The Morra (Smith)

Gambit
Janos Flesch

1 e4c52d4cd3c3
The Sicilian Defence has a reputation for being the
most dynamic defence to 1 e4 and ways of seizing the
initiative for White are constantly being explored.
The Morra Gambit, 1 e4 c5 2 d4 cd 3 c3, offers a pawn for
lasting pressure and sets Black the problem of a difficult
and long-term defence.
The author has not only provided the first
comprehensive survey in English of this opening; he has
also been careful to explain the strategy prevailing in
each line. The average club player will thus be able to
meet the Sicilian with confidence or, as Black, know the
pitfalls to be avoided when meeting this sharp gambit.
Janos Flesch became a Grandmaster in November last
year by sharing first prize in a strong tournament at Pecs
in Hungary. He is the author of a number of chess books
in Hungarian and German including Das Mitte/spiel im
Schach.
This opening is known in the US as the Smith-Morra Gambit
in recognition of the contribution by the Texan master Ken
Smith, who popularised the variation.

176 pages A BATSFORD CHESS BOOK

Other Batsford Books on Openings Ruy Lopez: Breyer System

Figurine Algebraic Notation L S Blackstock

Benoni Sicilian Dragon: Classical and Levenfish

W R Hartston Variations
D N L Levy
French: Classical Lines
W Heidenfeld, T D Harding Sicilian Dragon: Yugoslav Attack
A J Miles, EMoskow
French Defence: Tarrasch Variation
R D Keene, S M Taulbut Sicilian: ... e5
T D Harding and P R Markland
French: MacCutcheon and Advance Lines
T D Harding Sicilian: Lasker-Pelikan
R G Wade, JS Speelman, N E Povah,
Nimzo-Indian Defence: Leningrad System L S Blackstock
M Macdonald-Ross
2 c3 Sicilian
Nimzo-Indian 4 e3: Nimzowitsch, Hubner MG Chandler
and Taimanov Variations
C W Pritchett Spanish (Ruy Lopez): Marshall
T D Harding
Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack
BATSFORD ALGEBRAIC CHESS OPENINGS SERIES
EDITOR: R. G. WADE

The Morra Gambit

1M janos Resch

Translated by John Reti

HIBatsford Ltd, London

First Published 1981
© Janos Flesch 1981
Translation from the
Hungarian by John Reti.

ISBN 0 7134 2188 6

Typeset in Great Britain and

printed in Great Britain by
Billing & Son Ltd
London, Guildford & Worcester
for the publishers,
B.T. Batsford Limited,
4 Fitzhardinge Street,
London W1 H OAH

A BATSFORD CHESS BOOK

Adviser: R.G.Wade,O.B.E.
Technical Editor: P.Lamford
Contents

Symbols iv
Preface v
Introduction ix
1 Layout: Gambit Accepted 1
2 The 3 ~f3 line 7
34th Move Divergences 11
4 The 5 ~c4 line 15
5 The 5 e6 line 20
6 The 5 g6 line 29
7 The 6 ~f6 line 46
8 The 6 a6 line 51
9 The 7 .a.f4 line 57
10 The 7 ~ge7line 61
11 The 7 .a.e7 line 67
12 The 8 a6 Ii ne 88
13 9th Move Alternatives 113
14 The 10 !le3 line 121
15 11 th Move Alternatives 125
16 The 11 ... a61ine 130
17 Main Line: 12th Move Alternatives 132
18 The Morra Gambit Declined 139
Conclusion 146
Index of Players 148
Index of Variations 149
Symbols
+ Check
Balanced position
i Slight advantage for White
~ Slight advantage for Black
± Clear advantage for White
+ Clear advantage for Black
±± Winning advantage for White
++ Winning advantage for Black
! Good move
!? Interesting move, deserving attention
?! Dubious move
? Weak move
?? Blunder
1:0 Black resigned
0:1 White resigned
Y2:Y2 Draw agreed
Ch Championship
Corres Correspondence game
OL Olympiad
C Candidates
L League
IZ Interzonal
Z Zonal
F Final
Y2F Semi-final
%F Quarter-final
Wor B beside each diagram indicates the player to move.

iv
Preface

'I wish to catch a fish!'. This is science. This is especially true of

how at their annual dinner long ago open.ing theory, where there is now
I indicated in blissful ignorance my a flood of information. Curiously,
reason for wanting to join an little of this tremendous amount
angling club. The president served of material is used in tournament
us an excellent meal from that practice. Furthermore, the 'turnover'
day's catch which he landed with in variations is faster than one
the bait of a small fish bought in would expect.
the market, then he proceeded to This can only be explained by
explain to me in front of all the pointing out the ever-changing
assembled that the purpose and fashions in the choice of openings,
essence of angling is not the which sometimes change more
catching of fish ..... quickly than in the clothing trade
This is how I became a chess itself. The original 'pattern' was
player! True, I was soon put wise once cut by famous grandmasters;
that eight out of ten checks are according to their successes or
only given by 'patzers' and further, failures the star of the variations
that those who play for a mate are shone brightly or faded into
blind to the game about them. oblivion. Later, with the develop-
Yet in the Morra Gambit Accepted ment of chess literature an ever-
I have 'given' more checks and increasing number of people were
mates than in all the rest of my able to become acquainted with the
writings running to many thousands researches of leading masters.
of pages. Through the efforts of the 'pattern-
But what else could I have done? . cutters' of chess, the specialists in
It is well worth getting acquainted opening theory, a vast public now
with this system rich in marvellous has access to opening systems to
strategems - no born attacking suit each individual. Fortunately, in
player could find a better weapon tournaments, the wearing of
on the Sicilian battlefield. 'uniforms' has not become
Chess is a continuously evolving obligatory in the choice of openings.

v
The credit for this should be given
to the 'trade literature'.
At first it dawned only on the
leading chess-nations that their
successes were due to their advanced
chess literature. Now it is well
known all over the world that
whether it is a matter of chess for
the masses or of individual attain-
ments, these must be based on a
developed chess literature. Each
individual nation's approach to
play, its mode of fighting, its
predilection for a particular style,
in short its 'school of chess' have
become known internationally,
through the printed word.
The most extensive and best
known 'chess schools' are the
English, American, Dutch, German,
Yugoslav, Russian and the
Hungarian. These have also
influenced each other. They have
clashed in the battles of tournament
practice and refined their art, yet
preserved their individuality. All
over the world hundreds of
thousands of chess players follow
the publications of these 'fashion-
houses' - just like readers of fashion
journals.
Nowadays everybody can have
access to the various encyclopaedias,
chess annuals, 'Informators', books
on opening theory, instruction
manuals and tournament bulletins.
Yet the choice of openings is still
influenced everywhere by the
current fashion. In the view of
Hungarian chess circles it is the
Batsford 'fashion house' that
vi
dictates the most modern opening
vogue through their very popular
series edited by R. G. Wade.
Obviously this contributes to the
fact that the most dynamic
developments of our age have been
shown by the English chess school.
I am sure that my opinion will be
vindicated in the foreseeable future
by the international successes of
the young English players and all
those following their school.
Although I have already put
behind me, as author or editor,
thousands of pages of chess
literature, nevertheless I was filled
with a special sense of respons-
ibility when I undertook to 'cut'
the suit of the Morra Gambit to fit
the Batsford series. I found final
encouragement from an experience
of a shopping expedition for
English clothes. In my suit, which is
the 'height of English fashion' and
has earned similar compliments
back in Hungary, I later found a tag
which informed me that the suit
was made far from Britain ...
Indeed, why should I not be able
to write a book cut to the English
fashion from Budapest?
I have tried, to the best of my
ability, to take into account the
achievements of the English chess
literature, especially that contained
in the Batsford opening series,
without radically changing my
methods and creative individuality,
which was fashioned by the
Hungarian school. Thanks to the
excellent translation into English
by my friend John Reti of London,
I was spared language difficulties.
I must mention a few behind-the-
scenes secrets. It is in the nature of
such books on the opening theory
that these are usually based on
existing tournament practice and
draw on previous volumes which
are then re-shaped, selected,
polished, adjudged and pontificated
upon.
The Morra Gambit however is a
large blank patoh on the maps of
opening theory. The majority of my
knowledgeable friends have tried to
dissuade me from undertaking this
work, telling me that this opening
is an impenetrable jungle where
the variations proliferate like the
festooning Iiana of tropical forests.
Before I could even attempt to
create this first book on the Morra
Gambit that is organised method-
ically in the modern manner as part
of a larger survey, I first had to map
this primaeval forest and cut
through it 'sight-paths' by sorting
out all available material which
then had to be methodically
appraised.
The Morra Gambit is theoretically
very important and has a reasonably
independent profile. Its date of
origin and the name of its 'inventor'
are lost in obscurity but, at any
rate, it was first recorded as played
in the Kieseritzky-Vitzhum game in
Paris in 1846 but without it being
regarded as a novelty by contemp-
orary sources. More than likely the
gambit is as old as the Sicilian
defence. The French-born chess
vii
player Morra drew attention to this
mode of play and therefore the
gambit was named after him in his
day. Ever since then many a well-
known grandmaster and corres-
pondence player has employed the
system. But as the child has already
got a 'name' there is no point in re-
naming him. The Morra Gambit did
not attract much attention as a
weapon for attack, as long as Black
had difficulty in defending against
attacks where the knight was centr-
ally placed on 'd4', and while
White's percentage of wins in
world tournaments came up to
expectation.
After the second world war how-
ever the Sicilian defence reached
such perfection that the attacker
was confronted with virtual strong-
holds. This has re-awakened the
interest of tacticallyminded players
in the Morra Gambit and the Gambit
has once more reared its head in
tournament play, causing some
surprises. It was also at this juncture
that the need to analyse scientif-
ically became apparent among chess
players and th is was met by the
increasing flood of chess literature.
In this respect the Morra lags
behind: in vain was there a wish for
an active gambit while there was no
comprehensive literature available
on the Morra which was consistent
with modern methods of preparat-
ion. The young contestants could
not undertake to spend years of
research on a single gambit
especially on one which has never
been analysed in book form
according to the standards of today 's
requirements.
Therefore the interest shifted
towards systems which had been
analysed and demanded less time
for preparation and this is basically
the position today. The publications
that have appeared hitherto are
scanty and they do not give binding
jurisdiction either on major theore-
tical questions nor on the minor
matters so important in the prepar-
ations of a tournament player, such
as the appraisal of the simplification
to a difficult end-game.
Prior to 1960, when I set up the
world record in blindfold simul-
taneous chess of 52 boards, and
which I repeated in many West
European exhibitions, I added the
Morra to my armoury of many
'sharp lines'. Since then for my own
amusement, I have read all the
material appearing in Swedish,
Yugoslav, Russian, English, German
and French newspapers and bullet-
ins and have been collecting related
games.
It never occurred to me then
that one day I should write the
viii
first modern book on this subject.
This has come about not through
me but through the frequent
encouragement received from Peter
Kemmis Betty, Batsford's managing
director, through the help given me
by R. G. Wade and through the
quick and accurate translation of
my friend Joh n Reti who now lives
in London.
I would like to thank them here
for all their help.
Here I also wish to thank all those
who sent me games and individual
analyses. I would be also grateful to
readers who could help me in the
compiling of further and improved
material for the second edition and
would be pleased to receive the
letters in English or in any other
European language.
I am convinced that the present
work, based on two decades of
experience and researches, will be
of benefit to all those whose style
and personality indicate that they
should play the Morra.
Janos Flesch
Hungary 1980
rntroduction
The Morra Gambit parts from the
Sicilian defence as early as the
second move and is a comprehens-
ive system, with a very rich tactical
and strategical content, abounding
in beautiful variations.
It is quite separate from systems
such as the Najdorf, Neo-Paulsen,
Scheveningen, 'Dragon', etc, which
arise out of further moves in the
Sicilian.
The Morra starts from the moves
1 e4 cS
2 d4 cd
3 c3
White offers the sacrifice of the
'c' pawn for a significant gain in
development, in order to open lines
and diagonals and finally to occupy
more space.
The real Morra Gambit comes
into being when Black accepts the
offered pawn. The 'Morra Gambit
Accepted' is discussed in 17 chapters
of our book with all the necessary
facts for a professional preparation.
One of the substantial differences
that separate the Morra from syst-
ems of the Sicilian defence will be
found in the characteristics of a
Gambit itself. In exchange for the
ix
sacrificed material the speedily
attacking side becomes menacing,
while the underdeveloped Black's
position is vulnerable.
It is characteristic of the set-up of
the White camp, that the king's
knight remains on f3. The attacker
foregoes the usual advantages of
having a base on d4, but has
sufficient compensation; the 'd' file
is bequeathed to the rook, which
mercilessly pounds on the backward
Black cd' pawn. The knight helps
even here by supporting the e4-eS
breakth rough.
The White bishops stand splendid-
lyon the open diagonals, while the
queen gets to e2 and there could be
no better place for her. In other
systems of the Sicilian defence the
rooks do not appear so early on the
central files, and this makes the
task of the underdeveloped defence
especially difficult. This is a perma-
nent problem to prevent a break-
through on the 'c' and 'd' files.
This gambit robs the defence of
one of the main advantages of the
Sicil ian, namely the queen 's freedom
of movement, which in other
systems causes much worry to the
attacker's set up. Here the problems
of the defence are increased by the
fact that the queen can hardly find
a safe place and because of her
exposed position the usual defensive
maneouvres fail against the Morra,
or at least are ineffectual.
White can speedily and un-
expectedly bring about a surplus of
strength on the wings, for he
securely controls the central battle-
field. The re-grouping of the de-
fensive forces is difficult in the
cramped position.
Black is not forced to accept the
sacrificed pawn; should he refrain,
the Morra Gambit Declined comes
into being, and the variations
arising here are substantially
different from the Gambit Accepted
A characteristic of all the
variations in the 'Declined' is that
they transpose into Alapin's Line,
the 2 c3 system of the Sicilian
defence, by a change in the order of
the moves. This is a still developing
opening which is quite in favour
recently.
Here I must refer to some import-
ant matters which usually go
unmentioned in books of opening
theory, the points concerning
preparation, chess psychology and
tournament tactics.
I start with a point on preparation.
If White studies thoroughly both
the Morra Gambit Accepted and
the 2 c3 system of the Sicilian
defence then he will be in
possession of an armoury which the
player of the Sicilian defence
x
cannot avoid. This is an advantage
for the play will proceed on lines
which the prepared player under-
stands thoroughly.
The practical side of the matter is
equally important: One need not
study all the available material that
now fills a library arising out of
subsequent moves which branch
out into lines and variations in
order to prepare oneself against
every actuality of the Sicilian
defence.
To this can be added the great
saving of time by the contestants in
gathering together the latest
information. If one only needs to
collect and study in the chess
journals the games relating to the
Morra Gambit and the 2 c3 Sicilian
then our time spent on them is
about one twentieth of that which
would be absolutely necessary if we
were to leave the choice of defence
to Black in the Sicilian.
In tournament chess, however,
the battles are not fought by
concrete systems and positions
themselves; these are merely the
weapons with which people fight.
Therefore we must take into
account matters of tournament
psychology and tactics during our
course of preparation. So we can
conclude that the Morra Gambit
is a dangerous weapon in the
hands of an enterprising and
healthily optimistic chess-player.
Obviously the gambit is little
suited to those who play chess
timidly.
1 Layout: Gambit Accepted

