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Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 · B21

Part of Sicilian Defense

Starting positionWhite to move

0 / 14

A pawn buys development and open files

  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.

The idea

White sacrifices a pawn on move three to get the whole Sicilian attack without the theory — fast development against Black's undeveloped pieces.

Main line: 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.O-O Nf6

What White wants

  • Recapture on c3 and develop with Bc4, Nf3 and O-O as fast as possible
  • Attack the d6 and e6 squares and the b2–g7 diagonal
  • Keep the initiative — the pawn is never coming back for free

What Black wants

  • Give the pawn back at the right moment to develop and castle
  • Play ...d6, ...e6, ...Nf6 and ...Be7 and consolidate
  • Trade pieces and win with the extra pawn in the endgame

Key idea

Understand this and the moves stop needing to be memorised.

A pawn buys development and open files

After ...dxc3 Nxc3, White has developed the b1 knight and opened the c- and d-files, while Black has an extra pawn. Black need not return it automatically, but must develop accurately. White's compensation depends on active pieces and concrete threats, not the opening's name.

Common mistake

Pushing e5 before the pieces can exploit the opened centre. The bishop is already on c4 in this example, but ...dxe5 and a queen exchange leave White a second pawn down. Calculate the resulting position before trading away the attacking chances.

Mistake example: Nxd8.

Representative position

The position this opening is aiming at. Copy the FEN, or open it in the analysis board and let the engine tell you what it is worth.

r1bqkb1r/pp3ppp/2nppn2/8/2B1P3/2N2N2/PP3PPP/R1BQ1RK1 w kq - 2 8

Analyze this position

Variations

1 line branching from here.

Traps in this opening

Moves in this opening that look natural and lose.

Siberian Traph3 attacks the g4 knight and looks like a useful consolidating move. White expects it to retreat instead of receiving support from the other knight.
All opening traps

Related openings

Sicilian Defense1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · B20–B99Black answers 1.e4 with the c-pawn, refusing to mirror and instead trading a wing pawn for a centre pawn — the most ambitious and most popular reply in chess.Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Declined1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 · B21Black refuses the pawn and develops instead, meeting c3 with ...Nf6 — the most reliable way to take the sting out of the Morra.Danish Gambit1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 · C21White offers two pawns for two raking bishops and a lead in development — the purest expression of 19th-century gambit play.Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 · B22White avoids all the main-line theory with 2.c3, offering a pawn centre in exchange for the open Sicilian's complexities.Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · B90–B99The most analysed opening in chess: 5...a6 takes the b5 square away from White's pieces and prepares ...e5 and ...b5 in one move.Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · B70–B79Black fianchettoes the bishop onto the long diagonal, where it rakes White's queenside — the most direct and most tactical Sicilian.