1 e4 c5 2 d4 cxd4 3 c3 dxc3 4 Nxc3 Nc6
5 Nf3 d6 6 Bc4 e6 7 0-0 Nf6 8 Qe2 Be7
9 Rd1 e5 10 h3 0-0 11 Be3 Be6
12 Rac1 Bxc4 13 Qxc4 Rc8 14 Qb5 b6
15 Bg5 Qe8 16 Bxf6 Bxf6 17 Nd5 Ne7
18 Nxf6+ gxf6 19 Qxe8 Rfxe8 Line
What's the game plan for White?
* Mind the vulnerable f7 square through
6 Bc4.
* Place the rooks on the open c-file and
half open d-file in order to pose develop-
mental problems for the Black Queen.
* Utilize the Nc3-d5/b5 maneuver to
attack Black's position.
* Where possible, aim for a timely e4-e5
breakthrough.
What's the game plan for Black?
Accept the gambit and consolidate the
position as follows:
* Cover e5 via 5 ... d6.
* Limit the c4 bishop's scope through
6 ... e6.
* Advance 9 ... e5 so as to prevent e4-e5.
1 e4
1 ... c5
2 d4 
Putting pressure on c5 and thus enticing
2 ... cxd4.
2 ... cxd4
Black willingly obliges.
2 ... e6!
2 ... d6?!
2 ... Nf6?!
2 ... g6?!
2 ... d5?!
2 ... Nc6!?
2 ... b6?
2 ... e6! Allows bishop to cover c5, and, fights
for d5/f5. Also makes h4-d8 available to the
Queen; it's usually a good idea to give one's
pieces invasive potential. Since c5 is now
covered, Black doesn't have to worry about
relieving the heat on that square through
2 ... cxd4. Please remember, 2 ... e6!
is a useful move for avoiding the
Smith Morra Gambit.
2 ... d6?! Shielding c5, plus, freeing the c8
bishop along c8-h3. Again, those pieces
can always use open lines for development and
attack. The problem with this move is that it
delays Black's mobilization:
2 ... d6 3 dxc5 Qa5+
4 Nc3 dxc5 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 Bc4 e6 7 O-O Bd7 8 e5
8 ... O-O-O 9 Qe2 Nge7 10 Ne4 Nf5 11 Bg5.
3 ... dxc5? is unattractive: 4 Qxd8+ Kxd8
5 Bc4 e6 6 Nf3 f6 7 Nc3 Nc6 8 Be3 Kc7
9 O-O-O a6 10 Bf4+ e5 11 Be3 b5 12 Bd5
12 ... Kb7 13 Ne1 Nge7 14 Bf7 Nd4 15 Nd5
15 ... Bg4 16 f3 Bd7 17 c3 Nxd5 18 Bxd5+
18 ... Nc6 19 Nd3 c4 20 Nc5+ Bxc5 21 Bxc5.
2 ... Nf6?! Provocative. Black wants White to
advance his center. The plan is to later sabotage
it: 3 e5 Nd5 4 c4 Nb4 5 d5 d6 6 a3 Qa5 7 Bd2
7 ... Bf5 8 exd6 Qa6 9 Bxb4 cxb4 10 c5 Qa5
11 Qd4 exd6 12 Qe3+ Kd7 13 Nd2 Qxc5.
However, White can minimize the central lunge
and focus on the attack on c5. In that case,
Black's game is set back some and his Queen is
potentially vulnerable: 3 e5 Nd5 4 dxc5 Qa5+
5 c3 Qxc5 6 Nf3 b6 7 Bd3 Bb7 8 O-O h6 9 Re1 g5
10 b4.
2 ... g6?! Same old problem of lagging development
and over-exposed Queen: 3 dxc5 Qa5+ 4 Nc3 Bg7
5 Nge2 Nf6 6 e5 Ng4 7 f4 Qxc5 8 Ne4 Qc7 9 N2c3
9 ... h5 10 Nd5.