The most purposeful method of

studying an opening is not to try to
force one's way into the thick of
variations but at first to stroll
leisurely through the opening's
main avenue as if sight-seeing in a
foreign town.
By this we shall gain an overall
impression of the whole 'atmos-
phere of the opening. Only then,
after the preliminary survey, is it
advisable to concern ourselves with
the details. The 'main avenue' is
vital in the internal structure of
books on opening theory although
there are many reasonable systems Now is the right moment for this
used in world chess liturature in the move. There is not much point in
furtherance of simplest perusal, experimenting with a change in the
common understanding and ease of order of moves. After 2 ~f3 two
learning. In my book I have built branches prove this:
my own system of opening theory a) 2 ... ~c6 3 d4 cd 4 c3 dc 5 ~c3
upon the popular arrangement in d6 and the player, after a detour, is
the Batsford series. brought back to the main road.
My system fits in very well with b) 2 ... d6 3 d4 cd 4 d3 ~f6!
the spirit of the series and has and Black declines the gambit in
already proved successful in my very favourable circumstances.
two decades of experience as a Therefore 2 d4 is logical and good,
training instructor. if somebody wishes to play the
Before we begin our detailed Morra Gambit.
chapter-to-ehapter study let us take 2 ... cd
our introductory stroll along the Now two narrow paths lead to the
main avenue of the Morra Gambit Morra Gambit Declined:
2 Layout: Gambit Accepted
a) 2 e6 3 d5 i
b) 2 g6 i
I do not recommend either of
these side roads and in the Morra
Gambit Declined chapter I shall
give reasons in full detail.
3 c3
34Jf3 is the first side road worthy
of attention and has been trodden
by masters:
a) It is shown here that Black
comes to grief if by 3 ... e5? he
greedily grabs the proffered pawn.
b) The 'try' 3 ... "a5+ wastes too
many tempi.
c) More correct is to decline favour-
ably by 3 ... d6! 4 c3 4Jf6!
The 3 oilf3 move (see page 7) is
based on a trick. It is a dangerous
trap but can be avoided.
3 ... dc (2)
~:!.A',~,:~ 7
/ 4 )' • An interesting offshoot is discussed
1!.
,.M.. ,j
l1!.~~. ; .1!.,J'
. r:.... "'.:M., ~,... t1 I
~~ ~ ~t;;l'~ p .W ~.---J
Black has now irrevocably
entered the Morra Gambit Aec.epted
and is in possession of gained
material with the intention of
putting up a stubborn defence.
Taking the gambit pawn is not
obligatory - different replies bring
about the Morra Gambit Declined
which is basically the same as the
Sicilian 2 c3 complex with a change
of move order.
4 oilxc3
4 4Jf3 offering a further pawn is
over-stepping the mark. One must
not exhaust the gambit as if it were
an end in itself, and this is shown in
the 4 4Jf3 line (Chapter 3 p. 11).
4 ... 4Jc6
Of course, Black can make a
detour along other routes but from
most of them he must return (by a
change in the move order) to
traditional roads, otherwise he will
fail. The 4 ... ~c6 move is sooner or
later forced, for the open 'c' file
must be sheltered in the Morra
Gambit. Other placings of the
queen's knight we therefore dis-
regard. We are showing one side-
shoot and that is only as a warning
example! This is the 4 ... a6 line
(see page 11 ).
5 oilf3
in the 5 .Ilc4 line (see page 15) in
which the king's knight is irregularly
developed on e2.
5 d6
a) The 5 e6 line (see page 20)
shuts off at once the menacing
.Ilc4's diagonal, sheltering the weak
f7 field. At the same time he
prepares the development of .Ilf8.
b) The 5 ... g6 line (see page, 29 )
develops the bishop on the long
diagonal. This is a very entertaining
chapter, rich in tactical surprises.
Its study must not be neglected.
6 1k4

This is the bishop's main 'battle
station' in the Morra Gambit
Accepted, and it would be futile to
search for anything better.
6 ... e6 (3)
3 method of developing the king's
W knight.
A degree of caution is necessary,
for the sacrifice of the pawn is
rewarded by a vehement attack. It
is advisable to defend the weakest
square, the f7 field.
a) The 6 ... oilf6 line (see page 46).
Here Black 'nods on duty', for the
knight can only expect harrassment
from the bayonet-charging Ie'
pawn. Very interesting close fighting
characterises this chapter.
b) In the 6 ... a6 line Black learns
from the dangers of line a) and first
safeguards the vulnerable b5 break-
through point and delays the ~f6
move. In the a) and b) sub-variations
Black would like to achieve the ~g4
pin. But excruciating tactical blows
fall upon him for omitting the e6
move.
7 0-0
The 7 .a.f4 line (see page 57 I
commits the bishop too early.
7 ... ~f6
Layout: Gambit Accepted 3
a) Many maintain that this knight
move still holds dangers for Black;
some are worried by the ~5 pin,
others fear the break-through by
the 'e' pawn. The 7 ... ~ge7 line
(see page 61) discusses another
b) The 7 ... ~7Iine's (see page 67)
defensive plan is to place the king's
knight on the f6 base, but Black
wishes to prepare for this
thoroughly. The most characteristic
motif of this chapter is the queen's
attempt to move from her base
position, partly to escape the rook
on d1 and also because she wishes
to assist and direct the defence in
the forecourt of the centre. This
rather lengthy chapter is full of
beautiful combinations. Its detailed
study is absolutely essential and
will provide much aesthetic
pleasure.
8 li'e2(4)
4
B
White also develops the heavy
pieces. This is the White queen's
normal post in the Morra Gambit
Accepted. Other moves have also
4 Layout: Gambit Accepted
been played but they are meaning-
less and we shall not discuss them
in a separate chapter.
8 ~7
The 8 a6 line (see page 88 ) is
characterised by Black's efforts to
build a defensible base for the
queen. In this, the longest chapter,
brilliant combinations underline
White's advance in development.
Advanced Studies in Tactics!
9 Eld1
It would be difficult to find a
better plan than the attack on the
Cd' file.
9 ... e5 (5)
Most theoretical publications re-
gard this move as a decisive
refutation. In practice however, it
finds few followers. This is not
mere chance. The move itself fits
in, but it is no 'miracle cure'.
Should Black, on the advice of
'trade journals', put too much faith
in this move, he will be bitterly
disappointed. Black has not yet
equalised and must prepare himself
circumspectly for a lengthy siege.
5 to break-through the centre,
W however, looks promising.
It is also disliked in master practice
for the d5 point is surrendered too
early. Because of the weakened
pawn structure, even in the long
term the defence can only strive for
a draw. To be restricted to one's
own half of the field is dis-
advantageous psychologically, for
according to experience such
wretched conditions without
realistic prospect of success usually
produce an above average number
of mistakes.
Once Black has reached this
position we cannot advise any other
move, for all other side lines have
led to failure in tournament
practice. However, we cannot
neglect a thorough examination of
them.
a) The 9 ... a6 line (see page 113)
contains a preparatory move
enabling him to remove the queen
from the cd' file, but it comes too
late.
b) In the 9 ... 0-0 line (see page 113)
Black puts the king in safety,
hoping that this will bring nothing
worse than the return of the
material he gained. White's attempt
c) In the 9 ... 'fIc7 line (see page
115) Black removes the queen from
the cd' file, accepting the risks of
the <£lb5 move. However, trouble
comes from another source.
d) The 9 ... .I1d7 line. Here he builds
a seemingly stubborn bulwark. But
the attack against the king and
queen stranded in the centre sweeps
all before it (see page 116).

10 h3
Safeguards against the .Q.g4 pin.
Almost equal to this is the 10 ~3
line (see page 121). Many advocate
this continuation for it is a well
thought-out method of play with
sure foundations in tactics and
strategy.
10 ... 0-0
At last the king is in safety.
11 ~3 (6)
6 After 1 e4 c5 2 d4 cd 3 c3 dc 4
B 6clxc3 1£lc6 5 0:£1f3 d6 6 -'lc4 e6 7 0-0
White calmly finishes his develop-
ment, while Black has not resolved
his queen's fate and position.
a) The 11 ~5 line's (see page 128)
aim is to over-load the Black bishop
with this pin and then regain the 'd'
pawn. But the attacker has shot all
his ammunition to achieve this par
partial success.
b) In the 11 b3 line (see page 125)
he would like to deploy the queen's
bishop against the d6 pawn. But to
do this, he loses time and Black
equalises.
c) The 11 b41ine (see page 126) is
an interesting attempt for the
liquidation of the c6 knight base.
Layout: Gambit Accepted 5
Black seeks counterplay on the 'c'
file.
11 ... ~6 (7)
A natural developing move. Its
virtue is that it neutralises the
dangerous -'lc4 and controls the
weak d5 field.
The 11 ... a6 line (see page 130)
is a failed experiment, whose main
fault lies in the weakness of the b6
square. White cannot let this go
unpunished in lines following 9 ...
e5.
.flf6 8 'lte2 $1e7 9 lad1 e5 10 h3 0-0
11 .Q.e3 .Q.e6 (7) we have reached
the end of the main avenue.
White still holds the advantage,
for, although Black has reduced
most of his handicap in develop-
ment, his heavy pieces are not
yet connected and stand passive.
At the end of the main avenue
three more roads have been built
into tournament practice which
lead well into the middle game.
These the reader must explore by
himself:
6 Layout: Gambit Accepted
a) The 12 ~e6 line (see page 132)
where White wishes to exploit the
doubled 'e' pawns.
b) The 12 .Qb5line (see page 133)
is an interesting experiment which
shows that new ideas are still
plentiful; and many ideas are still to
be discovered in this variation.
c) In the 12 §ac1 line (see page
135) according to the present
state of my researches White can
retain the initiative right to the
endgame, but I do not maintain
that the defence is hopeless. Here
both camps can make substantial
improvements, and there is a large
area for research.
Now that we have reached the
end of our preliminary survey, I
shall try to answer a question which
I am frequently asked: Why do
competitors follow the main lines
of the various openings? What
induces them to do so in tourna-
ment practice?
The clearest explanation is that
chess is a game of war. Very many
small factors contribute to
determine the movement of armies,
both in the history of war and in
chess, the routes they use and the
place and time of the confrontations
and battles. The history of war and
the game of chess both conform to
certain laws. To give an example,
Napoleon would still have been in a
losing position even if he had won
at Waterloo!
In the Morra Gambit Accepted
the armies of the two camps - if
they play the best moves • are
obliged to proceed on paths
determined by the structure of the
opening.
The defence can also provoke
earlier battles, these are in fact
discussed as seperate 'lines'. I hope
the reader will derive great benefit
from a deep analysis of this
material.
2 The 3 ttJf3 Line

1 e4 c5 'given opportunities' of the 3 <fiB

2 d4 cd line:
3 "3 (8) A 3 e5?
B 3 ih5+?

~ ['A:fl,~r::~1 Naturally, nothing forces the

defender to indulge in 'pawn-
snatching':
a) 3 .., ~6 4 c3 dc 5 4lxc3 and
now the game is back on the rails of
the Morra Gambit.
b) 3 ... d6! 4 c3 <fIf6! and by this
sequence of moves Black can reach
a favourable variation in the Morra
Gambit Declined.
A
White at once departs from the 3 ... e5? (9)
usual path in the Morra Gambit,
deciding to postpone the c3 move.
This might lure the defence into a
trap while he is under the spell of
his own attempts to gain a pawn.
The disadvantage of the 3 <fiB
line is that it possesses no 'forcing'
power. If Black .is theoretically
well-informed he will not take the
'poisoned fruit' and he might also
refrain if he follows his instinct
advising him to caution.
Now in two sub-variations we The flaw in the move is obvious:
shall discuss Black's attempts to it fatally weakens the a2-g8
gain a material advantage in the diagonal.
8 The 3 tiJf3/ine

Because of this the weak f7 field .axf6 11 'fIh5 ~g5 12 ~g5 'fIb6
is a target for attack: 13 !::lad 1 ± Because of the threat of
4 c3 de 14 Etd3 Black's position is hopeless.
5 ~c3 c2) 7 ... Axc3 8 bc d6 9 ~3 .Q.g4 (9
It is futile to experiment with yet ... rJJe7 10 ~gS ~h6 11 'fIdS Etf8 12
another pawn sacrifice instead of Etad1 ±!:) 10 Etab1 b6 (10 ... 'fId7
continuing the preparations for the 11 h3 ~h5 12 Etb2 ~f6 13 'ltb1 b6
attack on the weak f7 square. 14 !::ld1 ~f3 lS Etxd6 'fIc7 16
Examples after 5 .Qc4? cb 6 .axb2: Etxc6 ±!:) 11 ~d6 ~f6 12 ~bS
a) 6 ... ~c6 7 0-0 d6 8 {)c3 ~e6 9 Etc8 13 Ete1! .axf3 14 gf 'fId7 lS
4Jd5 ~f6 10 ite2 Jle7 11 ~g5 ~d7? Etb2 ~g8 16 Etd2 ~ge7 17 ~e7
(11 ... fud5 12 Cill<e6 ~f4! 13 fuf4 'fIxe7 18 Etd6 ±± Gereben-Sallay,
ef 14 ~g7 Etg8 15 ~b2 ~f6:o; 11 Budapest 1954.
... itd7!?) 12 Cill<e6 fe 13 ~f4 ef 14 6 ~4 ~c6 (TO)
~g7 <fXIe5 15 .axh8 (15 ith5+ a) 6 ... h6 7 ~f7+!! '!ixf7 8 ~e5+
&'d716 ~e6+'\tlc7! +i=) 15 f3:o '!ie 7 9 4JdS+ '!ie6 10 'fIgS+ \tIxeS
b) 6 ... d6 7 Cill<eS 'tta5+ (7 de?? 11 ~f4+ \tld4 (11 ... \tIxe4 12 ~3+
8 ~f7+ '!ie7 9 ~3+ ±!:) 8 ~c3 '<&d4 13 Jle3+ rJJe5 14 ~d4 mate)
'ltc5 9 ~f7+ '$Je7 10 itb3 ~h6 11 12 .Q.e3+ \tieS 13 itf4+ '!ie6 14 'fIfS
~4 ~6 12 ~d3 itg5 13 ~d2 ± mate Krogius-Ojanen, Helsinki
Andreasyek-GobeI1919. 1951.
c) 6 ... .Ilb4+! 7 ~3 ~c3 8 ~c3 b) 6 .,. .11e6 7 ~e6 fe 8 itb3 'fId7 9
~6 9 itb3 'fIe7 10 0-0 ~f6. Black ~g5 '$Je7 10 ~e6 ±!:.
hopes that his development will
slowly righten itself, whilst he 1O~'~'~~~';~ :~/
retains some of his material w .:t' .t. ~d: .:t
advantage and can assert this in the c.~~~_~
end. The 'b' pawn sacrifice does - •
Y0~
~./."0' 't~.
~
__ /.
not further the attack and should , . W;r:di __ io/fl'
c_'10 05;';'
be dismissed as too risky. [ _~/~;;if.
S ..• d6 ~,/j~ ttJ
5 ... ~6 6 ~c4 and Black does
not escape here either: Iif. . fC" it
a) 6 ... ~7?? 7 itdS itc7 8 itxf7+ rL
,=_=:a...::::,---"""",,,---~
.d8 9 itxg7 ~f6 10 'ttf8 mate.
Crackthorpe-Maddox, Australia 7 ~5 ~h6
1933. 8 0-0 ~4
b) 6 ." .a.cS? 7 ~f7+ ±. 9 .Q.xf7+ ~xf7
c) 6 ... .Ilb4 7 0-0 10 itxg4 ~xgS
c1) 7 ." ~f6 8 ~d5 ~e7 9 ~gS 0-0 11 Axg5 ~7
(9 ... fud5 10 'fIxd5 ±!:) 10 fuf6+ 12 Axe7 itxe7
 The 3 CiJf3 line 9

13 <ild5 .d7 stages is contrary to the basic

14 ith5+ g6 concepts of the game. The attacker
15 ith4 .g7 can lay his plans for a lightning
15 ... 'itd8 also fails because of 16 attack against both the king stranded
ilt'h6.a5 17 b4 fub4 18 'Uig7 0-0-0 in the centre and the awkwardly
19 laab 1 Bondarevsky-Petersson, placed queen.
USSR 1959. 4 c3!
16 <ilf6+ '&Jd8 The gambit must be played in a
17 f4 ac8 gambit style! Timid attempts work
18 <ild5+ '&Je8 out badly:
19 ith3 ~e7 a) 4 <ilbd2? ~6 5 .Q.c4 e6 6 0-0
20 &c1 !Ixc1 'itb6 7 a3 a5 8~b3.Q.c5 + (Kmoch)
21 !Ixc1 <ilc6 b) 4 .Q.d2? 'Uib6 5 ~3 ~6 6 4Jc4
Another ending: 21 .., 'Uif7 22 *c7 +.
~c8+ fuc8 23 'Uixc8 mate. 4 ... dc
22 .e6+ '&Jd8 4 ... ~f6 can hardly be right: 5 e5
23 .xd6+ 1:0 dc 6 4Jxc3 ~4 7 .l1f4 ~c3 8 'Uid2
Bondarevsky-Kasparian, USSR ~c6 9 bc and White stood better in
1937. the Gik-Hodes, USSR 1965
The A sub-section proves that the encounter. Worth attention how-
3 ... e5 pawn-snatching attempt is ever, is an idea by the author:
doomed to failure. White can improve with 7 'Uid5, e.g.
B 7 ... 'l*xd5 8 ~d5 ®d8 9 .Q.d3 4Jc5
10 ~2 i.
5 <ilxc3 <ilc6
5 ... ~f6 6 .Q.d2 4Jc6
a) 7 .Q.e2 d6 8 0-0 a6 9 I'!c1 t
Rosenblatt-Forintos,1956.
b) 7 .Q.c4! ±
6 Ac4 e6
7 0-0 a6
8 .Q.f4 b5
8 ... <ilge7 is no comfort to Black:
9 a3 "!Jg6 10 b4 .Q.xb4? 11 ab 'Uixb4
12~b5!
a) 12 ... ~xf413 laa4'Uie7144:lc7+
During the confusion caused by ~d8 15 ~a8 b5 16 laa2! bc 17
the check, he intends to grab the 'itc1 ~g6 18 'itxc4 .Q.b7 19 lab1!
pawn while he may. The big dis- .Q.xa8 20 laxa6 ~c7 21 Eta7+ ±!:.
advantage of the move is that b) 12 ... 0-0 13 laa4 'ttb2 14 .Q.c1
deploying the queen in the early 'Uif6 15 .l1g5 'Uib2 16 .l1b3 ~ge5 17
10 The 3 00 line

<f:ld2 €Ib4 18 ~e 7 €lec6 19 4X4 1:0 itxg7 €Ig6 18 ~fe1+ ~e719 ~f7+
Bialas-Hofmeister, 1958. 1:0 Sapi-Szabadi, Hungary 1954.
9 Ab3 Ab4 12 ed 0-0
10 Ac1 fi)ge7 (12) 13 dc ~c6
14 ~g5 h6
15 ~f7 !txf7
16 itd5 ±±
The B sub-section has nothing
good to offer the defender.

