by the Author 7 Introduction – The Much Maligned Morra 11 Morra Methodology 29 Morra Accepted Chapter 1 - Siberian Wilderness 31 Chapter 2 - The Scheveningens I 57 Chapter 3 - The Scheveningens II 77 Chapter 4 - Into the Deep 97 Chapter 5 - The King in the Windy City – the Chicago Defense 121 Chapter 6 - Slaying the Dragon 139 Chapter 7 - The Professional’s Choice – Nge7 155 Chapter 8 - Early Bishop Out – Nge7 Reloaded? 183 Chapter 9 - Taylor’s Temple of Doom 203 Chapter 10 - Finegold’s Final Frontier 233 Chapter 11 - Searching the Stars for a Refutation 245 Morra Declined Chapter 12 - Potpourri 253 Chapter 13 - Crushing 3...d3 with the Morra-Maroczy: squeeze, squeeze, destroy! 271 Chapter 14 - The Noxious 3...Nf6 283 Appendix – Supplemental Games 313
Endnotes 345
Works Cited 348
Game Index 350
Variation Index 353
Transpositions 359 Having heard Esserman lecture on the Morra, I knew a lot of what to expect from his book. But there were still surprises, and I was glad to have all of his analysis laid out for me in detail. The "Siberian Wilderness" of Chapter 1 shows "the trapper trapped" after 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Qc7 7. O-O Nf6 when, instead of walking into trouble with 8.Qe2? Ng4! 9.h3?? Nd4! and Black wins, White turns the tables with 8.Nb5! Qb8 9.e5! with a blistering initiative as illustrated by several games, including Milman - Ehlvest, NY Masters 2003. "The Scheveningens" I and II of Chapters 2 and 3 feature a d6 and e6 set-up for Black, as illustrated in the games Esserman - Bartell, USCL 2009 and Hague - Plaskett, BCF-ch 2004. Chapter 2 includes the Classical Main Line, which Esserman treats with 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.O-O Be7 8.Qe2 Nf6 9.Rd1 e5 10.Be3 and 11.Rac1, emphasizing development above all and concluding with at least a strong bind for the pawn. Chapter 4 goes "Into the Deep" with the line 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 e6 5.Nf3 a6 6.Bc4 b5 7.Bb3 Bb7 8.O-O b4 when White sacs with 9.Nd5! as shown in Esserman - Sarkar, Miami 2008 and another game analyzed in my notes. "The King in the Windy City" practically refutes the Chicago Defense and features the game Esserman - Martirosov, Harvard 2008, which is analyzed in my notes. Though the lines are complicated, they all ultimately favor White. "The Professional's Choice - Nge7" is handled well with the games Esserman - Shabalov, Foxwoods 2008; Esserman - Lian, USCL 2008; and Esserman - Van Wely, Orlando 2011 (among several others). Meanwhile, in "Early Bishop Out - Nge7 Reloaded?" in Chapter 8, Esserman has to do some original analysis (discussed in my notes) to show that White holds the balance in the highly dynamic positions that follow 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Bb4 7. O-O Nge7 (see diagram).
