Semi-Open · a defense for Black

Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Pin Defense

12/12
1.e4c52.d4cxd43.c3dxc34.Nxc3Nc65.Nf3e66.Bc4Bb4
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Pin Defense522k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
77%399k52%
9.5%50k48%
4.9%26k53%
2.4%13k51%
1.9%10k50%
1.2%6.4k52%
1%5.1k44%
1%5.1k50%
0.5%2.7k46%
0.3%1.5k47%
Famous games in this line86 master games
Ohtake, Sakae (2546) – Schüppel, Ralf (2541)20070–1Luque Saiz, Andres (2339) – Kryvoruchko, Y. (2656)20230–1Van Wijgerden, Cor (2435) – Panno, Oscar (2540)1980½–½Schmidt, Harald (2408) – Zakhartsov, Viacheslav V (2562)2009½–½Stopa, Jacek (2482) – Kosteniuk, Alexandra (2469)20110–1Eckhardt, Thorsten (2469) – Lakatos, Stefan (2471)2023½–½Renard, Stéphane (2453) – Tedesco, Matthew (2472)2025½–½Mosadeghpour, Masoud (2480) – Grivas, E. (2396)20221–0
Heroes of this opening Schüppel, Ralf · Kryvoruchko, Y. · Kosteniuk, Alexandra · Mosadeghpour, Masoud
Family
Sicilian Defense
Category
Semi-Open
First move
1.e4
ECO
B21
Line
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Bb4
Gambit
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Nearby lines in the family
Sicilian Defense: Boleslavsky Variation2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 …Sicilian Defense: Pin Variation, Jaffe Variation2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 …Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Main Line2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 …
From the archives

No reply to 1.e4 is played more. Fischer made the Najdorf his main weapon, and Kasparov's Sicilians are pillars of chess history — the Scheveningen against Karpov, the Dragon he unveiled against Anand in 1995. When you play 1...c5 you refuse symmetry, the same refusal that carried two world champions.

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