11 ~d5!
This typical knight sacrifice in the
Morra Gambit is a proof of the
failure of Black's defensive plans.
Both the king and queen are in
trouble!
11 ... ed
11 ... ~a 7 12 a3 ~a3 13 ba ed
14 ed 'M'xa3 (14 ... 0-015 dcfuc6
16 ~d6 ~e8 17 ~f7+ ~xf7 18
€lg5+ ~6 19 itd3+ ~xg5 20 ~c5+
±±) 15 dc dc 16 itd4! ~d7 17
Conclusion:
The 3 €If3 line is based on a trap
into which Black must not fall.
Instead the defence can choose
between two good plans:
a) He can transpose the game into
the Morra Gambit Declined by the
change of moves: 3 ... ~6 4 c3 dc
5fuc3.
b) More awkward for White is the 3
... d6! reply. Here he either avoids
the Morra Gambit or after 4 c3
~f6! Black forces a transposition to
a favourable variation in the Morra
Gambit Declined.
Taking everything into account
the deployment of the 3 ~f3 line is
not advisable should White really
want to play the Morra Gambit.
3 4ID Move Divergences
1 e4 c5 2 d4 cd 3 c3 dc (13)
~ ~ ~ ??P//;
131kB ·~.,~§,.<t!J.'.'~'~1
w ~/ .1:__ .1: "t ..1: ~ ..1:
"'/1
I
,-~, ?7
./~ 'it~
:~<p~~ . ~ ~.,l
40
8
,4
•.
~
~j:;
/..~
. ,ttJ ~~ j ~r- ~1
4 Cilxc3
The audacious 4 'tif3, sacrifici ng a
further pawn, lacks the basic
requirements which usually ensure
a gambit's success. Black's position
is reasonably secure and by using
his great material superiority he can
flexibly respond to the gambit's
requirements, 4 ... cb 5 ~b2 e6!
(This move protects the weak f7
field against tactical thrusts.) 6 .ac4
and now:
a) 6 '" b6 7 0-0 .Q.a6 8 'tibd2 ~c4
9 fuc4 'tif6 10 ~f6 ~xf6? (10 ...
gf is obviously better) 11 e5 'itf4 12
lacl 'tic6 13 4Jd6+ ~d6 14 'itxd6
lad8 (14 ... 'itb4 15 laxc6! :tt) 15
lafdl 'ite4 16 4Jd4 fud4 17 Elxd4
~e2 18 h4 ~b5 19 a4 1:0 Gaudin-
de Gency, corres 1925.
b) 6 ... ita5+ 7 'tibd2 'tif6 80-0 4Jc6
9 .ab3 ~h5? 10 e5 'tig4 11 4Jc4 b6
12 lcld6+ ~d6 13 'ltxd6 .ab7 14
lafdl lad8 15 ,aa4 'tih6 16 .aa3 'tif5
17 ~c7 .aa8 18 Elxd7 laxd7 19
.! 'ltc8+ 1 :0 Hellgren-Soderlung,
Uppsala 1967.
c) 6 ... .I1b4+! (This development
40 ~ '.. ~.'. '
.u...l~~' with a gain of tempo is even more
appropriate as it blocks the al-h8
diagonal as White's knight is forced
to c3.) 7 'tic3 4Je 7! Th is mom entary
'interruption of service' on the long
diagonal is sufficient nevertheless
for Black to secure his king's safety.
Naturally White obtains the
initiative in the opening stages but
he is not fully compensated for his
loss of material. The attack stops,
but the pressing material dis-
advantage remains and slowly but
surely proves decisive. The 4 'tif3
line is no more than an irresponsible
adventure for White.
4 ... a6 (14)
Black starts a counter-action in
the early stages of the opening. In
advancing his queenside with a gain
of tempo he hopes to have found
12 4th Move Divergences

the right remedy against the interest. (As in the 6 ... a6 line or in
strongly placed .Qc4. the 8 ... a6 line.)
5 e6
6 cilf3 bS
7 ~3 .Q.b7
The threat is b5-b4 and the
destruction of the e4 pawn. White
can choose between the sharp
tactical skirmish 'A' and the safer
defence of the pawn 'B':
A 80-0
B 8lte2
A

Black's aim is therefore to put

pressure on the e4 pawn by quickly
developing the queen's bishop on
the wing. Possibly, with the further
advance of the 'b' pawn he could
chase away the knight defending
the king's pawn. Should White put
a stop to this plan by a4, then
Black can transpose into the later
discussed 6 ... a6 line or 8 ... a6 line
in which the move a4 is superfluous.
The correct procedure for the
attacking side is to complete his White is unworried by the pawn
development quickly. The black advance b5-b4 because he has
king stranded in the centre is an already made up his mind to the
excellent target because Black, who audacious sacrifice of the knight
is behind in development, has on d5.
wasted important tempi in the 8 ••• .Q.c5
queenside action to the cost of his 9 .Qg5
king's safety. Safer and possibly stronger is 9
5 ik4 ih2!
It would be senseless to depart 9 .•. ~7
from the proven method of 10 Af4 b4
development in the Morra Gambit. 10 ... d6, with a later e6-e5 and
After 5 a4 Black can choose any of 41f6 is also a possible plan.
the systems where the outside 11 <ild5! ed
pawn's move does not serve White's 12 ed d6
 4th Move Divergences 13

13 Ue1 ~8
After 13 ... 4Jf6 Black is in a
strait-jacket and has no useful
reply to i:te2 and Ud1-d3.
14 41d4 g6
15 Uc1 .1lg5
There is nothing better. The
threat is i:tf3.
16 .Q.xg5 'ltxg5
17 Uc7 Axd5 (J6)

skirmish until such time as his

entirely developed army can take
part:
8 ... £J£7
Develops, and 'shields' the king.
This is overdue as the early action

l
'11:
f
dv'v1J "/
,d0Jg~~£
1t
on the queenside has delayed
making the king's position safe.
This can no longer be ignored as the
18 *t3! "hb3 two following warning examples
19 !lxf7+! .Q.xf7 illustrate:
20 41e6+ 1:0 a) 8 ... 'i'c7 9 0-0 ~c6 10 E!d1 d6
Tatarinchev-Shemcov, USSR 1966. 11 ~f44Jf612 E!ac1 fie7134Jd5!
In the A section both sides can ed 14 ed 0-0 15 dc fic8 16 E!e1 E!a7
improve their position. However 17 ~e3 E!a8 18 fid4 fid8 19 4Jg5
the lesson of the miniature game is h6 (19 ... d5 20 ~5 E!e8 21 i:txe8+
indisputable: Black is under- ±!:) 20 4Jxf7 E!xf7 21 .Q.xf6 .Q.xf6
developed and is tactically 22 -tWe8+ ±!: Lazarevich-Hrasovec,
vulnerable because of the wasted Zombor 1956.
tempi of his queenside adventure. b) 8 .,. ~4 9 0-0 .Q.xc3 10 bc ~7
B 11 &3 4Jbc6 12 E!fd1 -tWaS 13 i:t'b2
8 'i'e2 (J7) E!d8 14 Cild4 4Je5 (14 ... 4Jxd4 15
White avoids risks involved in cd .Q.xe4 16 d5 ed 17 ~d5 .Q.xd5
sacrificing the knight. He defends 18 E!xd5 4Jxd5 19 i:t'e5+ ±!:) 15 f4
the pawn on the ground that the Cilg4 16 fib4 i:tb6 17 -tWa3 4Jc6 18
queen's place is on the e2 field .Q.c5 i:t'a5 19 i:tb2 d6 20 ~3 4Jxd4
anyway. 21 E!xd4 i:t'b6 22 \t'h 1 .Q.xe4 23
Therefore, he delays the tactical i:t'e2 fif5 24 h3 Cilf6 25 g4 -tWc6+ 26
14 4th Move Divergences

eh2 ae4 27 g5 ilf3 28 ite3 eg8 29 a) 15 lflxf7? ilxh 2+ 16 ~h 1

Elf1 ilh5 30 ~e6! fe 31 'l'h'xe6+ '3ixf7 +.
ti:Je7 32 Ele1 itc7 33 Elxd6 Eld7 34 b) 15 Axd6? itxd6 16 4lxb5
itxd7+ itxd7 35 Elxd7 ~d7 36 b1) 16 ... ab? 17 itxb5+ '3ie7 18
Elxe7+ ec6 37 f5 Eld8 38 Elxg7 itxb7+ eel7 19 Eld1 ±t.
Eld7 39 Elxd7 1:0 Matulovic- b2) 16 ... itcS? 17 4lxf7! ~xf7 18
Scocco, Ferrara 1954. White could *xe6+ ~g6 19 4)(16 ~d5 20 itf5+
have won more quickly. '3ih6 21 lUf7+ .Qxf7 22 ~xc5 1:0
9 0-0 d6 Holdosi-Apati, Hungary 1960.
10 ad1 1£lc6 b3) 16 ... ~6! +.
11 a.f4 ~f6 15 ... ab
12 .Q.xd6 16 itxb5+
A good variation, but 12 e5! lUh5 16 Elxd6 itxd6 17 itxb5+
13 ~3 seems much stronger. a) 17 ... <lJe7 18 *xb7+ 4)(17 19
12 ... ~d6 Eld1 ±.
13 e5 ~e5 b) 17 ... a.c6! and the attack stops.
14 ~xe5 itc7 (18) 16 <lJe7
14 ... 0-0 15lUxf7 Elxf7 16 itxe6! 17 Elitc1 ~8
±t. 18 Axd6 ~xd6
18 ... ~xd6 19itxb7+ ±t.
19 itcS mate.

Conclusion
Naturally, in the 4 ... a6 line there
can be further branches besides the
ones discussed here. But the two
illustrated examples in the A and
B sections show that the early
initiative on the queenside has left
Black with a considerable dis-
15 4)xbSI advantage and White is well ahead
Other branches: both tactically and strategically.
4 The 5 ~c4 Line
1 e4 cS 2 d4 cd 3 c3 dc 4 <ilxc3 <ilc6
5 ~4(79)
The early bishop's move, followed
by the move i£lge2, creates a system
on its own. In the Morra Gambit
the king's knight is usually stationed
on f3. The i£lge2 placing means a
new type of strategy. White fore-
goes the attack on the queenside
and reserves all forces for the
assault on the king's position. Black
can only castle 'short'. Therefore
the f4 pawn at full tilt can become
a dangerous tactical weapon.
Naturally, we must not forget
the 5 .Q.c4 line's disadvantages: now
that the knight is on the second
rank (instead of the customary
.£if3) he controls fewer squares.
Black is also less vulnerable on his
e5 and g5 points. The knight
reaches his destination, the g3 base,
with a loss of tempo. This lost time
is difficult to regain in the course of
playing a gambit.
We now illustrate the following
variations which stem from the
alternatives available to the defence.
A 5 e6
B 5 d6
A
5 ... e6
Normal developing move, which
blocks the bishop's path to the
weak f7 field on the dangerous
a2-g8 diagonal. Black temporarily
holds back the Cd' pawn, expecting
the 6 .£ige2 continuation. For after
thorough preparation he can answer
the 6 .£ige2 move by the 'shot'
d7-d5. (Moreover without making
the d6 move.)
6 <ilge2 <ilf6 (20)
Now the section divides as
follows tracking two interesting
games:
A1 7.£ig3
A2 70-0
16 The 5 ~4line

piece are sufficient compensation,

but in the intervening middle game
the side with the piece-superiority
will force the decision.
b) The second defensive plan 14 ...
.Qcs cannot be recommended
because .Q.e7 is needed in the defence
and will prove a loss of time after
lS ~cS, viz.
b1) lS ... bc 164JxdS!? ed 17 laxdS
i6'b6 18 laxd7 'ltxbS 19 .£lhS g6
b11) 20 't'tgS gh 21 Elf3! (21 'ltf6+
A1 '\tlg8 22 e6 'ltc4 or 22 ElB fueS!)
7 filg3 21 ... .£le7 (21 ... 4JxeS 22 i6'xeS+ f6
White considers the development 23 laxh7+! \t'xh7 24 'ltxhS+ ~7
of the pieces more urgent than 2S Elg3 mate) 22 'ltxe7 (22 Elb3??
castling. i6'e2 ++) 22 ... .Ilxf3 23 m6+ ~8
7 ... ~7 24 e6 iD'c4 =
Black is not satisfied with mere b12) 204)f6! ±.
equality! 7 ... dS! 8 ed ed 94JxdS b2) lS ... filxcS 16 .Ilxc6 .Ilxc6 17
fudS 10 'ltxdS .Q.b4+ 11 .Q.d2 fS ±.
~d2+ 12 'ltxd2 iD'xd2+ 13 ~xd2 c) 14 ... g6 lS .Ilxc6! (lS 4JxdS? ed
0-0 the endgame position is equal. 16 ElxdS .£lf6! 17 ef iD'xdS 18 fe
8 ~3 0-0 fue7 19 i6'h3 i6'xbS ++) lS ...
9 0-0 b6 .Ilxc6 16 .ad4 ,Q,cS 17 h4 and White
Continues his preparations for the holds the initiative.
d7-dS 'shot'. lS filxdS fS! (21)
10 f4 dS lS ... ed 16 4::lfS g6 17 .£lxe7 fue7
11 ~S 18 ~d7 ±:!:.
11 ed?~S! 12.ad3ed f:
11 ..• ~7
21
12 eS fild7 W
12 ... d4 is too risky:
a) 13 .Qxc6? .Ilxc6 14 ~d4 .£ldS =
b) 13 ef .Ilxf6 (13 ... .acS??14
iD'g4! i6'xf6 lS .£lce4 ±) 14 i6'a4
f!Jc7 lS 4:lce4 ±.
13 _4 ~8
14 §ad1 i6'c8
a) 14 ... lflcxeS lS fe 4JxeS 16 i6'hS
±. In the endgame 3 pawns for a
 The 5 ~4line 17

16 ef! Improvement by the author.