This may well be the critical position in all of the Smith-Morra. GM Estafios Grivas, who recommends this line in NIC #88, thinks White can equalize with 8.Qe2; Esserman, however, chooses to explore instead the novel 8.Qc2!? which keeps more tension in the position and makes possible some interesting pressure along the b1-h7 diagonal. I am not sure that White does more than equalize here also, but Esserman's analysis suggests that the position contains some interesting long-term resources for the first player. "Taylor's Temple of Doom" in Chapter 9 explores some interesting White alternatives, including 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 7.O-O Nf6 8.b4, with which Esserman beat me in a simul at our club (which, to my embarrassment, is among the games he annotates). In the end, however, Esserman focuses on FM Ben Hague's 8.Bf4, which was recommended in the latest edition of Hannes Langrock's The Modern Morra Gambit and analyzed at length by Karsten Müller in Tim Harding's article "Has the Morra Gambit Been Revived?" Esserman finds some additional resources here that make 8.Bf4 a very sharp weapon indeed, and you will start to wonder whether maybe Bf4 is as useful a move in most lines as Bc4. "Finegold's Final Frontier" in Chapter 10 begins with the game Esserman - Finegold, ICC 2006, which I analyzed in "Smashing the Finegold Defense." Esserman explores some alternatives to his Nd5 sacrifice, all of which look quite attractive for White and help to put the Finegold into question. Finally, I am very impressed that Esserman also offers up his repertoire against the Smith-Morra Gambit Declined, which includes several original ideas worth exploring. Quite a bonus, especially considering that very few books on the Morra cover the declined lines at all. Mayhem in the Morra includes lots of new analysis, but what makes the book most interesting are Esserman's own games, many of which had remained unpublished or unknown, especially his numerous ICC blitz games using various handles (from Borba to wHySoSeRiOoOus). The two diagrams below show interesting positions from two of his games, and you can find the "solutions" in my Notes on Marc Esserman's Mayhem in the Morra.
Esserman - Martirosov, Harvard 2008
White to play and win.
wHySoSeRiOoOus (Esserman) - Reti, ICC 2010
White to play and win.
Though you will sometimes see the Smith-Morra cropping up in blitz games between strong players -- as in the recent game Muzychuk - Gaprindashvili, Women's World Rapid Championship, Batumi, Georgia 2012 (which I annotate) -- there are not many players as strong as Esserman willing to use it against titled opponents. The book reads practically like a who's-who of "Morra miniature" victims, and even the games where Esserman blunders painfully in winning positions are exciting to explore.
Muzychuk - Gaprindashvili, Batumi 2012
White to play and win.
I have finally annotated the seven available games from IM Marc Esserman's 8-board Smith-Morra Gambit Thematic Simultaneous Exhibition at the Kenilworth Chess Club, which followed his lecture about the opening on April 15, 2010. I was inspired to finally put these games together by some recent developments in the Smith-Morra since I wrote Smashing the Finegold Defense to the Smith-Morra, The Smith-Morra Gambit's Siren Call, and my Smith-Morra Gambit Bibliography. These developments include IM Esserman's celebrated victory over a world-class GM with the opening at the 2011 U.S. Open; IM Lawrence Trent's useful ChessBase DVD on The Smith-Morra Gambit (2010); and the highly anticipated release of the Second Edition of IM Hannes Langrock's The Modern Morra Gambit (Russell Enterprises, December 28, 2011). I conclude with some newer Smith-Morra videos you can find on YouTube.
Esserman's simul at the club was an impressive rout, with the dynamic IM going 8-0 against mostly 1800+ opposition, and doing it in under 90 minutes (with most games over in about an hour). Soon after the simul, John Moldovan (The Chess Coroner) posted notes to his game along with some extensive notes on the opening in his article Smith-Morra Gambit (which includes a zipped pgn). As Moldovan points out, most players prefer to "ruin White's party" by declining the gambit, typically with 3...Nf6 -- which also serves against the standard Alapin with 2.c3. I also see 3...d3 quite frequently in online play. Most players are not prepared to accept the gambit, and many who do accept don't know what they are getting into. Based on my review of Esserman's games, this seems to be as true among GMs and IMs as it is among amateurs. A case in point is Esserman's victory with the Smith-Morra over GM Loek van Wely, where the Dutch GM hardly seemed confident of his theory. This game has been widely recognized in the chess press and in video commentaries:
US Chess News Blog includes some comments by Esserman, and other great games.