2 ... d5?! Same concern as immediately above:
3 exd5 Qxd5 4 Ne2 e5 5 Nbc3 Qd6 6 dxe5 Qxe5
7 Bf4 Qe6 8 Nd5 Bd6 9 Nf6+ Nxf6 10 Qxd6 Qxd6
11 Bxd6.
2 ... d5?! 3 dxc5 e6 4 Be3 Nf6 5 Nc3 Qa5 6 Qd2 Bxc5
7 Bb5+ Bd7 8 Bxc5 Bxb5 9 exd5 Bc4 10 Bd6.
2 ... Nc6!? Another attempt to persuade White's
center forward. The cunning plan is to later
destabilize it: 3 d5 Ne5 4 f4 Ng6 5 Nf3 d6
6 h4 h5 7 Bb5+ Bd7 8 Qe2 Nf6 9 O-O a6
10 Bxd7+ Qxd7 11 Nc3 Ng4 12 e5 dxe5
13 fxe5 e6 14 d6 O-O-O.
Capturing on c5 doesn't seem to give White a
big advantage: 3 dxc5 Qa5+ 4 c3 Qxc5 5 Be3 Qe5
6 Nd2 Qc7 7 Ngf3 d6 8 Bb5 Bg4 9 h3 Bxf3
10 Nxf3 Nf6 11 Qa4 e6 12 Nd4 Rc8 13 O-O a6
14 Bd3 d5.
2 ... b6?! Ruins Black's pawn structure. Pawn
islands are usually undesirable because they
make for easy targets: 3 dxc5 bxc5 4 Qd5 Nc6
5 Qxc5 e6 6 Qe3 d5 7 exd5 Nb4 8 Qb3 Nxd5
9 Nf3 Bd7 10 Ne5 Ngf6 11 Nxd7 Qxd7 12 Bd2 Nc7
13 Be2 Bc5 14 O-O O-O 15 Qf3 Qd5 16 c4 Qxf3
17 Bxf3 Rab8 18 Bc3.]
2 ... cxd4
1 e4 c5 2 d4 cxd4
3 c3 dxc3
3 c3
More devious generosity!
3 Nf3!?
3 Bc4?!
3 Qxd4?!
3 f4?!
3 Nf3!? Attacks d4 in order to encourage the
clingy response 3 ... e5. The goal is to deflect Black's
attention from the focal d5 post: 3 ... e5 4 c3 dxc3
5 Nxc3 Nc6 6 Bc4 Bb4 7 O-O Nf6 8 Nd5. Please note,
a well supported knight on d5 usually gives White
excessive reach into enemy territory (b6, c7, e7, f6).
Black needs those very same squares for his own development!
3 Nf3!? Qa5+ 4 c3 dxc3 5 Nxc3 Nc6 6 Bc4 e6
7 O-O a6 8 Bf4 Nge7 9 a3 Ng6 10 b4 Qh5.
3 Bc4?! The f7 square is the prime target.
That particular point is the most vulnerable one
in Black's camp because it has no other ready
protector except for the King. However, its
downfall is not that catastrophic: 3 ... Nc6
4 Nf3 Nf6 5 Nxd4 Nxe4 6 Bxf7+ Kxf7 7 Qh5+ Kg8
8 Qd5+ e6 9 Qxe4 Qb6 10 Nf3 d5.
3 Bc4?! Nc6 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 Nxd4 Nxe4
6 Bxf7+ Kxf7 7 Qh5+ g6 8 Qd5+ e6 9 Qxe4 d5.
The drawback to 3 Bc4?! is that it denies
White the fast and potentially lethal
mobilization he often gets from an
immediate attack on d4 (3 c3).
3 Qxd4?! The Queen doesn't need to come
out this early. She's simply too valuable for that.
Besides, she's just hindering the easy and smooth
development of her own men:
3 ... Nc6 4 Qe3 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nf3 d5 7 exd5 Nxd5
8 Nxd5 Qxd5 9 c4 Qh5 10 Be2 Bb4+ 11 Nd2 Qe5.
3 ... dxc3
3 ... g6!?
3 ... Nf6!?
3 ... e6!?
3 ... d5!?
3 ... d6!?
3 ... d3?!
3 ... e5!?
3 ... Nc6!?