It is too early to simplify because Other paths are less lucky:
White will have to fight for equality a) 20!!xc5
in the ensuing endgame, e.g.: 16 a1) 20 ... <i:\e5 21 !axc8 fug4 with a
tiJxe7 fue7 17 ~d7 sharp position.
a) 17 fg 18 .axc8 a2) 20 .., lld8 (Taimanov) 21 lah5
a1) 18 Axc819<tle4<£id5 20 ild2 llb6+ 22 ~1 <tld4 and Black
.Q.a6 21 laf2 .Q.d3 = attains his counter-attack.
a2) 18 ... Elaxc8! 19 lad7 <£Id5 20 b) 20 ith5? tiJe7 21 !axc5 itd8!
~c1 ~ but not 20 laxb7 fue3 21 Black has obtained tactical chances
lae1 laxf4 22 <£Ih5 laf5 23 fug7 and won the game by utilising his
laxe5 +t. superior strength. (Ozsvath-
b) 17 ... llc2! 18 lle2 = but not 18 Taimanov, Hungary 1965)
llh3 €Id5 19 ilc1 laad8 20 ~e6 20 Af7
tiJxf4 and Black is clearly winning. 21 !!xc5 itd8
16 ... ~f6 22 l'txe6:!±
17 <i:\xf6 gf The Black defence has collapsed.
17 ... ~f6 18 <£ie4 ~ In the A 1 main line Black can
18 Elc1! enforce the draw, if instead of 7 ...
This is dismissed by earlier fJ.e7 he chooses to play the 'shot' 7
analysis, nevertheless it is the best ... d5. The d7-d5 manoeuvre, made
continuation. Other paths: after an over-elaborate preparation
a) 18 f5 <£ie5 = is not so effective now, because
b) 18 <i:\h5 lag8 19 llh3 (19 *h4? White in the meantime has gained
€Id4!! +t) 19 ... €Ib4 (19 ... 4:ld4 20 much space.
.axd4 :!±) 20 laf2 €Id 5 =. For this reason the A 1 main
18 ... .1l.c5 variation will disappoint White if he
Reduces the unbearable pressure. plays for a win.
19 .Q.xc5 bc A2
20 41h5! (22) 7 0-0
22li11*:? _.~1 The logical continuation, for in
this system castling can hardly be
!.~i~:1
B
[-~A~+ :l i,
.~..
r/
tZJ
omitted.
7 ... a6!
The push a6-b5 is a happier
l i~' ," ~~. solution for the development of the
queenside than the earlier discussed
b6 followed by ~b7 as played in the

E
'i",-: ('

""
A 1 main variation. It is true that
two tempi are needed but one tempo
is returned by chasing the ~4.
18 The 5 Ik4/ine

8 a3 bS
9 ~2 Ab7
The queen needs this field!
Anyhow, later on Black will make
the move d7-d6. It would be better
to make the move now. The bishop
can be developed to d7, reserving
the b7 square for the queen.
10 ~f4 ~7
11 41g3
11 e5? 4Jh5! 12 'ttd2 4J.xf4 13
'ttxf4 'ttb8! ++.
11 ... d6 Summary:
A necessary safeguard, for 11 Black has extricated himself.
0-0 12 e5 gives too much space for White must fight tooth and nail to
White. gain compensation for his sacrificed
12 i6'e2 0-0 pawn. In the A2 main variation
13 Alfd 1 i6'b8 Black halts White's attack and, with
14 Ald2 41eS circumspect care, can take over the
1S Alad1 i6'c7? initiative.
15 ... Etd8! was necessary. B
16 ~g5 Alfd8 S ... d6
17 f4 41c4 Black, despite the possibility of
18 Ald3 Elac8 4Jge2, does not deviate from the
19 fS customary defensive strategy against
The critical position. The "f' the Morra Gambit: the d6-e6
pawn's bayonet-eharge has been formation.
carried through. Up to this stage 6 41ge2 e6
the course of this game is identical 7 0-0 ~7
with Basman-Corden, England 8 4)g3 4)f6
1972. 9 i6'e2 a6
19 ... i6'b6+ (23) 10 ae3 bS! (24)
a) In the above mentioned Basman- The 4Je2-4Jg3 manoeuvre caused a
Corden game 19 ... as? 20 Wh 1 .\la6 loss of time. Moreover, the knight
21 fe fe 22 e5!? de 23 ~f6 ~f6 on the g3 base is somewhat distant
24 4Jge4 took place, an interesting from the main theatre: the centre.
but double-edged continuation. Black uses the breathing space in
b) 19 ... eS 20 ~f6 ~f6 21 the pressure for a tempo-gaining
4Jh5 ±. counter-action.
20 'lfh1 b4 The mechanical 4Je5 manoeuvre
21 ab i6'xb4~ fails here: 10 ... 4Je5 11 ~b3 b5 12
 The 5 :U4line 19

24~ :A~.~~m
W ~~ A :.t & :.t
l:.t .~ ~:.t~.A. .
i 1":.t ,
k~,.ft --'i7

~ ~ ~ Gb~
.ftit1. :_~~ ~ft:i~
,~!J 'l .§. ~.
""t==------'_ 'i't

£lfd1 'ltJc7 13 £lac1 itb814 h3 .Q.d7

15 f441g6 16 41h5 41xh5 (16 ... 0-0
17 41xf6+ .Q.xf6 18 e5 ±) 17 itxh5
'l!'tb7 18 f5 b4? 1·9 4::ld5 £lac8 20
£lxc8 .Q.xc8 21 1la4+ ~f8 22 fg ed
23 itxh 7! £lg8 24 1le8! fg 25 itxg6 The B subdivision is also un-
1lf6 26 .Q.f4 itb6+ 27 ~h1 1le628 inviting for the attacking side.
ed 1:0 Ozsvath-Negyesy, Hungary
1960.
11 Ab3 !ld7!
The b7 square is the ideal place Summary:
for the queen in this system. If the The 5 1lc4 line is an interesting
bishop occupies that field the patch of colour in the theory of the
queen will be hard put to find a Morra Gambit. If it comes as a
safe base. surprise it might disturb the
12 Afd1 itb8 defender, but with careful play it
13 !lac1 itb7 cannot cause a serious problem for
14 f4 0-0 Black.
5 The 5...e6 Line
The move e7-e6 is Black's usual
ploy in the 'normal' Sicilian
Defence. It is a known method
of defence against the Morra
Gambit. The move shields the weak
f7 field from the attacking bishop
on its way to the a2-g8 diagonal.
Black thus diminishes the chances
of a tactical coup.
Another advantage of the move is
that it frees the f8 bishop's path
and at the same time allows a more
practical use of the g8 knight.
We shall see in further chapters
that the f6 base for the knight,
which is reliable in the Sicilian
Defence, is not as safe in the Morra
Gambit because of White's time-
advantage.
In the 5 ... e6 line Black has the
choice of placing 41ge7 on g6: and
this is the most interesting defensive
plan. The shadowy side of this safer
knight-base is that Black lags
further behind as the knight's
development requires two moves.
Advocates of the 5 ... e6 line rely
heavily on the fact that the e6
move is well-proven in the 'normal'
Sicilian Defence. Why should not
this be so here with a pawn to the
good?
This is a lame piece of reasoning
for White has gained time in
exchange for his gambit pawn. In
chess the saying: 'He who gains
time - wins life' frequently comes
true.
6 .11c4 (27)
Chief variations after 6 af4:
a) 6 ... a6 7 e5! 41ge7 8 ad3 41g6 9
ag3 ,*c71 00-0
a1) 10 ... CLlgxe5 11 4Jxe5 4Jxe5 12
~c1l'Wb8 13 .fld5 ed 14 axeS d6 15
ad4±.
a2) 10 ... ~711 ~e1 0-012h4dS
13 ed .llxd6 14 .llxd6 itxd6
a21) 15 ~g6 itxd1 16 Shf7+ ±
 The 5 ... e6/ine 21

Ivkov-Fuderer, Zagreb 1955. a6 move brings tactical dangers in

,122) 15 h5 ~d8 16 hg'ltxd3 17 gf+ its wake.
,vJxf7 18 {le5+! (18 {lg5+ ±) 18 ... 7 .1lg5!
(t\xe5 19 ifl'h5+ ±. This pin cripples the black knight
h) 6 ... d6! 7 Sk4 !l.e7 8 0-0~f6 9 and produces weaknesses in the
UYe2 e5 =. Black with a gain of defence's camp.
tcmpo has reached safety. There is 7 ... f6
no reason why White should depart a) 7 ." h6? 8 {lb5 d5 9 ed ed 10
from the moves .ac4 - 'lte2 - ~d1 -'1f4 ±!:.
rcgarded as ideal in the Morra, b) 7 .., d6? 8 ~5 ±!:

27
H !AJ:
-J.
therefore 6 !l.f4 is to be dismissed.

[.a. '. ~'

?i'~~',j

~·~'w.
,~c
J:
...'. ~'"
• ':~'~.'~
:1:0l.J:
~l
c) 7 ... a6 8 0-0 leads to the D sub-
division.
8 .Qe3
9 0-0
~g6
~7

.~
10 ite2
.. J: . j 10 .Q.b3 was tried in the Basman-
Burgener, Orebro 1966, game but
1~~A.ft_ ,. '1 both sides played badly in the

m ttJ
!1;t' ~,~m/, ,,~~ t..,~~",_,;
/ '~_:.M, &it _ _-'%' '-'
IS ~w 0 ~g3
Now - depending on Black's
reply - we shall discuss the following
variations:
A 6 {lge7
B 6 !l.b4
C 6 !l.c5
o 6 a6
6 ... d6 7 0-0 merge with games
which will be discussed in later
chapters.
A a) 11 a6? 12 !l.xe6+ ±!: .
6 oilge7
The thinking behind this move
originates from the period when
Black most feared the -'1f4 - 'lWd2 -
~d1 formation. Namely, after 7
.llf4 the {lg6 move gains a tempo.
In practice, however, to omit the
continuation: 10 ... 0-0 11 a3 '.!'ih8
12 ~h1 ih5 13 {ld2 *d8 14 f4
~e8 15 *h5 b6 16 as !l.a6 17
±.
We cannot take our standard
from this weakly conducted game
that finished in a draw after 40
moves, but it is obvious that the
move 10 !l.b3 is feeble.
10 0-0
11 §fd1
Up to here identical with the
game Rosenberg-Krancev, USSR
1969.
11 .. , ita5
b) 11 ite8? 12{lb5 ±.
12 a3
12 {ld2 {lge5 13 .llb3 b6 14 ith5
!l.a615 f4~4! =t.
12 ... oilge5
12 ... 4Xe5 13 fue5 fe 14 b4 ifl'c7
15 {lb5 *b8 16 E:tac1 a6 17 4X7
22 The 5 ... e6 line

"/!Jxc7 18 ~e6+:!:::!:. 4:lg6 14 ~d6 ±.

13 ..Qa2 b) 11 ... 'lta5!? seems the best
White stands better. defence for it delays the c7 bishop's
In the A section Black has development. This variation has not
increased his problems by leaving been tried out in practice frequently
out the a6 move. enough.
B 12 ..Q.xe4 ita5
6 ••• .111>4 13 !!b1 Ad8
Develops his bishop before his 14 Axd8+ itxd8
planned 4:lge7 will block the f8-a3 15 ..Qa3 "'as
diagonal. 16 .11d6 ~d5 (28)
7 0-0 The critical position in the game
a) 7 Af4 4:lge7 8 e5 4:lg6 9 ag3 Matulovic-Rabar, Ljubljana 1953.
i6'a5! ;.
b) 7 ~3 ae7! Black with the 28
threat of 4:la5 disturbs the attacking W
force. 8 i6'c2 d6 9 0-0 a6 ~ and the
queen is in a far-from-ideal
position.
7 .. , ~ge7
a) 7 ... ..Q.xc3 8 bc 4:lge7 9 ~a3 0-0
10 e5 f6 11 lae1 laf7 12 i6'd2 4:lg6
13laad1 ite8 14 ad6!
b) 7 ... a6 8 i6'e2 4:lge7 9 af4 0-0
10 e5 4:lg6 11 ag3 ita5 12laac1 ±
8 .e2 17 ~e5! ~xe5
a) 8 ~3 ~c3 9 i6'xc3 0-0 10 lad1 18 ..Q.xe5 f5
ita5 11 i6'b3 d5 12 ed ed 13 axd5 18 ... f6?? 19 ith5 g6 20 ~g6
~d514l3xd5itc715i6'c2 hg 21 itxg6+ '3Jh8 22 Elb4!! :!:::!:
al) 15 ...•e7? 16 ad2 f6 17 lah5 19 ..Q.xd5!
g6 18 lae1 i6'f7 ! Kokkoris- 19 i6'h5 itd8 20 axd5 ed =.
Schamme, Lugano 1968. 19 ... ed
a2) 15 .., h6 = (16 lah5? ag4 17 19 ... i6'xd5 20 lad 1 ita5 21
4:lg5 f5 ;) i6'h5 :!:::!:.
8 0-0 20 .Q.d4
9 Ad1 ..Q.xc3 20 ac7 i6'c5 21 labS itc6 22
10 bc d5 l3xd5 ad7 23 itd1 lae8! =.
11 .Qd3 de? 20 ... "'d8
It is bad thinking to open up the 21 Ab5
position voluntarily. Other paths: 21 ite5 itd7 22 labS itf7 23
a) 11 .., .c7 12 ~3 lad8 13 e5 Ihd5 ae6 =.

.Q.d7
ite5± (29)
White has simplified to a won
ending, Flesch-Kozma, blindfold
simultaneous tournament, Hungary
1956.
The exchange of the black-
squared bishop for i£lc3 has fatally
weakened his control of the black
fields. Black has difficulty in
unfolding his position because of
White's pair of bishops and freer
play. Tournament practice points
to White's advantage in the 'B'
section.
c Black won on the 19th move in
6 .I1c5
In tournament practice this
defence has been tried out only in
unimportant games.
However, the aim here is logical:
Black first develops the bishop and
only afterwards makes the <ilge7
move. Here the A section's crippling
move is not so effective. The bishop
plays a useful part on the a7-g1
diagonal. Because the defensive set-
up has changed considerably the
attack cannot be rattled off
The 5 '" e6 line 23
mechanically.
7 0-0
7 e5 will prove to be too early:
a) 7 ... ~ge7? 8 <ile4 ~4+ 9 ~1
<ilg6 10 .llg5 with a sharp position.
b) 7 ... d5! +.
7 ••. <ilge7
a) 7 ~f6 8 e5 <ilg4 9 <ile4 ±.
b) 7 d6 appears a solid move. In
practice it does not work, for after
the ite2, Iad1 attacking formation
there is no harmonious defensive
plan.
8 .Q.f4
A suggestion by the author. Other
possibilities:
a) 8 e5? <ilg6 9 ite2? <ild4! +.
b) 8 a3 a69 b4.lla7 10 e5 <ilg611
lae1 itc7 12 .llb3! 0-0 (12 ... 41xb4?
13 <ile4 ±) 13 .llb2<ilgxe5? 1441xe5
fue5 15 <ild5 ed 16 Iaxe5 d6 17
~d 5 .Q.e6 18 Iag5 g6 19 itf3 :!±.
The 8 a3 move needs further exam-
ination.
c) 8 ite2
c1) 8 ... ~g6 9 Iad1 (9 e5? 4Jd4! +)
9 ... a6 10 a4? 0-0 11 .llg5 *b6 and
Ravinet-Halberstadt, Paris 1954,
but this low level encounter cannot
be the last word.
c2) 8 ... d5?! 9 ed (9 Iad1 0-0 10 ed
ed 11 fud5 fud5 12 ~d5 ite7 =)
9 ... ed 10 fud5 0-011 .Q.g5 ~.
8 ... a6
8 ... d5? fails because of the
manoeuvre <ilb5-4X7+.
9 e5
9 ite2 is also playable, followed
by Iafd1.
9 ... ~g6
24 The 5 ... e6 line
9 ... 0-07 10~4 ±.
10 ~3
White stands better.
The plan sketched in the C
section awaits further trial and
analysis. For both sides it is 'virgin
territory' on theoretical maps.
D c) 7.e2 is a hurried move: 7 ... b5
6 .•. a6
It is advisable to make this move
early! General experience in the
Sicilian Defence is that without the
a6 safeguarding move, the fields d6-
c7 weakened by the move e6
become the prey of the white
knights.
7 0-0
a) 7 ~f4 is too early. It is best for
Black to reach a different system
by 7 .,. d6 - with a gain of tempo,
e.g.: after 7 ~f4 d6 8 0-0 ~7
al) 9 .e2 e5! 10 ~e3 ~f6 ~.
a2) 9 ~c1 <ilf6 10 'lte2 e5 11 ~fdl
ag4! (11 ... ef 12 e5 0-0' =1=) 12
~g5 ~4 13 'lte3 ~f3 14 gf ~4!
15 fg (15 ~e7 <£b.:e3 16 ~d8
~f3+ ++) 15 ... ~g5 ++ Albano-
Matulovid, Reggio Emilia 1968.
b) 7 a4? A frequent error in the
handling of the Morra Gambit is to
prevent needlessly the b7-b5 move
as the further opening of the
position can only favour the better
developed side.
bl) 7 ... cnge7 8 0-0 ~g6 9 <ilg5
bll) 9 ... ~7 10 f4 0-0 11 'lth5
~g5 12 fg with a double-edged
game, Gumprich-Darga, 1957.
b12) 9 ... f610~h3 ac5! 11 'lth5
'lta5 12 <ilf4 0-0' 13 ~1 (13
~g6?? ~f2+ ++) 13 ... ~f4 14
~f4 ~f2 =1= Kadar-Koszorus,
theme tournament, Hungary 1980.
b2) 7 '" d6 8 0-0 ~7 9 'lte2 ~f6
10 J;ldl .c7 = Black with a gain of
tempo can calmly await develop-
ments. 7 a4 is therefore an
unnecessary, time-wasting move.
8 ab3 d6 9 0-0 ae7 10 J;ldl .c7
11 af4 ~b7 12 ~cl .b8. This
critical position has also awakened
the interest of the Soviet analysts.
Two paths diverge from here, one
tactical, the other positional:
cl) 13 e5 d5
cl1) 14 ~xd5 ed 15 ~d5 <&d8 16
'lte4 ~d5 17 ~d5 ~618 ~4?
(18 ~3) 18 ... <£b.:f4 19 'ltxf4 ~f6
0: 1 Melzer-Wisluzil, Prague 1955.
c12) 14 ~d5 ed 15 <£b.:d5 with
strong but double-edged attack.
c2) 13 Ag3 ~f6 14 e5 ~h5 15 ed
~g3 16 d7+! :!:±.
While the c2 variation is,
according to Gufeld, advantageous
to White, the move 7 'lte2 (instead
of castling) is not advisable in the
first place.
7 ... ~ge7 (30)
a) 7 ... b5 8 ~b3 (8 ~d5? ae7!; 8 ...
f6? Grafe-Cornu) 8 ... ~ge7 9 ag5
(9 ~3? :Qb7 10 'lte2 ~5 =
Kallgren-Bryntze, corres 1955; 9
af4!? i'; 9 'lte2! i) 9 ... f61 0 ~4
~6 11 ag3 ae7 12 h4 i Muller-
Walther, Lugano 1958.
b) 7 ... ~5 This move was first
played in the first half of the
nineteenth century!:
bl) 8 ~e1? b5 9 ~3 ~f6? 10 e5
.£g4 11 ~4 ab4 12 ~fg5 .£exe5 13
 The 5 ... e6/ine 25