As usual among those on the losing side of the Smith-Morra, GM van Wely didn't know what hit him and went down hard in 26 moves. You can find several similarly speedy Smith-Morra victories by Esserman over strong opposition annotated online:
If stories of Esserman's "retirement" from chess are true, let's hope they last about as long as the retirement of GM and recent World-Cup challenger Sam Shankland. Whether or not he decides to leave the game, however, we hope that he will first leave us with a book or video on the Smith-Morra, which his games have done so much to help revive. Anything he writes on the line would be very well received and a great contribution to theory. While we wait for Esserman to make a formal addition to Smith-Morra theory, however, there are two recent additions worth mentioning.
IM Lawrence Trent's DVD The Smith-Morra Gambit (available from ChessBase, USCF Sales, Chess Central, ChessCafe, and most other chess sellers) has been justly praised by reviewers, including Louis Lima and Marsh Towers. I have enjoyed this DVD tremendously, especially the videos, which are very nicely presented and easy to absorb in one sitting. Previously I have enjoyed watching Andrew Martin's Foxy Video on the Smith-Morra, though some of its suggestions -- including h4 against the Fianchetto Defense -- seem a bit dodgy, and the long video format can get a little tiring. I find short videos watched on a computer much nicer to deal with, as I can move easily around among the video content and control the order in which I watch it. I often watch videos while exercising or relaxing at the end of the day, when I might not be up for setting up a board or sitting through a long presentation. Besides the format, I also like Trent's recommendations, especially his interesting suggestion of 7.O-O Nf6 8.b4!? against the Taylor Defense, which is exactly what Esserman surprised me with in his simul. His coverage of the declined line with 3...d3 (which I see surprisingly often in online blitz play) is a tour de force and has helped me a lot in completely dominating players who wimp out in that way. I also like his interesting suggestion against 3...g6 (seen with increasing frequency), which he suggests meeting in gambit fashion with 4.cxd4 d5 5.Nc3 dxe4 6.Bc4!? His other suggestions (including Be3 and b4 against the Classical Main Line) often match those of Hannes Langrock's 2006 edition, but he adds some games, insights, or analyses of his own that make important additions to my understanding. I was disappointed, though, not to find good coverage of a couple important lines, especially the e6, a6, and b5 set-up discussed by IM Richard Palliser in Fighting the Anti-Sicilians (2007) and the increasingly important Nc6, e6, and Bb4 line recommended by GM Efstratios Grivas in NIC Yearbook #88 (2008) and used recently with success for Black in Stopa - Kosteniuk, St. Louis 2011 -- though White failed to use Grivas's and Langrock's recommended 8.Qe2! I am a strong believer in collecting everything I can find on the openings I study, precisely because most works these days offer only a narrow "repertoire," so you can only achieve general coverage if you buy them all. I think the last books to offer general coverage of the Smith-Morra were Graham Burgess's Winning with the Smith-Morra Gambit (1994) and József Pálkövi's Morra Gambit (2000), both of which discuss multiple alternatives for White and Black. This is why those two books are so prized by collectors today. No one wants a narrow repertoire, not only because "you can't trust anyone more than yourself" to choose opening moves, but also because I don't want to follow a single repertoire in my play. I like to have alternatives, even if they are just options I'd like to keep around to surprise particular opponents. Like most recent work on the Smith-Morra, IM Trent's DVD offers only a single repertoire, but it is full of new or less mainstream ideas that add to my knowledge and help to expand my own repertoire of choices. For this reason alone, I am glad to have it and definitely recommend it.
