Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...c5/2. d4/2...cxd4

Sicilian defence B21 Sicilian defence → 2. d4 2...cxd4 Black takes the pawn. The trade of a c- for d-pawn gives Black a central pawn majority. Though White could take it back with 3. Qxd4?!, this allows Black to push the queen around and play 3...Nc6 with tempo. Instead the main move is 3. c3, the Smith-Morra gambit. After 3...dxc3 White can retake while developing their knight. An alternative is 3. Nf3, the Morphy gambit. White prepares to recapture with the knight. If Black tries to holds onto the extra pawn with 3...e5, White's best continuation is 4. c3 leading to something similar to the Smith-Morra, where Black has a hole on d5 and a backward d-pawn. Otherwise, this can transpose into an Open Sicilian after (e.g.) 3...d6 4. Nxd4. History 2. d4 was in vogue in the mid-19th century. Jaenisch, in his 1842 book of analysis, gave 2. d4 as White's best move against the Sicilian. 3. Qxd4 and 3. Nf3 were the continuations of the day; Jaenisch's gave preference to 2...cxd4 3. Qxd4, even though 3...Nc6 4. Qd1 allows Black to gain time on the queen.Jaenisch's chess preceptor: a new analysis of the openings of games de Jaenisch C. F. Longman & co. 1847 London https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hn52dv&seq=5 Walker George (translation of Analyse nouvelle des ouvertures du jeu des échecs de Jaenisch C. F. Gartner 1842)25-28 An early appearance of the gambit 3. c3 was in 1846 in Kieseritzky v Vitzthum.Kieseritzky v Vitzthum, 1846 - Chessgames.com It went largely un-played for the next century, aside from a few games in the 1920s and 1930s, until it was revived in the 1950s. Kenneth Smith (1930―1999) and Pierre Morra (1900―1969) independently published analysis of it in the 50s. Another proponent was Milan Matulović (1935―2013), after whom it was sometimes called (the Matulović gambit). Its leading proponent today is IM Marc Esserman (1983―). Theory table 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3 4 5 Smith-Morra Gambit c3dxc3 Nxc3Nc6 Nf3d6 = Nf3d6 = Qxd4Nc6 =/+ References See also Smith-Morra Gambit External links Smith-Morra - Chessgames.com