h3 ~f6 14 'ltd4 .Q.xe1 lS 4Jd6+ eM8

16 itxeS itc7 17 ~f7 ~b4 18
~h6 axd6 19 itxf6 'ifile8 20 itxg7
T!f8 21 <£IgS itcS 22 <£Ie4 iteS 23
l1e1 ilb7 24 .Q.xe6 de 2S itxb7 I;Ib8
26 fud6+ *xd6 27 ~e6+ itxe6
28 itxb8+ rtJd7 29 itxf8 1:0
Kieseritzky-Vitzhum, Paris 1846.
Played in the old-fashioned manner,
hut a very beautiful game!
h2) 8 ite2 <£Ige7 9 ~f4 (9 <£IgS!?
l,)g6 10 'lthS t) 9 ... ilg6 10 ~g3
0-011 eS! ±. D1
c) 7 ... ~f6? This move is contrary 8 M4
to the spirit of the S ... e6 defence: The aim of the move is to take
Ii ite2 itc7 9 I;Id 1 acs 10 h3 control of the important h2-b8
~)eS 11 ~b3 bS? 12 .Q.gS t B.Papp- diagonal.
L.Kovacs, Hungary 1969. 8 ... ~g6
d) 7 ... "flc7 Black is trying to set up 9 ~3
.t defence similar to the neo-Paulson Most of the Hungarian analysts
system in the 'normal' Sicilian - think that the bishop is most
with similar aims: 8 'lte2 ~6 9 effective on this diagonal.
gel bS 10 ~3 ~S 11 ~d2 9 ... ~7
d 1) 11 ... ~f3+ 12 itxf3 .Q.xh2+ A possibility is the 9 ... d6 move,
13't>hl ~eS (13 ... ~d614eS~b7 but it is more important to develop
15 ~dS! ±:!:) 14 <£IdS! itb8 (14 ... pieces.
cd lS .Q.xdS ±I:) lS I;Iac1 ~b7 16 10 "fle2
.Q.c3 ±:!:. 10 eS!? deserves special attention:
d2) 11 ... ~f6 12 I;Iacl *b8 10 ... 0-0 11 ~1 fS 12 ef .Q.xf613
d21) 13 ~S hS 14 h3 ~b7 lS <£Kl2 ~d6 .Q.e 7? 14 ~4 .Q.xd6? 15 fud6
.Q.c6 16 ~3 <£Ig6 17 <£IdS 4J.g4 18 hg I;Ib8 16 itd2 ± Gligoric-Hall,
hg 19 g3 .Q.xdS 20 ed ~ 7 21 '.!ig2 simultaneous game, London 1960.
.Q.xg3 22 fg I;Ih3 23 itxg4 ±:!:. Probably instead of 11 I;Iel the
d22) 13 ~eS .Q.xeS 14 f4! .Q.xf4 lS move 11 itd2 is a degree stronger,
cS! .Q.xd2 16 itxd2 <£Ig8 17 itgS g6 for after 11 itd2 fS 12 ef .Q.xf6 13
18 ~e4 ±:!: 1:0 Hard icsay-Sallay, ~d6 I;If7 White plays 14 4le4. This
Hungary 1972. variation is well worth studying!
We now consider the following 10 0-0
hranches: 11 Sfd1 "flaS
01 8 ~f4 12 eS f6
1)2 8 ~gS 13 ef gf
26 The 5 ... e6 line

14 ~dS 'ltcS
15 Uac1 'lta7 32
16 cilxe7+ ~cxe7 B
17 .Qd6 Af7
18 Ad3 Ag7
19 h4 eS
20 .Q.c4+ ~h8 (31)

31
W

removed only at the cost of

21 ~gS!! ±!:
The opening struggle is over! The
rest of the game: 21 ... fg 22 hS bS
23 ~b3 <£If5 24 hg <£Ixd6 25· laxd6
~b7 26 axd7! i6'b8 (26 ... laxd7 27
~xeS+ ag7 28 ac7 ±!:) 27 'ltd2
~4 28 laxg7 ~g7 29 gh i6'd8 30
i6'e3 ~h 7 31 ~xeS+ 'ifJh6 32 ac6+
~6 33 ~c2 1:0 Maric-Bertok,
Belgrade 1955.
In the D1 main variation 9 '" d6
is a theoretical improvement for the
defence. This, however, merely
lessens Black's discomfort. The
attack can be increased by the 10
eS variation (see Gligoric-Hall)
which is a side path well worth the
study.
02
8 !1gS! (32)
This is the strongest attacking
move! The restrictive pin can be
weakening the pawn structure.
8 ... f6
The f6 weakening can be avoided
only by getting into deeper trouble,
e.g.: 8 ... i6'c7 9 aac1 <£laS (9 ...
<£!g6? 10 <£IdS! ±) 10 abS?? {10
~b3 ±) 10 ... ab?? (10 ... 4D<f3 11
i6'xf3 i6'aS) 11 4JxbS <£Ixf3+ 12 gf
i6'eS 13 <£Id6+ 1 :0 Applewhite-N.N.
corres 1971. This game was a 'waste
of postage stamps'. We are including
it here as a warning example.
However, Black can hardly find
salvation in the 8 ... i6'c7 branch.
9 Ae3 bS!
The forward march on the queen-
side brings a gain of tempo. It also
achieves the development of the c8
bishop.
The 9 ... <£!g6 digression is
illustrated here by an interesting
game: 9 ... <£Ig6 10 <£Id4 ae7 11 f4
0-0 12 fS <£!geS 13 ab3 <Z:)xd4 14
ihd4 i6'aS 15 <£Ia4! ~d8 16 <£IcS
ae8 17 i6'hS <£If7 18 eS!! ~d2 19
aadl i6'gS 20 *h3 <£IxeS 21 ~eS
fe 22 fe de 23 ~h1 *g6 24 i6'f3
~b6 and now White has the choice
 The 5 ... e6/ine 27

of two winning continuations:

.1) 2S ~e4 .Qd4 26 .Qc2 ±
h) 2S .Qc2 'ltf6 26 'ltb3 ~cS 27
r!xf6 gf 28 ~h7+ 'it>xh7 29 'ltc2+
± D.Shuttleworth-Pagden, England
1977.
10 Ab3 ~g6
11 ~d4!
.1) 11 'lte2 <£laS 12 ilc2 Jle7 13
lladl 0-0 and the game Ferismo-
Gheorghiu, Istres 1975, concluded
with superiority to Black. White
continued limply but 11 '/te2 was 17 gh+ We718 ~el bl'lt! 19ttifS+
not the best move anyway. ef 20 ef'lte4 +t.
h) 11 J::le1. This is a suggestion by lS ... ~e4
1M Partos which prepares the path 16 ~g3 ~3
for the tactical manoeuvre €leiS. a) 16 ... dS 17 4..)xe4 de 18 ofue6
The column 11 etld4! as suggested 'ltd7 19 fS ±::!:.
by D.Shuttleworth is many faceted: b) 16 ... fS 17 'ilxe4 fe 18 fS ef 19
it opens the queen's path to hS and 'l'txfS ±::!:.
it makes possible the f2-f4-fS c) 16 ... ,Q,fS 17 ttigxfS ±::!:.
bayonet charge. 17 J::lfd1 .Qbs
11 ... ~aS 18 fS!!
This costs him many tempi! But it Stronger than 18 4..)xe6.
is difficult to find anything better, 18 ef
e.g. 11 ... 'ilxd4 12 ~d4 Jle7 13 19 ~gxfS ±:!: (34)
'/hhS 0-0 14 f4 ite8? 15 ttidS! ±. "-------".,,,"'"
12 f4 4..)xb3 34 "S7J
~~~
!t ".',T ,;,~ c;o/'
//,'T~==1
"",
13 ab! .11b7 B/~"l
/.,01
./~ +
."L:'i.&.
,*,,):1
.;#7~
: +
,.,••,,'&'
14 ithS! j: k;tp£~ ,'~a -~~.
In D.Shuttleworth-Naujokas,
1976, White continued 14 fS ~S
;/~i~
;'/';~ ~f '
-q; ~
lS 'lthS+ g6 16 fg 4..)xg6 17 ~dl ~:~j - ~ ;;~sj;~ ..~:/
'/he7 18 eS?! with a sharp, double- ..,' it ~$i,
edged attack.
14 ... b4 (33) .:] ~
lS ~ce2!! .9
It is superfluous to engage in the
complications of lS fS? the The defence collapses under the
conclusion of which benefits Black: load of the attack in the D2 main
lS fS? bc 16 fg cb (16 ... ~e4 ++) variation.
28 The 5 ... e6 line
According to the author's
researches White holds the initiative
in the D sub-division.
Overall conclusion:
The 5 ... e6 system requires
further painstaking analysis. (It
should be studied in conjunction
with the 7 .., cflge7 system.)
According to the material made
public by the author the momentum
of the attack is well sustained.
6 The 5...g6 Line
A much debated defence system.
Theorists are divided on its worth.
The most recent Soviet theoretical
articles indicate that the Russians
consider this defence system offers
most chances for Black.
If we accept this view we need no
longer concern ourselves with other
methods of defence.
However, there is a general law
which also holds true in this
instance that chess openings
founded on serious strategical ideas
can never be refuted.
By studying this chapter the
reader can see for himself that the
author has once again strengthened
White's attack with sound
theoretical innovations.
IGM Sax having read through the
author's manuscript has declared,
opposing the views of the Soviet
experts, that this system does not
promise well for Black.
Black in this line decides not to
arrange the central pawns on the
d6-e6 ~ squares. His plan is to
develop the bishop on the wing as
in the usual Dragon variation of the
Sicilian defence and from there -
working on the al-h8 diagonal - he
intends to put a brake on the
attack.
In this system however, the
defender is not preparing a counter-
attack as in the Dragon variation.
Here, Black is left behind in
development, he is glad to be alive.
Therefore White with his advance
in mobility must strive to confuse
and restrain the defending camp's
development. He can take advantage
of the fact that black does not
place a pawn on the e6 field and
thereby does not shield the weak f7
square. So White with tactical
blows on the a2-g8 diagonal can
harrass the enemy king's position.
30 The 5 ... g6 line

6 ac4 example: 6 h4 hS?! 7 ac4 ag7 8

Very interesting and worth 'ltb3! <£laS 9 axf7+ 'M8 10 'ltd5
researching into is the move 6 h4?!: ~f6 11 itd3! ~xf7 12 4)g5+ ~8
an attack devised by the Soviet 13 e5! ~h7 14 'ltdS+ e6 15 ~xe6
Master W.Leonidov. White ±± (Flesch).
immediately storms the Black fian- In any case the 6 h4 variation is
chettoed position, before the quite hazardous. White will be
defence is fully prepared. better off and risking less if he
Interesting lines after 6 h4!?: (36) follows one of the main lines
discussed in this chapter.
36[B. ~il.r~~~~ ~ 6 ... ag7
. . . /;i?~J{~~.1/
.J:
B '....':'.',
~
.~i~J:'1
~ ~~'/ %~ v;-;~ 6 .., ~5?! cannot be good for it
·,cc=. .
;jj"s;)
0~= ., /., 'f;;:'i?r... •.: j
decentralises Black's only developed
f //~
3£d"AI • r~~t%
Li&&-", J:_ I
piece. In the Morra Gambit the best
/;<
·,,1 place for the knight in any case is
)~."~«.';
;:..d'
4-
.Ji 8 ;
the c6 square where he is able to

~.'~
/%. _ ~' ~
shield the 'c' file and it is in the
.. - .. w . '"2.J way of the White rook's occupation
jt /.)';' jt I of the seventh rank.
,~
~-=.~
, . ~'~ ..ii. 8 White however, must not over-
estimate his chances. This is
a) 6 .., Qf6 7 h5! ~h5 8 ~h5! gh illustrated by the failure of this
9 ~g5 e6 10 'ltxhS lise7 11 ~b5 d6 violent attempt 7 axf7+?? '3Jxf7 8
12 af4 eS 13 <£lxf7 'ltxf7 14 <tlc7+ 'ltd4 ~f6! (8 ... ag7?? 9· ~S+ '3Jf8
*e7 15 ag5+ lisf6 16 <fJdS+! ±± 10 ~e6+ 1 :0 Kurtes-Berta, Hungary
b) 6 ... ag7 7 h5 d6 8 ac4 ae6 9 1958) 9 eS ~8 10 e6+ ~g8 and
<fJd5! (9 axe6? fe 10 hg hg 11 Black wins.
~h8 axh8 12 <tlgS <fJd4! 13 ae3 The position after 6 ... 41l5?! (37)
e5 f.) 9 ... gh? (9 ... <tlf6 :D) 10~g5
and the attack continues, Leonidov-
Ignatjev, 1962.
c) Against the Leonidov attack
many have suggested - amongst
them Soviet Masters E.Gik and S.
Rosenberg - the idea that 6 h4 can
be answered by 6 '" h5?! In the
author's opinion this defence is of
doubtful value, because on the g5
square the white knight (or bishop)
is able to build a threatening out-
post. To give just one cautionary 7 'ltd4! ensures White's
 The 5 ... g6/ine 31

advantage. Variations after 7 ihl4

f6:
a) 8 ite2? (Too dogmatic, therefore
a mistake to take the bishop away
to avoid the exchange.) 8 ... ~6 9
h3 ~f7 10 ae3 itg7 11 0-0 0-0 12
I:Ifd1 d6 13 I:Iac1 ~e6 +
b) 8 ~8 Elxg8 9 0-0 rflf1 10 b4!
(1 0 ~e3 d6 11 I:Iac1 ~e6 i-) 10 ...
€le6 11 'ltc4+ e6 12 b5! - The
barricading knight having been
driven away from the 'c' file,
White's strength in the centre
proves fatal for Black - 12 ... ~5
(12 ... ~e5? 13 fue5 fe 14 f4!++)
13 'ltd3 ~b4 14 ~b2! 'ltc7 15 <tJd5!
'ltc4 (15 ... ed 16 'ltxd5+ 'iftf8 17
~f6 'ltd6 18 *g5! ±±) 16 ~g5+!
fg 17 'ltf3+ ~e8 18 ~f6+ rflf1 19
fud7+ '/}e7 20 ~e5 I:If8 21 'lth3!
1 :0 Flesch-Balasa 1958.
c) 8 O~ ~h6 (Black cannot
exchange, for after 8 ... fuc4? 9 Now we shall discuss the following
'ltxc4 White's pieces break through side-shoots:
on the 'c' file.) 9 e5! ~f5 (9 . A 7 ~f4
fuc4 10 ef ~d6 11 fe ±± or 9 . B 7 h3
~f7 10 axf7 ~f7 11 ef ef 12 C 70-0
~g5+ rflg7 13 ~e6+ ±±) 10 ef! ef D 7 e5
(10 ... ~d4? 11 f7 mate) 11 Eie.1+ A
~e7 12 ~d5! ~f8 (12 ... cfu.d4? 13 7 .Q.f4 (39)
fuf6+ 'iftf8 14 .Q.h6 mate or 12 ... White's strategic aim is to put
fuc4 13 'ltxc4! ±±) Now pleasing pressure on the h2-b8 diagonal with
variations finish the attack: his bishop, with special regard to
c1) 13 .Q.h6+ fuh6 14 fue7 cfu.c4 the vital c7 and d6 squares. After-
15 'ltxf6+ ~f7 16 ~g5 ~d6 17 wards, once the queen has moved
I:Iad1 'lta5 18 ~d5! h6 19 Eie8+! to d2, his bishop has a role to play
~xe8 20'lte7 mate. on the c1-h6 diagonal, for in this
c2) There is also a good solution in system the h6 square is important
the following continuation from as a possible base for the knight.
the game Dubeck-Weinstein, USA The shadowy side of 7 .Q.f4 is that
1958: 13 ~e7 'ltxe7 (13 '" fud4 the bishop enters the struggle some-
14 ~h6+ rflg8 15 fuf6 mate) 14 what early before Black has shown
32 The 5 ... g6 line
his colours. Here Black is able to
build a defence position, which
would fail in the other systems.
r.-?f};~ _~. :1t: tLJ~
~ ef, ~
l~,ij~~'t& ~'- l~§1
ii' ~: " '. 1t ~
7 d6!
a) 7 ... 4:1f6? is a mistake, for 8 eS!
~S 9 ~e3 gives good tactical
chances to White.
b) Equally bad is 7 ... 4:1h6? for 8
h3! 0-01 9'*d2! wins the knight.
8 O.()
a) 8 itb3 would fail because 8 ...
.£laS 9 ~n ~8 10 *dS <£If6 wins
a piece.
b) We give two illustrative games
for the 8 *d2 move:
b1) 8 ... h6? (unnecessary move
which brings advantage to White) 9
h3 .Q.d7 10 0-0 *as 11 afd1 <£IeS
12 .Q.xeS ~eS 13 b4 (this proves
that the defence is overburdened in
the centre) 13 ... _*d8 14 fueS de
lS *dS e6 16 *xeS f6 17 *g3 and
White wins. (1 :0 Seger-Andersson).
b2) 8 .., 4:1f6! 9 0-0 0-0 10 afel?
(The 10 h3 move transposes the
game to the annotated positions
after the 9th move of the text.) 10
... ~g4! 11 aad1 ~eS 12 fueS
fueS 13 .Q.b3 .Q.e6 14 ()ds and now
instead of 14 ... <£Ie6?! as in the
Carlsson-Andersson game 14 ...
*d7 can be played stopping White's
attack; Black holds on to his
material advantage.
8 ... 4:1f6
9 *e2
Another method is to put the
queen on d2 after all. To do this
one first has to safeguard against
~4 and this means a loss of time:
9 h3 0-0 10 *d2
a) 10 ... a6 11 afd1 bS 12.Q.e2 ~b7
13 *e3 (threat eS) 13 ... <£Id7 14
.Q.h6 .Q.xh6 (14 ... *as lS ihg7
t3Jxg7 16 <£IdS White attacked
strongly in the Axelson-Seger game,
19S8.) lS *xh6 f6 16 a4 b4 17
.Q.c4+ ~h8 18 <£Ie2 ()deS =.
b) 10 ... {laS! 11 .Q.e2 ~e6 and
Black retains his advantage.
9 ... O.()
10 J:!fd1 ~4
Black retains his material advan-
tage. Now after 11 eS <£IhS is
decisive. According to grandmaster
Holmov Black consolidates his
position and retains his material
advantage. The course of Nakhlik-
Holmov, 19S7 - 11 .Q.g3 <£IhS 12
*e3 fug3 13 hg ac8 14 adS
*as lS .Q.b3 *cS 16 *f4 .Q.xf3
17 adS *b6 18 gf ~d4 - validates
Holmov's opinion.
Conclusion: Black can coolly
fend off the threats of the system
introduced by 7 ,Q.f4 and retain his
material advantage.
B
7 h3 (40)
We observed during the discussions
 The 5 ... g6 line 33

4)h6 variation. Despite all this, the

threats can be parried by accurate
defence. At master level this avenue
has not been explored, in the
author's opinion it is worthy of
study.
C

41
B

of the 'A' system that if White

wished to operate on the c1-h6
diagonal, then sooner or later he
is forced to play h3. In the 'B'
system h3 begins the advance.
White's choice of continuation will
depend on Black's reply.
7 ... d6!
a) A serious mistake would be 7 ... White completes his development,
4)h6? because 8 ~f4 0-01 9 itd2 intending to use his king's rook on
wins a piece just as the 'd' file as soon as possible.
b) 7 ... 4)f6? 8 eS 4)hS 9 g4. Black's main plans of defence are
8 ~S as follows:
8 ~f4 will revert back into the C1 7 <£lfG
'A'system. C2 7 d6
8 4)f6 C3 7 <£lh6
After 8 a6? the combination 9 C1
itb3 <£laS 10 ~f7+ 'itlf8 11 itdS 7 ... 4)f6?! (42)
now wins because 11 ... <£lf6 is
answered by 12 ~f6. 42
9 itd2 0.0 W
10 0.0 4laS!
11 ae2 ~
12 gfd1 ~c4
Black repels the attack, keeping
his advantage of a pawn.
Conclusion: Without a doubt the
system introduced by 7 h3 is an
improvement on the previous 'A'
system. It also prevents the 7 ...
34 The 5 ... g6 line

With this early knight's move the now:

defender is taking too many a) 13 f!d1 ita5 14 itb3 itf5 15
chances as the advance of White's {lb5 ~e5 16 lIdS h6 17 {le7+ rtlf8
king's pawn will upset Black's 18 {lf3 IIb8 19 fue5 fue5 20 f4
development and his king becomes 1:0 Matulovic-Del Pezzo, 1954.
tactically vulnerable. b) 13~3! e614{1b5! ± (Flesch)
8 eSt 11 'lWxg4 {lxeS
This is the most dynamic continu- 12 'lWe4!
ation, for having disturbed Black's 12 itg3 e6 13 ~f4 ~6 14 IIad1
position he now aims a blow at the ita5 15 lIfe1 i Ozsvath-Filep,
weak king. Hungary 1970.
Hackneyed and lacking in strength 12 ... e6
is the continuation 8 ite2: a) 12 ... h6? 13 itd5+ e614fue6!
a) 8 ... 0.0 9 IId1 ~g4 10 ~f4 ~5 ±t Tringov-Filcsev, Bulgaria 1955
11 fue5 fue5 12 ~b3 d6 13 1Ie1 b) 12 ..Alc613 lId1 ±
~e6 =t. 13 ~f4 'ltf6
b) 8 ... d6 9 IId1 .Qg4 (9 ... {ld7? 10 14 Q:lS! ed
-'hf7+! rtlxf7 11 ~g5+ leads to a 15 ltxdS+ !i}f7
win.) 10 ~f4 0-0 11 e5? {lh5! ++. 15 ... rtlf8? 16 ~e5 itxg5 17
8 .. , {\g4 ~g7+ ±t.
8 .,. {lg8 9 itd5 e6 10 ite4 f5 11 16 Ilfe1! h6
'lte2 a6 12 IId1 itc7 13 ~f4 ±. There is no better reply! For
9 .Q.xf7+ ~f7 example: 16 ... itxf417IIe7 :t:!:.
10 ~gS+ (43) 17 J:!e8+ ~f8
18 ad6 hg
Variations after 18 ... rtlg7:
a) 19 ~xf8+ IIxf8 20 IIxf8 hg 21
lIe8 i
b) 19 {lxf7 'ibf7 20 itd4+ rtlh7 21
lIae1 ~g7 22 1I8e7 ~d4 23 1Ixf7+
~7 24 1I1e7 IIg8 25 .Qe5 d6 26
~g7 ~e6 27 ~4+ ~f7 28 1Ixf7+
±t
19 Ilxf8+ ~7
20 ~eS! Ilxf8
21 ~f6+ ~f6
10 ~8 22 itd4+ 1:0
The king's position remains Ozsvath-Vegh, Hungary 1978.
vulnerable against other answers as Conclusion: The C1 variation
well: 10 ... \tIe8 11 itxg4 fue5 12 cannot be recommended for Black,
'lta4 (threat {le6!) 12 ... {le6 and because the king is too vulnerable.
 The 5 ... g6/ine 35

C2 9 e5?! ts a dangerous trap, but it

7 ... can be easily parried:
a) 9 ... 4lxe5?? 10 fue5 de 11 IId1!
a1) 11 ... 11d712~b50-013J1xd7
w fud7 14 'l'tb5 ±±
a2) 11 ... *a5 12 b4! *xb4 13
ilb5+
. " a21) 13 ... Qd7 14 ~d5 *a5 15
~ ild2 'l'td8 161lac1 0-0 17 ~b4 ±
a22) 13 ... 11d714 .Qxd7+ ~d715
~~ ~5 *a5 16 IIb1 e6 17 IIb5 *d8
18 .Q.a3! ~f8 (18 ... ed 19 IIbxd5
±!:, or 18 ... a6 19 Ilxb7 ed 20
Ilxd5 ±!:) 19 Ilxb7
Black's plan is to prevent the a221) 19 ." ~xa3 20 Ilxd7 ~xd7
advance of the king's pawn and to 21 *b5+ 'it'd6 22 t£lb4+ ~e7 23
develop his knight to ~f6 under ~6+ ±!:
calmer circumstances. The defence a222) 19 ... ed 20 Ilxd7 *g5 21
hopes to control the important e5 *b5 J1xa3 22 Ilxa7+ 'l&f8 23
point so that he can later consolidate llxa8+ 1:0 Guskov-Churkin, USSR
his position by occupying it with 1965.
his knight. b) 9 ... de!
The attacker on his part hopes 9 ... 1lg4
that at the right moment, by 9 ... ~d7? 10 J1xf7+ 'l&xf7 11
putting pressure on the cd' file he t£lg5+ ±!:. Now if 11 ... ~g8 then
will nevertheless achieve a break- 12 *c4+, otherwise 11 ... 'l&e8 12
through. ~e6 is embarrassing.
8 *e2 10 h3 .axf3
Other lines: 11 *xf3 ~5
a) There is no sense in the 'try' 8 12 11.b5+ ~d7
'l6'b3 for 8 ... ~a5! 9 J1xf7+? 'it'f8 13 *e2 a6
10 *d5 ~f6 wins a piece. Better than what happened in the
b) 8 11.f4 ~f6 and now: Andersson-Grosse game: 13 ... 0-0
b1) 9 *e2 0-0 10 ~d1 ag411 ag3 14f4~6 ¥(corres 1959-61).
(11 e5? 4lh5! ++1) 11 ... ~h5 12 14 11.a4 ~8
*e2 fug3 13 hg IIc8 + Holmov- 15 f4 {k4
Nakhlik, USSR 1957. Black stands well.
b2) 9 h3 0-0 10 *d2 ~5 11 11.e2 Conclusion: The C2 system
ae6 ¥. introduced by 7 ... d6 assures a
8 oM> healthy development for Black.
9 ~1 White's compensations are his pair
36 The 5 ... 96 line

of bishops and advantage in space; Therefore the attacker should aim

given these he will seek his chances not to win the knighe(in this he
in central pressure. Experts on will not succeed) but to gain time
theory are far from united in their by chasing the knight. Having
opinion of this variation. The gained tempi he should increase the
author's view is that in the hands pressure in the centre. lfhe succeeds
of a technically advanced player the in this then he has cut the
scales tip in favour of the defence. connections between the wings.
C3 The attack will win only if these
7 ... 4lh6 (45) strategical points are taken into
consideration.
~~Al/~llIl't~'./~~.~
451~~'2:~J~~ < .'
.
Now we shall annotate the two
~ :1 ':~/2
W t/~_., Wf~:1. -.~"
*'>:1 ~ :1 ",'LLLL;
main lines:
14!.·~ ' ..... ' C31 8 h3