Though it also offers a repertoire, this second edition of IM Hannes Langrock's ground breaking The Modern Morra Gambit is not so narrow as many repertoire books and its main recommendations are very well considered. Admittedly, it does not offer the general coverage of some earlier works, but with analysis often delving deeply into critical lines (especially those Nd5 Knight sacs) there just is not room to do so. Where the author feels strongly that there are only a few sound options, he confines his analysis to these, only spending a page or so to show "how NOT to play" a particular line. The new edition was released December 28, 2011, and one wonders why they did not delay it just a few more days to get a "2012" publication date, especially since they had already missed the Christmas buying season. It is currently available from various sources, including USCF Sales, Barnes & Noble, and Books-a-Million. I assume it will eventually be more widely available if you are willing to wait. To get the overview, you can read the table of contents and an excerpt at the Russell Enterprises website. Langrock has made use of recent games and sources, including IM Palliser's Fighting the Anti-Sicilians and IM Trent's Smith-Morra Gambit DVD. He also emphasizes that what sets this edition apart from the earlier work is his use of the most recent chess software, which helped him to delve more deeply into certain sacrificial lines. The material is divided as follows:
While Langrock has generally added newer games and deepened the analysis in some places (most notably in chapters 5 and 9), the biggest differences from the earlier edition occur in chapters 4, 10, and 11. Against the Classical Main Line with 9...e5, Langrock used to advocate 11.b4 but now prefers Esserman's favorite move 11.Rac1 (development above all!) meeting 11...Be6 with 12.b4. The chapters on the Tartakower and Taylor systems are new, as these lines used to be considered under "Sidelines." The Tartakower System received some positive support from Palliser's book, so it is worth considering at length, especially since the Knight sac with 4...e6 5.Nf3 a6 6.Bc4 b5 7.Bb3 Bb7 8.O-O b4?! 9.Nd5! (as featured in Esserman - Sarkar) requires careful treatment, and the main line gets quite complicated after 8.O-O d6 9.Qe2 Nd7 10.Rd1 Ngf6 11.Bf4 Qb8 12.e5! (probably better than my 12. Rd2 Ngf6 13. Rad1 b4 14. Rxd6!! mentioned in Youthful Smith-Morras). The biggest change in the new edition comes against the Taylor System, where Langrock has rejected the standard 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 7.Bg5 in favor of the lesser known 7.O-O Nf6 8.Bf4, which Palliser described as "quite sharp." This line was analyzed at length by Karsten Müller in Has the Morra Gambit Been Revived? -- framed by Tim Harding's extended discussion of the first edition of Langrock's book--and has been played by English FM Ben Hague (though Langrock improves upon Hague - Wells, Sunningdale 2006, by substituting 9.h3! for Hague's 9.Qb3?!) Overall, I think it was worthwhile for Langrock to come out with a new edition and I'm glad to have it. Though some chapters are very close or identical to the original, there are a number of places where the analysis or specific recommendations have been strengthened in important ways. Whether there are enough changes for owners of the 2006 edition to require an "upgrade" is a judgment call. But I'd say we Smith-Morra gambiteers need any edge we can get, so why not? Among the more interesting sites on the Morra I have discovered of late is the Hungarian-language Morra Gambit blog "Morra-csel." I should also mention some new videos that have come out since my bibliography, including a very nicely produced quartet for beginning players from ChessTV's "Opening School" series. There are also some subscription-only services: David Vigorito, "The Morra Gambit in Action - Part One" (August 15, 2011, featuring Esserman - van Wely) and "The Morra Gambit in Action - Part Two" (August 16, 2011, featuring Esserman - Sarkar) at Chess Lectures.com and GM Larry Christensen, "Esserman Zings -- Thatsa Morra" (August 17, 2011, ICC / ChessFM) -- all subscription only. As always, I welcome additions and comments from readers.
IM Justin Sarkar in the front row to see his game.
Esserman simul begins: a pawn down on every board!
NM Mark Kernighan lasted the longest.
But it was an 8-0 wipeout vs. 1830 average opposition.
IM Marc Esserman's lecture on the Smith-Morra Gambit on Thursday night, April 15th, was universally well received by about 20 in attendance. Those who came to watch included IM Justin Sarkar (who is a good friend of Esserman's despite their sharp contests in the Smith-Morra), FM Steve Stoyko, and Yaacov Norowitz. After the lecture, Esserman gave a thematic simultaneous exhibition, playing the Smith-Morra as White against eight players. As Yaacov pointed out, this was a tough exhibition since "he is starting a pawn down on all eight boards!" Based on my experience (losing in about 20 moves), he could have spotted us all an additional pawn and still won every game. Though the average ELO was over 1830 (with a master and two experts among the players), Esserman made relatively short work of it, going 8-0 in just over 90 minutes.