3 ... Qa5!?
3 ... g6!? The idea is not new: Let White
build up a center that Black can subsequently
demolish. A bishop on g7 is well posted to
further that objective:
3 ... g6!? 4 cxd4 d5 5 exd5 Nf6 6 Nc3 Nxd5
7 Qb3 Nb6 8 Bb5+ Bd7 9 Nf3 Bg7 10 Ne5 O-O
11 Nxd7 N8xd7 12 Be3 Nf6 13 O-O Nfd5 14 a4 a5.
3 ... g6!? 4 cxd4 d5 5 e5 Nc6 6 Nc3 Bg7
7 Bb5 Nh6 8 Qa4 Bd7 9 Nxd5 a6.
3 ... Nf6!? Dominating the center, thanks
to the b1 knight's absence from c3:
3 ... Nf6!? 4 e5 Nd5 5 Nf3 Nc6
6 Bc4 Nb6 7 Bb3 d5 8 exd6 Qxd6
9 O-O Be6.
3 ... e6!? Flexing his muscle in the center
(... d5), thanks again to the knight's b1 fixation:
3 ... e6 4 Nf3 d5 5 exd5 Qxd5
6 cxd4 Nf6 7 Nc3 Bb4 8 Bd3 O-O
9 O-O Qa5 10 Bg5 Nbd7 11 Rc1 h6
12 Bf4 Rd8 13 Ne5 Nxe5 14 Bxe5
14 ... Nd7 15 a3 Be7 16 Qe2 Nxe5
17 dxe5 Bd7 18 Qe4 g6 19 Qe3 Bc6.
3 ... d5!? 4 Qxd4 Be6 5 Bb5+ Nc6 6 Nf3 a6
7 Bxc6+ bxc6 8 O-O.
3 ... d3?! Allows the f1 bishop to purposefully
develop to d3. On the upside, the White Queen
is shut off from the half open d-file, after
the bishop lands on d3:
3 ... d3?! 4 Bxd3 Nc6 5 Nf3 d5 6 O-O Nf6
7 exd5 Qxd5 8 c4 Qh5 9 Bg5 e5 10 Bxf6 gxf6
11 Nc3.
3 ... e5!? In order to support d4 and also
activate the Queen and f8 bishop along d8-h4
and f8-a3 respectively: 4 cxd4 exd4 5 Qxd4 Nc6
6 Qd1 Nf6 7 Nc3 Bb4 8 Bg5 h6 9 Bxf6 Qxf6
10 Qf3 Qg6 11 O-O-O d6 12 Qg3.
3 ... e5!? 4 Nf3 Nc6 5 cxd4 exd4 6 Nxd4 Nf6
7 Nc3 Nxe4 8 Nxe4 Qe7 9 Bd3 Nxd4 10 O-O d5
11 Ng5 Qd6.
3 ... Nc6!? 4 cxd4 d5 5 Nc3 dxe4
6 d5 Ne5 7 Bb5+.
3 ... Nc6!? 4 cxd4 d5 5 Nc3 Nf6 6 e5 Ne4
7 Bd3 Nxc3 8 bxc3 e6 9 Nf3 Be7 10 h4 h6
11 h5 Bd7 12 Rh3 Qc7 13 Kf1 Na5
14 Rb1 Qxc3 15 Rg3 Bf8 16 Kg1 Rc8.
3 ... Qa5!? 4 Nf3 dxc3 5 Nxc3 Nc6 6 Bc4 a6
7 O-O b5 8 Bb3 b4 9 Nd5 e6 10 Ne3 Nf6
11 Nc4 Qh5 12 Re1 Bc5 13 Nd6+ Kf8
14 Bf4 Qg4 15 Qc1.
3 ... Nf6.
3 ... d5.
3 ... d3 4 Bxd3 Nc6 5 c4 ( 5 Nf3 g6
6 0-0 Bg7 7 Qe2 d6 8 Rd1 Bg4 9 Nbd2)
5 ... Nf6 6 Nc3 d6 7 h3 g6 8 Nf3 Bg7
9 0-0 Nd7 10 Be3.
3 ... dxc3