I~. . ~~.Jd'~,_,_ . ~,~ C32 8 iaf4
f • i>· ' Also playable is the excellent 8 e5

~"'" 1'('" ::~.'0'.

-. /1d.;.~2:j: . 1t
/;'f& ~-/";<:4,..,. J\ .•
~~-+-,.. . .. which by a change in the order of
",' ~ .( .." .,, l":\ ' the moves becomes part of the C32
gyj ~t>{' :: Vl.J
variation.
l. 0'1.
.dh;;;; ~ [4<>. i.J .dh
~~.dh' "'"
'.M. %'i'/f:< 'I"? it.
- C31
__ L-_ w w"' t::=:. @:

According to the majority of 46

Soviet experts the Black knight has B
to be placed here in the 5 ... g6
system. The Black knight is not
exposed here to an attack by the
king's pawn and the bishop's path
on the long diagonal remains open.
For the time being the 'd' pawn
stays put so that the defence can
more easily withstand the ensuing
pressure on the 'd' file.
White's play is obvious: he will This appears to be the most
exploit the decentralisation of the obvious move, no wonder that in
knight. This is not, however, as easy master-praxis it is also the most
as it appears. popular.
White gains the advantage in It restrains the movement of ~h6
space but the defence position is and also prevents a later 'pin' by
elastic enough to withstand an iag4.
attack based on brute force alone. The defence solves his problem

by returning home the knight stuck
on the side of the board, once he
can no longer maintain it there.
8 ••• O.()
8 d6? would be a serious error,
for after 9 af4 O-O? 10 'lWd2 the
knight is lost.
9 l1f4 ~8!
Makes room for the knight. There
is no point in trying actions on the
queenside: 9 ... ~s? 10 ae2 <MI8
11 'lWd2 <ilg8 12 ~fd1 a6 13 ~S!
(Stronger than in the Stolyar-
Kilesso, 1953 game where there
followed: 13 ~ac1) 13 ... d6 14
~e3! ~61s ~b6'lWd716 ~ac1 ± variations beginning with 15 4:'lgs?:
10 '/td2 41g8
11 4lgS 4lh6!
Other attempts:
a) To 11 ... '/te8? 12 ~s is the
reply.
b) Serious strategical mistake would
be 11 ... es? because 12 ~e3 'lWe7
(12 ... ite8? or 12 ... 4:'Ih6 both fail
to the thrust 13 acs) 13 4:'lbs! ±
and it is difficult to defend Black's
position.
c) Black is also ruined if he replies
11 ... 00. In the game Gik-
Tretyakov, 1962, 11 ... e6 12 ad6
4:'Ige7 13 4:'Ibs made sure of White's
superiority.
12 41f3 41g8
It is apparent that by repeating
moves White can force the draw if
he so wishes. However, he can hope
for more than half a point from this
position.
13 eS f6!
Black falters if he first chases
away the ac4 and only afterwards
The 5 ... g6//ne 37
hits at the es advance guard. For
example: 13 ... 4:'Ias? 14 ~2 f6 15
~s! (Because of ef and the
consequent ac7 threat the
decentralised knight is worrying for
the defence.) 15 ... fe 16 axeS d6
17 axg7+ ralxg7 18 b4 ~6 19 bs
<£laS 20 itc3+ <ilf6 21 <ilc7 ~b8 22
'lWxas and White wins.
14 ef 41xf6!
If 14 ... ef then 15 <fJbs! is very
awkward.
15 Ibd1! (47)
White must not engage in
adventures as can be seen in
a) 15 ... es? (too obstinately
holding on to material advantage!)
16 ae3 ite7 17 <£IdS! <&xds 18
'lWxds 4:'Ib4 19 itcs af6 204:'1£1+ :!±
b) 15 ... ds! 16 <ilxds (16 axds
<ilxds 17 <&xds ~f4! ++) 16 ...
<&xds 17 axds ~f4! 18 itxf4
itxds 19 ~d1 ~4! ++
47 !!.y,•... ~.
B ~. 1:~ .1:
.til
Because of pressure exerted on
the central files and the harmonious
accord of his minor and major:
pieces, his gain in space and the
exposed position of Black's king,
38 The 5 ... g6 line
White's game is full of promise.
Conclusion: It cannot be proved
altogether that the C31 system
gives a forced win for White. In the
author's opinion against a born
attacking player Black's position is
psychologically disadvantageous as
he is restricted to passive defence.
C32
8 !lf4 (48)
48.a: • ~ .~"'-~~-,..".,..=,%~
B 1:Ixf7 §Xf7 23 'ltf6 'ltc7 24 a3!
~ollowing system is the
product of the author's latest
researches. White does not waste
time moving the 'h' pawn. Thereby
the h3 field is left free for the
attacking rook. The time so saved
is utilised in speedy mobilisation of
the major pieces. The attack begins
earlier than usual. The handling is
characterised by the increased
sphere of action of the major
pieces.
8 ... O.()
A great mistake would be 8
d6? for 9 h3! O-O? loses to 10 'ltd2.
9 e5
An immediate 9 ~1 loses its
purpose to the reply 9 ... d6. The
play would drift into other
variations where the rook's move is
not needed at all.
9 'ltd2 can also be considered.
Lines after 9 'ltd2 ~4 10 h3 €le5
11 fueS fueS 12 ~eS axeS 13
f4:
a) 13 ...•c7? 14 <£IdS! 'ltxc4 15 fe
'ltxe416ldxe7+~g717'ltd6 ±t.
b) 13 ... !lxc3 14 'ltxc3 d6 15 fS
'ltb6+ 16 ~h1 'ltcS 17 f6 ef 18
§Xf6 'lte5! = (18 .,. ~e6? 19l:lxe6!
fe 20 .Qxe6+ Etf7 21 I:Ifl Etaf8 22
which simplifies into a won ending
for White according to a Hungarian
analysis.
c) 13 ... !lg7! 14 f5 (14 e5 d6! with
chances for Black on account of his
pair of bishops.) 14 ... e6! ~
9 *t18
After 9 <£Ig4 10 Ete1 the h3
move can be played with a gain of
tempo.
10 !:Ie1!
Saves the tempo the h3 move
would have cost! This is the only
way possible to transfer the rook
later on to the 'h' file. Another
path: 10'ltd2? .fJg411 Ete1 f612 ef
fuf6 13 <tlg5? d5! 14 fudS (14
.QxdS fud5 15 4JxdS I:Ixf4! ++) 14
... fudS 15 .QxdS I:Ixf4! ++.
10 ... c{}g8
Removes the knight to safety so
that from its 'home' base it can
assist the liberating move f7-f6.
Other moves:
a) 10 ... a6 11 'ltd2 <£Ig8 12 I£tgS
leads into the text.
b) 10 ... f6? 11 ef ef 12 <£Ib5! ±.
11 c{}gS!
 The 5 '" g6 line 39

He forces the knight back to a variations await discovery; research

precarious position. is well worth the effort. The selected
11 ... ~6 game adequately illustrates the
Naturally to 11 ... "lte8? 1Q ~b5 strength of White's up-to-date line-
is the reply. up.
12 *d2 a6 Conclusion:
13 J:!e3 4:lg4 We have established that the 7 ...
The threat was~h7 in connection ~6 defence (C3) which is
with the subsequent rook's move. advocated by Soviet experts is all
For e,;<ample: 13 ... b5? 14 ~h7! too passive.
bc 15 ~h6! ~xh7 16~h3 d6 17 For Black the C2 line ensures
~g7+ ±:!:. equality. The author's view is that
14 Ji!h3! because of the related positions a
14 4:lxf7+? filxf7 15 ~f7 4:lxe3 close study of the chapter cannot
16 "ltxe3 e6 +. be neglected. White, however, can
14 ... 4lgxe5 throw in his latest weapon described
15 ~h7 d5 in the next ('D') section. Here
15 ... 4:lxc4? 16 ~f6! wins, as in White, by transposing moves,
the game. obliterates Black's defence.
16 Ji!h4 4lxc4 D
16 ... dc 17 ~f6+ ~h618 ~h6 ef
19 ~g7+ t3ixg7 20 "lth6+ t3ig8 21
"lth8 mate.
17 ~f6+ Qh6 (49)

491
=Af~~~
.=. " /i .a. .~~ _~
~
~
w ~-1: ~1:
1: ~~/~ "4-1: :/h
,1:
~
~~
The most potent weapon against
the 5 ... g6 line. The advancing
king's pawn prevents the Black
18 Qe5!! knights development on f6.
Mate cannot be avoided! 1:0 Its best quality is however, that it
Flesch-Kadar, Theme Tournament, pre-empts Black's proven defence 7
Hungary 1979. ... d6 in the C2 line.
Conclusion: In this line many We consider therefore:
40 The 5 ... g6 line

01 7 ~e5 for 11 ~e4+ ~f5 12 g4+ at once

02 7 d6 decides the struggle.
03 7 ~h6 011
01 'l;g7
flxe5+ 4lf6
O.() d6

This pawn-snatch is risky, since

Black who is already behind in
development wastes more time, Conclusion: White has set up a
which is used by White immediately strategically won battle formation.
in a ~ide attack. He can place his bishop (after b3)
8 .fue5 11xe5 on the a1-h8 diagonal. His major
9 11xf7+ ~xf7 pieces possess unchecked power on
10 'ltd5+ (52) the c, d and e files.
/!. The Black king's position is
52 unsafe. The presence of opposite
colour bishops, as is well known,
increases the strength of the attack.
012
10 e6
11 flxe5 'ltf6
12 'lJJc7 4le7
13 O.() ~
14 ~4 'lte5
15 ~6+ ~e7
16 J;lad1 ~8
Now we discuss two possible lines: Necessary, for the trap was 17
011 10 ~g7 ~c8+ ~axc8 18lhd7+. Until now
012 10 e6 we have been following the Conroy-
10 ... ~f6? cannot be considered, Rathbone, England 1975, game
 The 5 ... g6/ine 41

where 17 ~f4 'ith5 18 J:ld3 took 8 "i6b3 e6

place with a strong attack. 9 !1g5! ci)ge7
17 h4++ (54) a) 9 ... f6? 10 ~e6 ±:!:
(Flesch) This is the decisive b) 9 .,. ~a5? 10 'ita4+ ~d7 11
move! There is no known antidote $hd8 axa4 12 $ha5 ±:!:
to ilg5! 10 ed *xd6
11 4lb5 'ltb8
54[!!. A8 '. 7;'~
~i ~(i. ril
11 ... 'ltb4+ 12 'ltxb4 <tlxb4 13
0-0-0 also leads to ruin.
12 'lta3 ±±
~ ~. ~
i
,
"
.
1
Conclusion: The D2 mode of
defence leads to speedy defeat.

lt~ ~," i~J·,J1

03

56
,~"' ~~ W
H ~! .§.. "_~.
Conclusion: The weakness of the
black squares in the D12 line is
fatal.
D2
7 ... d6? (55)
An attempt by Black to release
the pressure in the centre by
exchanging the king's pawn. Its
drawback is that the f7 square can Many Soviet theoreticians .
immediately be attacked and this amongst them IGM Gufeld . believe
can only be parried by fatal that this move enables Black to
weakening of the position. build an elastic defence.
55 fa, y; A ,-",,"~ Black may castle, then by 'i!i>h8 he
makes room for the errant knight.
w~z ' The knight once 'at home' assists in
t' : .~ the freeing move f6.
On the strength of his latest
, researches the author doubts the
:
.7f
soundness of this defence. This is
illustrated by the following text:
8 l1f4 0-0
9 0-0 ~8
10 J:le1! a6
42 The 5 ... g6 line

58

needed if he is to succeed by
tactical means.
8 O.() 4lxe5
The threat is <$lxh7. The game 9 4lxeS Qxe5
transposes into the C3 system 9 ... ~xe5 is answered by 10
where the position favours White. ~5!±±.
(See page 36) In the Flesch-Kadar 10 ~S
game (also see page 39) 13 ... ef}g4 Interesting and worthy of study is
14 ~h3 ~e5 15 <$lxh7! d5 16 the10~e1Iine:
~h4 <$lxc4 17 ~f6+ ~h6 18 ~e5! a) 10 .., Qxc3? 11 bc iirxc3 12 l'te2
ends with a clear win for White. iirxa1 13 ~b2 l'txe1+ 14 l'txe1 f6
Conclusion: A careful study of 15 .a.xg8 ~g8 16 .a.xf6 e6 17 l'tb4
the annotated variations in the C3 and there is no defence against
system is essential. See page 36! mate.
There proof is given that the 03 b) 10 ... l1xh2+ 11 'iftxh2 'ltc7+ 12
line also is not good enough to 'iftg1 l'txc413 ~5 e614 b3 ±±
reach equality. c) 10 ... d6 11 ~5+! or 11 ~5,
04 transposing into the 042 variation.
7 ... .as (58) Now two branches are discussed:
The defence plans to win at all 04110 e6
costs that irksome 'centre forward' 042 10 ef}f6
the e5 king's pawn. 041
Then being two pawns ahead he 10 e6
trusts to be able to weather the 11 J::le1 f6
attack. 12 .Qb3
White in exchange for his loss of If at once 12 f4 then follows 12
the second pawn gains another .., l'tc5+ 13 ~h1 l'txc414fel'txd5
tempo.
Quick and accurate blows are 12 .,. rax7 (59)
 The 5 ... g6 line 43

a) 12 ... ab8 13 ~d2 *d8 14 ~3 11 ~1 d6

~f7 15 Ete3! with a gale force 10
attack.
b) 12 ... 4le7 13 !axe5! fe 14~e7
'3Jxe7 15 ~g5+! 'lJf7 (15 ... '3Je8 16
*d6'M7 17 *e7+ ~g8 18 ~f6 ±t)
16 *f3+ '.t'g8 17 ~e 7 ±t
The book entitled Modern Chess
Openings forecasts equal chances in
its assessment of this battle
position.
12 abS+! (60)

Following up an excellent idea by

13 ElxeS fe D.Shuttleworth (England) this
14 l6f3+ '8;g7 move has become a formidable
14 ... '3Je8 15 ~h6 (Sokolov-Peto, weapon! From here three main
Yugoslavia 1954: until now we derivations are annotated:
have kept abreast with this game) D421 12 ~d7
15 ... ~h6 16 *f6 ed 17 *xe5+ D422 12 ~d7
'3Jd8 18 *f6+! ~e8 (18 ... *7 19 D423 12 ~d8
Etc1+ ~b8 20 *d6 mate) 19 D421
*xh8+ ~e7 20 *e5+ '3Jd8 21 *g5+ 12 .Q.d7 (67)
wins.
15 ilgS d6 61
a)15 ed16~d5±± W
b) 15 h616 ~f6+'itlh717~e5
16 .Q.f6+ ~f6
16 ... ~f7 17 .Q.d8+ ±±
17 "itxf6+ '8;h6
18 itxh8 ed
19 "ltf8+ ±t
Conclusion: In the D41 line
White wins easily.
D42
10 ..• 13 Elxe5 ~d5
44 The 5 ... g6 line

The knight's retreat and the

blocking of the path of ~8
emphasises Black's lack of develop-
ment.
13 f4! ad4+
14 ~1 e6
15 b4!
Decisive move! Now 15 ... ~a1
16 ba 0-0 17 4Je7+ *h8 18 4Jxc8
~axc8 19 ~d7 wins.
Conclusion: The 0422 line is
hopeless for the defence. This diagram is right out of a set
0423 problem!
12 ... 17 .. , ~d7
a) 17 ... 'ltxd7 18 4Jxd7+ ~d7 19
63.8. .l axeS mate.
W i b) 17 ... a618*c7+r3ia719~e3+
*b6 20 ilxb6 mate.
c) 17 ...•a5 18 *xc8+! ~c8 19
~d7+ mate.
18 axe5+ .xeS
19 4lxd7+ mate.
Conclusion: Neither is there any
solace for Black in the 04231
line.
 The 5 ... g6 line 45

04232 In setting up his pieces Black was

14 ~dS (65) confident that now if White plays 18
~S+ then 18 ... 'itxd1+ 19 ~d1+
.e7 20 ihh8 f6 equalises easily.
18 a.c7+!
A bolt from the blue! With such
reduced material an unexpected
sacrifice like this is rarely found.
18 ... ra:Jxc7
The sacrifice must be accepted
for otherwise after 18 ... 'lJe7? the
answer is 19 'ltd6+ ~e8 20 'll\'d8
mate.
19 I:k 1+ ra:Jb6
1S lhdS *"4 19 ... ~b8 20 'itd6 mate.
1 S ... 'lh6 16 ihd6 wins! 20 itd6+ raJaS
16 lhd6! ed 21 I:kS+ bS
17 Qxd6 itg4 (66) 22 1:k3! ~7
The queen has difficulty in a) 22 .,. ita4 23 'itc7+ ~a6 24 ~6
finding a place as it cannot go to a mate.
black square because of the b) 22 .,. b4 23 'ltc5+ ~a4 24 Eta3+
bishop's threat of discovered check. ba 25 b3 mate.
17 ... 'ltb5 can also be considered 23 a.t3+ ita4
but it is no improvement on the 24 b4 1:0
text for 18 Ek1! 'ltd7 (18 ... ~d7 Flesch-Koszorus, Theme Tourna-
19 itd4 ±!:) 19 'ltd4 ~e8 20 'ltf6+ ment, Hungary 1979.
Ete7 21 ~1 ±!: also wins. Conclusion: This variation needs
I~~.~~~
~l!li {~A.:~, /~; ii to be checked thoroughly but this
much is certain already: White gets
~~/. :U"""~.'.~.
I
~ -i' an extraordinarily dangerous attack
for his sacrificed pawns.
~;/
,'/", i?/ ?"
A. :',j I
Conclusion: S ••. g6line
~.*l 'The Morra Dragon', the bishop's
development on g7, does not fulfil
;fi: MI:;fi:: the hopes placed in it.
After 7 e5, as discussed in section
. ; _ _-----::-g..:::....c.. '=""J!_--' '0', Black does not attain equality.
7 The 6...ttJf6 Line

1 e4 c5 2 d4 cd 3 c3 de 4 fuc3 4lc6 here, in the circumstances of the

5 clli3 d6 Morra Gambit, than in the 'normal'
6 llc4 <OOi (67) Sicilian defence.
The advantage in development,
which arises from the typical
advance of the 'e ' pawn, can be put
to immediate effect in a dangerous
attack.
7 e5!
Now two sub-divisions are
discussed:
A 7 4Jg4
B 7 de
7 ... <&xe5?? .oses at once because
of S <&xe5 de 9 ~f7+.
Black omits ... e6 blocking the A
dangerous c4 bishop's diagonal 7 eg4 (68)
attacking the weak f7 point;
instead he places his king's knight
on its customary post in the Sicilian
defence.
The advantage here, in preference
to e6, which is the usual move in
the Morra Gambit, is that the cS-g4
diagonal is kept open. Tying down
the f3 knight decreases White's
pressure on the e5 point.
These defensive efforts call for
instant decision by White, naturally
putting the maximum emphasis on 8 e6
the disadvantages of 6 ... 4Jf6. Now in two ways Black can put
The f6 knight is more exposed up a resistance:
 The 6 ... td6line 47

A1 8 f6
A2 8 .Qxe6
A1
8 ... f6
Black trusts that in the closed
position his advantage in develop-
ment will prevent his collapse and
that the advanced king's pawn can
be gained later.
Only with precise play can White
counter Black's plans.
9 a.f4!
a) Examples after 9 O~:
a1) 9 ... ~eS? 10 ~e5 .f1xe5? 11
'ikh5+ g6 12 'ikxe5!! de 13 .Qb5+
a.d7 14 .Qxd7+ 1:0 S ... a.xe6 (70)
a2) 9 .., g6! and White's advantage Black is trying to relieve the
has slightly decreased. situation by exchanging material.