Some of the games discussed or mentioned in the lecture were previously annotated online:
Several of the other games discussed are not generally known and Esserman has asked that we keep them for our own secret use. I will be continuing my series on the Smith-Morra (including some games from the simul) in coming weeks.
Continuing our series on the Smith-Morra Gambit, we consider the Finegold Defense as shown in the game Esserman - Finegold, ICC 2006. The Finegold Defense (1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 d6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.0-0 Be7 8 Qe2 a6), first described in Bob Ciaffone and Ben Finegold's book Smith-Morra Gambit, Finegold Defense (Gameplayer 2000), also available at ChessExpress, presents a real challenge to the Smith-Morra player, not only because it can be reached by various move orders but because there are so few good examples of White's play against the line -- especially with what may well be White's best plan, as recommended by Hannes Langrock: 9 e5! dxe5 10 Nxe5 0-0 11 Rd1 Nbd7 12 Bf4! (see diagram below).
Ciaffone himself endorses this line as likely White's best try, though he says he has never faced it in a game. If any readers have played games that reached this position, please send them my way! Meanwhile, enjoy Esserman's smashing example of one way to attack the Finegold, played against Finegold himself.
Remember: IM Marc Esserman will be giving a lecture on the Smith-Morra (that will feature some similar smashing games) at the Kenilworth Chess Club on April 15, 2010 ("Tax Day") at 8:15 p.m. The lecture is open to the public and admission is $10.
When I first developed an opening repertoire in my teens, I got most of my information from the old Chess Digest pamphlets of Ken Smith and John Hall. The Smith-Morra Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3) thus naturally became my answer to the Sicilian. The gambit was first analyzed by the obscure French player Pierre Morra (1900-1969) in the 1940s and 50s (generally via the move order 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.c3), but it was the American poker champion, chess publisher, and gambiteer FM Ken "Top Hat" Smith (1930-1999) who became its chief proponent, gambling on it even against top notch competition at San Antonio 1972.
It has been many years since I took the Smith-Morra seriously. But, as I rarely play much "serious" chess these days, I have begun toying around with it quite a bit. As I wrote in The Smith-Morra Gambit's Siren Call, it's tough to resist the pleasures afforded by the line, as it promises a wide open board with plenty of active piece play and tactics. Recent analysis (most notably in The Modern Morra Gambit by Hannes Langrock) suggests that there is no completely clear way for Black to refute it and many ways to go wrong, so even some titled players have added it to their repertoires, and most of their opponents continue to choose the safer course of declining the gambit (generally with 3...Nf6, which transposes directly to the Alapin Sicilian, saving study time). Ultimately, the Smith-Morra is still a fun line to play at the amateur level and one that guarantees many quick victories with only some risk against the most well-prepared opponents.
IM Marc Esserman is one rising star who regularly plays the Smith-Morra Gambit, and he will be giving a lecture on it at the Kenilworth Chess Club on April 15, 2010 ("Tax Day") at 8:15 p.m. The lecture is open to the public and admission is $10.
To get us thinking about his lecture, I have prepared a bibliography to whet your appetite, with a number of recent and forthcoming works of interest in both the Smith-Morra Accepted and Smith-Morra Declined (or Alapin). Everything is listed in reverse chronology, as best I can offer (difficult with web sources), with links to preview, purchase or download items available via the internet. I have generally left off all but the most influential Black repertoire books that offer only a game or chapter on the gambit, as well as opening encyclopedias which may only mention it in a line or two of analysis. As always, I welcome reader corrections and additions. And I will be adding some more materials myself (especially videos) over the next couple of days.
