Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...c5/2. Nf3/2...d6/3. d4/3...cxd4/4. c3

Tartakower gambit B50 Sicilian defence → 2...d6 → 3...cxd4 4. c3 · Tartakower gambit White offers a pawn for quicker development and open c- and d-files. If Black accepts, 4...dxc3, then this is much like the Smith-Morra gambit (2. d4 cxd4 3. c3). Since they have already committed a pawn to ...d6, Black must play a line against the Smith-Morra involving ...d6 (e.g. the classical or Scheveningen formation defences). In this way White has move-ordered Black out of the more common Smith-Morra lines. If Black doesn't want to allow White to chose which Smith-Morra line they are to play, they can instead decline the gambit with 4...Nf6. A continuation is 5. e5 dxe5 6. Nxe5 Nbd7 7. Qxd4 e6 8. Bb5 a6 9. Nxd7 Bxd7 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7 11. Qxd7+ Nxd7. References See also