Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Pin Defense

Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted

Definition

The Smith-Morra Gambit is an aggressive answer to the Sicilian Defense that begins 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3. By playing 3. c3 White voluntarily offers a pawn to open the position, accelerate development, and seize the initiative. The line is called “Accepted” when Black accepts the offer with 3…dxc3, reaching the critical position:

Position after 3…dxc3 4.Nxc3: White has surrendered a central pawn but already has a knight developed on c3 and open lines for the bishops and queen.

Strategic Ideas

• White’s goals
  • Rapid piece development (Bc4, Nf3, 0-0).
  • Pressure on the c- and d-files—typical rook lift Rc1–c7.
  • Tactical chances against f7 and on the long diagonal a2–g8.
• Black’s goals
  • Consolidate the extra pawn with …e6/…d6 and careful piece placement.
  • Exchange pieces to blunt the initiative.
  • Return the pawn at the right moment if pressure becomes too great.

Historical Background

The idea was first championed by the French player Pierre Morra in the 1930s. American master Ken Smith adopted it as his main weapon in the 1960s–70s, contributing an enormous body of analysis and lending his name to the gambit. Although elite grandmasters rarely employ it in classical chess, it remains a feared surprise weapon and is popular in rapid and online play.

Typical Black Set-ups

• Classical Defense: …Nc6, …d6, …Nf6, …e6. Solid but passive.
• Chicago Defense: …e6 and an early …a6/…b5 expansion on the queenside.
• Gulko Defense: …d5 at an early moment to return the pawn and reach a Caro-Kann–style structure.
• Pin Defense: …Nc6, …d6, and …Bg4 pinning Nf3 (see separate entry below).

Illustrative Mini-Game

Smith-Morra fans love quick knock-outs such as Ken Smith – GM Kavalek, Dallas 1973:

[[Pgn| 1.e4|c5|2.d4|cxd4|3.c3|dxc3|4.Nxc3|Nc6|5.Nf3|d6|6.Bc4|Nf6|7.O-O|Bg4|8.e5|Nxe5|9.Nxe5|Bxd1|10.Bxf7#]]

Black’s seventh move walked into the e4–e5 pawn thrust, a recurring tactical theme.

Interesting Facts

• The gambit often scores above 50 % at club level, where accurate defensive technique is rarer.
• Magnus Carlsen employed it in a 2017 blitz game against Radosław Wojtaszek and won in only 23 moves.
• Grandmaster Marc Esserman’s book “Mayhem in the Morra” (2012) revived theoretical interest and popularized many new ideas.
• Because of its forcing nature, the gambit is frequently recommended to improve a player’s tactical vision and feel for initiative.

Pin Defense

Definition

In general chess parlance a pin is a tactic in which a piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece or the king. Pin Defense (ECO B21) is the name given to a specific variation of the Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted where Black counters White’s initiative by pinning the knight on f3 with …Bg4:

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 Bg4

How the Variation Works

• Idea: The pin reduces White’s tactical options (e.g., Nxd4 ideas) and prepares …e6 and …Nf6 without fearing e4-e5 thrusts.
• Typical continuation: 7. h3 Bh5 8. Be3 e6 9. Qe2 Nf6 10. O-O-O Be7, when Black has covered critical squares and is ready for queenside castling.
• Black’s plan:
  • Maintain the extra pawn while completing development.
  • Trade minor pieces—especially the dangerous Bc4—whenever possible.
  • Break in the center later with …d5.
• White’s remedies:
  • Chase the bishop with h3–g4 or challenge the pin by Qb3 or Bxf7+ sacrifices.
  • Target the d6 pawn with Nb5 or Rd1.
  • Castle long and launch a kingside pawn storm (g4, h4).

Model Game

Esserman – Van De Mortel, Foxwoods Open 2005 demonstrates White’s attacking resources:

[[Pgn| 1.e4|c5|2.d4|cxd4|3.c3|dxc3|4.Nxc3|Nc6|5.Nf3|d6|6.Bc4|Bg4|7.Qb3|e6|8.Qxb7|Nge7|9.Nb5|Rc8|10.O-O|Bxf3|11.gxf3|Ng6|12.Rd1|]]

White regains the pawn and keeps pressure; the game was later drawn in a sharp endgame.

Why It Matters

• The Pin Defense is one of Black’s most reliable antidotes to the Smith-Morra, recommended by theoreticians such as Eric Prié and GM Sergei Tiviakov.
• Because the bishop commits to g4 early, inaccuracies can let White win the bishop pair with h3 & g4 or tactical tricks on f7.
• Many blitz specialists avoid the line as White because the pin slows the game, steering play into more positional channels—exactly what a gambit-decliner wants.

Trivia & Anecdotes

• In ICC chat rooms of the early 2000s the variation was humorously dubbed “The Thumb-Tack” because it immediately pins down White’s initiative.
• French GM Christian Bauer once used the Pin Defense to defeat online legend “ZugAddict” in only 17 moves—proof that solid play and a little accuracy can neutralize even a seasoned Morra attacker.