I would like to give special thanks to Michel Barbaut, who shared a wonderful bibliography with me and a very rare picture of Pierre Morra that appeared with an article in a French magazine.
Just released, this book seems similar in design to Nigel Davies's Gambiteer (which, surprisingly, did not feature the Smith-Morra but instead the Wing Gambit against the Sicilian). Alterman did some great videos for ICC, and his breezy style seems to translate well to print based on the excerpt available online and other materials at his blog. The book is clearly pitched to low-rated amateurs or beginning players, with move-by-move explanations but not necessarily very complete or deep analysis. It covers the Danish Gambit, Urusov Gambit, Philidor, Cochrane Gambit vs the Petroff, Morphy Attack (Fried Liver?), Max Lange, Evans Gambit, Panov Attack, Morra, and Milner-Barry Gambit. Red meat for the mad dog.
TheChessWebsite, Chess Openings - Smith Morra Gambit (2010)
A good video for amateurs, introducing the Smith-Morra gambit and quickly reviewing main lines.
GambitFan, Smith-Morra Gambit All at Chessgames.com
A way to learn the Smith-Morra is to play over a bunch of games online, and this link offers you a quick and easy way to do so. See also his collections on the Smith-Morra Gambit with ...e5?! and the Alapin Variation (or Smith-Morra Declined).
Efstratios Grivas, "A Black Repertoire against the Morra and Grand Prix." NIC Yearbook 88 (2008). Recommends the line with Nc6, e6, Bb4, and Nge7 as about equal.
Mark Ginsburg, Defending the Smith-Morra (2008)
IM Ginsburg regularly turns up his nose at gambits and this article (written in apparent anger at only drawing IM Mark Esserman in the line) is no exception. His recommendations are similar to Tim Taylor's (see below), and both seem inspired by Smith - Evans, San Antonio 1972. Also available in html format.
Gary Lane, Bliss (Opening Lanes #118, ChessCafe 2008)
Annotates the game Cor van Wijgerden-Oscar Panno Amsterdam 1980 which featured the defense Nc6, e6, Bb4, Nge7.
Boris Alterman, Chess Lessons Blog: Morra Gambit (2008)
Several blog entries directed at beginners and amateurs -- and likely the basis for his recent book.
Boris Schipkov, The Siberian Trap (Chess Siberia 2008)
Annotates Kolenbeck - Schipkov, 1987, which may well be the stem game of the "Siberian Trap."
Alex Lenderman, Smith Morra Gambit, Part 1 (free), Part 2, and Part 3
(Internet Chess Club, 2007-2008). Part 1 is available free of charge, but Parts 2 and 3 require membership to ICC to login and view.
Richard Palliser, Fighting the Anti-Sicilians: Combating 2 C3, the Closed, the Morra (Everyman Chess 2007)
This is a useful book for any Sicilian player who favors e6 or Classical structures, as Palliser's recommendations against the anti-Sicilians favor French set-ups and generally ignore problems faced by the d6 player (even skipping coverage of the Moscow Variation entirely). Palliser offers two antidotes to the Morra: the first, playing Nc6, d6 and a6, heading for a game like Smith - Evans, San Antonio 1972 (as recommended by Tim Taylor); the second, to play e6, a6, b5, and Bb7 followed by d6, Be7, Nbd7, Ngf6 etc.
Bill Paschal, Playing the Black Side of the Smith-Morra Gambit (ChessLecture.com 2007)
Jonathan Rowson, Andrew Martin, Gary Lane, Smith-Morra Gambit (B21) (Chess Publishing 2007)
Tim Harding, "Has the Smith-Morra Gambit Been Revived?" (Kibitzer #134, ChessCafe 2007)
Harding reviews Langrock's book (see below) and provides a very useful overview of the current state of Smith-Morra theory.
Hannes Langrock, The Modern Morra Gambit: A Dynamic Weapon against the Sicilian (Russell Enterprises 2006)
This is currently the essential book if you want to play the Smith-Morra. I think it is very objective and also very well presented. It also tries to explain alternatives and not simply focus on the recommended lines. Reviews by Jeremy Silman, John Donaldson, Carsten Hansen and John Watson (among others) universally offer praise for Langrock's "labor of love" even if they disparage the opening itself.
Alexander Bangiev, Felderstrategie: Für Morra-Gambit (Silbersaiten Verlag 2006)
I'd be very interested in an English translation of this book, which seems to continue Bangiev's discussion of square strategy in particular openings.
Girolt Thierry, Le Gambit Morra (Echecs Passion 2006)
A useful quick-start guide to the gambit.
Jesse Kraai, The Siberian Trap in the Smith-Morra Gambit (ChessLecture.com 2006 - subscription required) You can also see this video in two parts (Part One and Part Two) online at YouTube.
Jesse Kraai, The Smith-Morra Gambit (ChessLecture.com 2005 - subscription required)
Tim McGrew, "The Power of Ideas" (Gambit Cartel #27, Chess Cafe 2004)
McGrew tells the story of a game where young Pete opens with the Smith-Morra Gambit, describing his thoughts and emotions before, during, and after the course of play. It is really a ground-breaking piece of chess writing which manages to both instruct and entertain, while it also offers a rather convincing defense of playing gambits to develop tactical awareness.
Tim McGrew, "A Little Learning" (Gambit Cartel #20, Chess Cafe 2004)
The first "Peter Story," where Pete's chess instructor tries to convince him to ignore the database statistics and stick with the Smith-Morra Gambit, because if you look at the games where White loses you quickly see that he was just a complete putz.
Jim Bickford, The Main Line Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted (Syzygy Publishing 2002)
Jim Bickford, The Dragon vs Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted (Syzygy Publishing 2002)
I have not seen these volumes, but most others in the series were just made up of "data dumps" of games.
Franco Pezzi, The Gambitingly Way (CD 2001-2002)
Features quite a few annotated games.
T. Born, Morra Gambit (www.aktienquelle.de 2001)
PDF database article from the archives.
John Emms, Starting Out: The Sicilian 1st edition (Everyman 2001)
See second edition above. Has a chapter on the Smith-Morra.
Andrew Martin, Morra Gambit Accepted. Foxy Video Series, Volume 36 (DVD, 110 min., 2000)
A very interesting presentation which mostly follows the recommendations and idea of Graham Burgess (including h4 vs the Fianchetto defense with g6). A useful introduction to the Smith-Morra for those looking to get started playing it quickly.
Peter Doggers, "A Refutation Refuted." NIC Yearbook 57 (2000)
A pamphlet with some good ideas but poorly presented for usability, with much more prose than analysis. I assume it is more the work of Life Master Ciaffone than now-GM Finegold, though I know Finegold has used this line (in a game I will analyze here). This was reviewed by John Watson rather favorably, even while he critiqued all of the analysis he examined while still bowing to anti-Morra prejudice -- noting, after showing that White is doing well against some of their lines: "Of course, by normal development, I'm sure that Black is still better (this IS the Smith-Morra, after all)." GambitChess has posted a database book in PGN.
József Pálkövi and James Cobb, Morra Gambit (Caissa Chess Books, Kecskemet 1998 / 2000)
Absolutely ground breaking for its time. Langrock credits Palkovi with introducing him to the Morra, but he also points out a number places where the book is overly optimistic or mistaken regarding analysis. Like other intriguing books by Palkovi, it is now difficult to get hold of a copy, which suggests that it is held tightly by Smith-Morra lovers. See review by Carsten Hansen.
Natasha Regan and Susan Lalic, Trends in the Smith-Morra Gambit (Chess Digest 1997)
John Watson and Eric Schiller, Big Book of Busts (Hypermodern Press 1995)
Francis Meinsohn, Virginie (1994)
I was not able to track down further information on this intriguing title from a well-known French FM theoretician. Reader information welcome.
Morra Gambit: Collection of Games (Echecs International 1994)
This was the last great book on the Smith-Morra that revived interest in the line, but it would be over a dozen years before anyone would offer a better book from the White perspective. This book also offers a White repertoire for when Black declines the gambit.
Widely available for free download. Also available as a database book in PGN from Gambit Chess.
Ken Smith and Bill Wall, Smith-Morra Accepted: A Game Collection (Chess Enterprises 1992)
Andrew Martin, Trends in the Smith-Morra Gambit (Trends 1992)
Joseph Shipman, "The Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted" (Chess Horizons, 1990-1991)
There was a series of articles by the son of IM Walter Shipman in the award winning Massachusetts chess magazine.
Mike Basman, Chess Openings (Crowood Chess Library 1987)
Francis Meinsohn, Attaque à tout va (Hatier 1985)
Eduard Gufeld, Le Gambit Morra (Grasset 1984)
Lev Polugajevsky, Sizilianisch: Morra-Gambit bis Scheveninger System (Sportverlag 1982)
János Flesch, The Morra Smith Gambit (Batsford 1981)
This was the book I studied most closely in the early 80s and it made a good case for the gambit, featuring some interesting games I have not seen in databases since.
J. Negro, Une étude du gambit Pierre Morra, défense Sicilienne (1978)
Ken Smith, Sicilian: Theory of the Smith-Morra Gambit in games, 1968 thru 1973 (Chess Digest 1974) GambitChess has posted a database book in PGN.
Ken Smith, Sicilian: Theory of the Smith-Morra Gambit in games, 1846 thru 1967 (Chess Digest 1974)
Ken Smith, Sicilian: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted (Chess Digest 1972)
The main advantage of the Smith-Morra Gambit is that while Black can transpose to lines of the standard c3 Sicilian, the defender's choices are more limited because the pawn capture cxd4 has already been played. This is not intended as a complete list, and I have included only sources from the last 15 years.
Evgeny Sveshnikov, The Complete c3 Sicilian (New in Chess, expected September 2010)
This is an exciting development: a book on the c3 Sicilian by its greatest theoretician.
Bill Paschal, Creative Opening Concepts; Part III; Against the c3 Sicilian (ChessLecture.com 2010)
Hannes Langrock, "Taming the Gallagher-system in the 2.c3-Sicilian" (ChessCafe 2007)
Covers an interesting line vs the Gallagher Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nf3 e6 6.cxd4 b6) with 7.Bc4!? intending to swap the Bishop for the Knight to gain some control over d5.
Eduardas Rozentalis & Andrew Harley, Play the 2c3 Sicilian (Gambit 2002)
Rapidly becoming rare, yet correctly recommended and praised by several writers. You should get a copy soon if you don't have it already. See review by Randy Bauer.
Joe Gallagher, c3 Sicilian (Everyman 1999)
Features 70 games, many won by Black, leading Watson in a review to suggest that the line is dead.
Graham Burgess, 101 Chess Opening Surprises (Gambit 1998)
A fun collection of off-beat lines, including several in the c3 Sicilian which could occur by transposition from the Morra -- especially the "unrefuted line" 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 cxd4 5.cxd4 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Nc3 Bxf3 8.gxf3 Qxd4 9.Qxd4 Nxd4 10.Nb5.
Murray Chandler, The Complete c3 Sicilian (Batsford 1996)
A useful reference manual, combining detailed analytic coverage with 70 games, plus an index of variations.
Paul Motwani, H.O.T. Chess (Batsford 1996)
Analyzes the game Motwani - Tiviakov, Gausdal 1992, featuring the line 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nc6 5.Be3 cxd4 6.cxd4 but without sufficient consideration of 6...e5.