b) Brutal attempts also come to
nothing. Example: 9 .nh4? tf:Ige5! 70[l!V B~.,.
b1) 10 f4 ~c4 11 'ikh5+ g6 12
~g6'ika5
W ~Y/-~ .i _~
,~
A i i i;
b11) 13 fS hg 14 'ikxh8 'lte5+ 15 /"7 //Ld ~

c~ ~
~d1 'ikxf516 .Qh6'ikh5+i+.
b12) 13 .aeS+ ~d8 14 tf:If7+ ~7 i I
15 'ikxa5 tf:I6xa5 16 .f1xh8 .Qxe6 i+
b2) 10 a.dS tf:Ib4 11 'ika4+ tf:Iec6 12 ~~ ttJ J

a.c4'ika5 =t'
9 '" g6 IE r~ ~ f".ft iol
~,~,}i ~----'_ ~
9 ... <£Ie5 10 .Qxe5 fe 11 tf:Ig5 ±±
10 4ld4 ~eS 9 !he6 fe
11 !heS de 10 ~S 4lf6
a) 11 fe? 12'ikf3 ±± 11 0.0 'ltd7
b) 11 .axeS 12 a.b5+ ±± 12 ~1 eS
12 .axc6 'ltxd1+ 13 'ikb3 .adS
12 ... bc 13 'ika4 'ikc7 14 tf:Id5 13 ... tf:Id4 14 'ikf7+ ~d8 15 ae3
'ikb7 (14 ... 'ikd6 15 tf:Ib6 ±±) 15 h6 (15 '" ~2 16 <£Ie6+ ±±) 16
.Qa6!! ±± .Qxd4 hg 17 axeS 'lte8 18 'ikb3 ±
13 Jhd1 bc (69) 14 f4 h6
14 4lbS! ±± 15 fe hg
48 The 6 ... ~6 line

16 ef gf Matulovic-Vincenti, 1954.
17 cikJS ~6 The Bl defence is doomed to
18 .{}xe7!! !be7 failure, because of the king's fatal
19 *g8 mate position.
In the A2 variation the defence is B2
hopeless as his position is riddled 8 .{}xd8
with holes. 9 4}bS l:!b8
B 10 .{}xeS 00 (72)
7 ... de 10 ... ~6 is obviously worse.
8 *xd8+ Examples:
Two continuations are discussed: a) 11 4lxa 7? ~ 7? 1·2 .Q.xe6 fe 13
Bl 8 'i!i>xd8 ~f4 ~a814~b5 ~a5154:lc7+'i!i>d8
B2 8 fu:d8 16 ~f7 mate. Taylor-Broyles, USA
B1 1971.
8 ... ~xd8 b) 11 Ae3 a6 12 r::Idl g6 13 4:lc7+
Black would like to keep the c6 tflxc7 14!bf7 mate.
knight active and of course the e5 c) 11 !boo!
pawn as well. However, the king's cl) 11 ... !bOO 12 4k7+ ~d8 13
position is critical and can be tflxe6+ fe 14 ~f7+ ±:!:
exploited in a quick attack. c2) 11 ... fe 12 4:lc7+ ~d8 13 ~f7+
9 ~ '8Jc7 '!1xc7 14 ~f4+ ±:!: Flesch-N.N.,
10 4)xf7 1Jg8 simul. 1980.
11 4lbS+ ~8 (71)
11 ... 'i!i>b6?? 12 ~e3+ 'i!i>aS 13 a3 72
e6 14 b4+ tflxb4 15 ab+ ~xb4 16 W
tflxe5 ~dS 17 ~d4 1:0 Zaitseva-
Ushakova, 1970.

Now the attacker must decide

between a tactical and a strategical
continuation. Both look promising.
B21 11 4:lc7+
B22 11 tflxa7
12 .{}xeS! 4)xeS B21
13 ~f4 1:0 11 .at7+
 The 6 ... CiJf61ine 49

White's aim is to continue the

assault on the king.
11 ... ~e7
12 11e3
12 b3 can also be considered for
12 ... 'i!l>d6 13 ,Q.f4 'i!l>xc7 14 fuf7+
~6 15 fuh8. The question is
however, whether Black has a
better answer to 12 b3?
12 ... .nc6
a) 12 ... ~d6. This move creates
great complications allowing the
attacker to choose between several
continuations:
a1) 13 o.()~ 'ifilxc7 14 ~d8 'i!l>xd8
15 fuf7+'ifile816 fuh8 J1e7
a2) 13 .Q.f4 'i!l>xc7 14 4".ixf7+ 'i!l>b6 15 14 4lxf7!! ~xf7
4".ixh8 15 .1l.xe6+ ~g6
a3) 13 4lb5+ 'ifilxe5 14 .Q.d4+ oM5 15 ... '3Je 7 16 ~he1 ±:!:
15 J1d3+. Researchers of this 16 .1l.xd7 .1l.xd7
variation are divided in their 17 ~d7 4le5
opinion as to which road is the best 18 J::Id5 &8
for the attack. But certainly, Black's 19 ~e5 'hc7+
game is not rosy in any of them. 20 ltib1 a6
b) 12 ... b6 21 J::Id1 ~7
b1) 13 Ji!d1 J1b7 14 .Q.g5 .Q.d5? 15 21 ... ~e7 22 ~ed5 ± or 21
ihd5 ed 16 ~xd5 1 :0 Erker-Kruse, .1l.e7 22 .1l.b6! ±:!:
1959. 22 .1l.b6 ~7
b2) 13 O.().() with a double-edged 23 gf5+ ~e6
position. Black fends off immediate 23 ... ~6 24 ~f3 ~e8 25 ~d7 ±
disaster but the question remains - 24 ~f8!! 1!xf8
has he freed himself for good? 25 ~1+ ~d7
c) 12 ... 4ld7134".ixd7 26 ~e7+ '3ixe7
c1) 13 ... ~xd7 140-0-0+ 'ifilxc7 15 27 .1l.c5+ ~e8
.Q.f4+ ±:!: 28 .1l.xfS ~xf8
c2) 13 .., .1l.xd7 14 ~a7 ~c8 15 29 ~c2 1:0
~6± Kristiansson-Roberts 1967.
Players who wish to try the B21 In the B21 variation, tournament
variation in tournament practice practice has shown that great
should thoroughly analyse in complications occur, but White's
advance the a, b, and c, sub- advantage remains.
50 6 ... 6iJf6 line

822 White has held on to his

11 ~7 advantage. Against his active king,
White decides to regain the queenside pawn majority and better
material, reasoning that in a placed rooks Black is reduced to
possible end-game he will have a penury.
pawn majority on the queenside. The B22 variation is good for
The Black king is in a bad position experienced end-game players.
and therefore the attack may
continue now with equal material.
11 ... 1lb4+
11 ... .Q.c5 12 ~e3 (12 6iJb5 ~) 12
... ~e3 13 fe 0-0 (13 ... ~7 14
~b5 ± or 13 ... tIle7 14 I!!d1 t) 14
IId1 ~
12 ild2 Conclusion: 6 '" ~
Also interesting is 12 'i!ile2 0-0 13 In the 'A' section White's success
Ild1, where White can hope for a appears easy. In the 'B' section
favourable end-game. however, he is either forced into
12 Qxd2+ complications (B1) or has to
13 ~xd2 O.() content himself with a favourable
14 !!hc1! (74) end-game. In the former case the
~~=~'
.-
defender might find his way
~4~ri;]~~ .... through the complications and in
the latter he can put his hopes in a
II_.~ sturdy defence.
i .tQj The attacker must study this
I . ,- chapter carefully, so that within the
I .~. / . :

..-
time limit he may not be taken by

.~,.~-=
....~ ].. ;.T.~
surprise.
. . . -. '. j
Naturally - all things considered -
this section has to be awarded to
c· :.; ~ : : White.
8 The 6...a6 Line
Black wants to leave open the c8-
h3 diagonal so that later on he can
pin and exchange the strong f3
knight.
Of course, this plan by Black is
not without dangers for him
because, ... e6 being left out,
White's c4 bishop has a clear
diagonal for attack. Therefore the
weak f7 field has to be watched
carefully.
We have already observed during
our discussion of the 6 ... .flf6
chapter that owing to the e4-e5
pawn attack the immediate placing
of the knight on f6 is too risky.
Therefore in the 6 ... a6 line the
defender first prepares against such
an attack by the king's pawn.
Knowing the basic elements of
the attack in the 6 ... a6 line, the
defender safeguards first of all the
b5 field against the advance of the
White knight.
The purpose of 6 .,. a6 is that on
the following move the knight can
be placed on f6 at a reduced risk,
whilst the c8 bishop's path also
remains free.
The 6 ... a6 line is therefore an
interesting highlight in the theory
of the Morra Gambit.
In this chapter we intend to
incorporate the most interesting
variations that have occurred in
tournament practice with the
results of the author's latest
researches.
7 0-0
The strongest continuation. White
places the king in safety and leaves
his options open for further
development according to Black's
reply.
Other moves have also been tried
but with less success:
a) 7 Ab3? (Kazanski-Lee, Siegen OL
52 The 6 .,. o6/ine
1970) There is no particular reason
for moving the piece once again. A
further disadvantage of the move is
that it takes away the b3 field from
the queen. On top of that, because
of the loss of tempo, the bishop can
easily be attacked here:
a1) 7 ... <'£la5 8 ilc2 .llg4 9 h3 ~f3 =
a2) 7 ." ~f6 8 e5 (80-0 .Q.g4 ~ or 8
h3 g6 ~) 8 ... de 9 't'txd8+ ~d8 (9
... \tlxd8? 10 tt1g5 ±) 10 ~e5 e6 ~
b) 7 'ite2 tt1f6 8 0-0 .llg4 9 h3 ~f3
(9 ... tt1d4? 10 .Qxf7+! \tlxf7 11
't'tc4+ ±) 10 itxf3 ttle5 +
c) 7 a4. This continuation also
misunderstands the defensive tenets
of the 6 ... a6 line. It is unnecessary
to prevent the b5 move. Black has
for the moment no intention to
move b5 for he does not aim to
develop his bishop on b7 but on g4.
After the aimless 7 a4, Black can
hold on to his plan of developing
his bishop on g4 with 7 ... tt1f6, e.g.:
cl) 8 O~ .Q.g4! 9 l'tb3 e6 10 l'txb7
ttla5! (10 ... itc8?? 11 .Q.xa6! ±) 11
itb4 d5! +F
c2) 8 h3 e6! and Black is aiming to
set up the defensive position as
discussed in the 8 ... a6 line. This is
now very advantageous to Black,
because important tempi have been
lost by White's two outside pawns.
d) continuations after 7 e5:
dl) 7 ... de? 8 itxd8+ ~d8 (8 ...
\tlxd8? 9 ttlg5 ~6 10 .Qxf7) 94)d5
ttle6 10 4)b6 ~b8 11 ~e5 tt1f6 12
4)xf7 \tlxf7 13 .Q.f4:!± This is a
very attractive sub-variation, but it
is faulty as is proven by the 'b'
branch:
d2) After 7 ... e6! 8 .llg5 't'tc7 9 ed
.Qxd6 White will quickly run out of
ammunition. The 7 e5 move is
weak because there is now no
possibility for a breakthrough as
the b5 field is protected.
7 ." ~f6 (76)
Now we annotate the two main
branches:
A 8a3
B 8.Q.g5
8 ite2 is less successful as it does
not take into account the defence's
aspirations in the 6 ... a6 line, e.g.
8 ... .Q.g4 9 ~dl :
a) 9 ... 'itc8? 10 .Q.f4 g6 11 ~acl
.Q.g7 12 tt1d5 ± Stockl-Martin, 1950.
b) 9 ... e6 10 .Q.f4 itc7 11 ~cl
4)d7 12 ilb3 itb8 13 h3 .Q.h5? (13
... .Qxf3! ~) 14 g4 .Q.g6 15 e5 4)cxe5
16 ttlxe5 de (16 ... ~e5 17 ~e5
de 18 .Q.a4+ b5 19 ttlxb5 ab 20
~b5+ rtle7 21 ~d7+ rtlf6 22 itf3+
\tlg5 23 ite3+ rtlf6 24 g5+ 'it'f5 25
.lld3+ :!±) 17 l:Xxd7 rtlxd7 18 .Q.xe5
't'ta7 19 'ltd2+ 1:0 (19 ... \tle8 20
~4+ :!±) Devault-Ludvik, corres
1968.
c) 9 .,. .llxf3 10 itxf3 4)e5 11 ite2

~xc4 ~
A tempo! Once and for all he has
8 a3 (77)
A waiting move. White trusts that
whatever continuation is chosen by
Black, this move will be useful in
the attack anyway.
Now the defence has the choice
of two main directions:
A1 8 e6
A2 8 ag4
A1
8 e6 (78)
Black is aiming to set up a trad-
itional defence system where 8 a3
will prove a loss of tempo.
9 t\'e2 h6
The 6 ... a6/ine 53
He makes good use of the gained
stopped the pin by ag5. 9 ... ae7
10 ~d1 'IlJc7 11 ag5 would have led
to the 8 ... a6 line.
10 §d1 eS?!
10 .. , ad7 or even 10 ... 'IlJc7
come into serious consideration in
connection with the sUbsequently
discussed 8 ... a6 line.
11 eikJS ile7
12 !le3!
Exploits the b6 field's weakness
and so forces the exchanges
advantageous to himself.
12 ... 4lxdS
13 l1xdS!
The position is full of hope for
the attacker. This is Fischer-
Korchnoi, discussed in the 8 ... a6
chapter, but with two gained tempi
for White.
In Smith-Mecking, San Antonio
1972, instead of the text, 13 ed?
was played, which was a serious
strategical error! It both blocks the
path of the useful bishop and
makes the 'favour' to the defence
of shielding the weak d6 pawn. By
this the meaning of the earlier ~d1
is now negated.
In the A1 sub-division Black's
plan is that the reversion to the
traditional defensive set-up will
prove the a3 move to be a loss of
tempo.
But it is difficult to find such a
set-up where the a3 move is
entirely unnecessary. It is possible
that the 8 ... a6 line is the most
suitable for this purpose, for in the
54 The 6 ... a6/ine
tactical clashes that occur in that
line the loss of the squandered
tempo will be felt.
However, the illustrated game
well demonstrates that the defence
is ill advised to choose a system in
which the b6 field's weakness has
an accentuated importance.
A2
The defensive plan consistently
effects the 6 ... a6 line's main
objective, the 'pin' by ~4. As it
happens, theorists consider this
move an error, for White by
attacking the f7 point can win the
b7 pawn. But according to the
author's researches, in returning the
gambit pawn Black makes important
gains:
a) he can complete his development
b) he can disrupt White's pawn
formation, while getting rid of the
strong f3 knight.
9 i6b3 e6
10 'ltxb7 ~5!
10 ... itc8? 11 axa6! fi:la7 12
itxc8 41xc8 13 axc8 (13 ~b5+ :l±)
13 ... Etxc8 (13 ... axf3?? 14 ~b7!
Etb8 15 ~6+ :l±) 14 Q.d4 ±
11 'ltb4 llxf3
12 gf {)d7
a) 12 .,. lle7 13 *a4+ Q.d714 ~2
0-015 b4 ±
b) 12 ... cfuc4 13 itxc4 lle7 14
*c6+ Q.d7 15 ~f4 =
13 ~e2
13 ita4 41xc4 with initiative to
Black.
13
14 'lta4
15 ~1
16
Black stands well, for after the
exchange of the c1 bishop the black
squares (e5-f4-h2) surrounding the
king's position have become
perceptibly weak. The strategical
gain has easily transferred the
initiative to Black. Even the further
sacrifice of the a6 pawn comes into
consideration so that the attack can
be accelerated on the king.
The 'A2' playing method,
recommended by the author,
flexibly carries through the basic
defensive tenets of the 6 ... a6 line.
Therefore the 'A' system seen from

the attacker's side is somewhat off
t,lrget.
II
8 iagS
The natural developing move,
which with the ensuing 'pin' rolls
,Ill obstacle in the path of defensive
plans.
Now Black can choose between
lwo schemes:
131 8 e6
132 8 .Qg4
81
8 ... e6
The defence can no longer keep
open the c8-g4 diagonal. I nstead he
can transpose to ·any of the systems
where the a6 move is useful. The
'A1' system has provided sufficient
warning that the weakness of the
b6 point necessitates due caution in
the choice of a defensive set-up.
Probably the forced acceptance of
complications in the 8 ... a6 line is
a direct result of the 'B1 '
continuation.
9 ite2 h6
Black hopes to free his position
by choosing a sub-division, but
changing the move order. The 9 ...
h6 move is such an experiment by
which Black hopes to cause
confusion.
10 .Qf4
The game transposes into vari-
ations of the 8 ... a6 line and so
does the 10 ae3 continuation
recommended by the Hungarian
master, Papp.
10 ah4?! needs further examin-
The 6 ... o6/ine 55
ation, in the game Smith-Evans, San
Antonio 1972 it resulted in an
advantage to Black: 10 ... g5 11
ag3 4Jh5 12 J;Ud1 ~g3 13 fg? g4
144)e1 41e5. Obviously White could
play better. Thorough analysis is
called for so that the right
strategical and tactical plan can
be chosen in this position.
The B1 system in real ity abandons
the original aim of the 6 ... a6 line
and transposes into other systems.
B2
8 .•. Qg4
The defence stubbornly keeps
faith with the concepts of 6 ... a6
and according to the A2 system
intends to put in operation the pin
and exchange of the strong f3
knight.
The vital difference is that in the
B2 system White has developed a
piece (8 .Qg5) instead" of a pawn (8
a3) as in the A2 line. Additionally,
the pin by the White bishop
restricts the defence.
9 itb3! e6
10 'C»'xb7 &5
10 ... itc8? 11 .Qxa6 4)a7 12
itxc8 41xc8 13 .Qxc8 (13 .Qb5+ ±!:)
13 ... .Qxf3?? 14 .Qb7 ~b8 15 .Qc6+
:!:!:
11 itb4 ~c4
a) 11 .,. d5? 12ita4+ ±
b) 11 ... .Qxf3? 12 ita4+ itd7 13
'ltxa5 ~e414 ab5!:!:!:
12 itxc4 .Qxf3?
Other moves are only marginally
better than this as without the
exchange the .Qg4 is shut out of the
56 The 6 ... o6/ine
The 'pin' has completely bound
up the defence. White has two
winning possibilities:
a) 14 gf. This looks simplest!
a1) 14 ... h6
all) 15 e5?? hg 16 ed+ 'ltxd6 17
'ltxa8 'ltxh2 mate. , in the theory of the Morra Gambit,
a12) 15 ~5+!! ed 16 ed 'ltcB217
lafe1+ '3;d8 18 lae8 mate.
a2) 14 ... 'ltc815'lta4 ±
b) 14 ~5+!? ed 15 ed also leads to
a very interesting attack:
b1) 15 ... ttc8 16 !he1+ '3;d8 17
lae8 mate.
b2) 15 ... Qxd5 16 'ltxdS '3;d7 17
'ltb7+ ~e8 18lae1 + 11e7 19 laxe7+!
±I:
b3) 15 ... 11g416 !he1 + 11e6 17 de
b31) 17 ... fe 18 'ltb7+ '3;e8 19
laxe6+ ae7 20 laxe7+!! ±!:
b32) 17 ... &8 1811xf6+ gf 19 ef+
'$Jxf7 20 'ltdS+ ~6 21 'lte4+! a
dangerous attack has come about,
because White can throw his rooks
into the struggle: 21 ... '$Jg7 (21 ...
f5? 22 'lte6+ ±:!:) 22 'ltg4+ 'M7 23
'lte6+ ~g6 24 §e3 lacS (24 ... 11h6
25 lag3+ agS 26 f4 lacS 27 fg laxgS
28 laxgS'iftxg5 29 h4+ ~g6 30 hS+
'3;g7 (30 ... '$JxhS 31 'ltf7+) 31 h6+
'3;g6 32 'ltg4+ 'it'xh6 33 gf3 ±:!:) 25
f4 'ltb6 26 fS+ ±!:
In the B2 variation Black is
inferior.
Conclusion:
In the B2 variation, the attempt
by the defence fails in its efforts to
create sufficient counterplay by the
ag4 pin in accordance with the
original strategic tenets of the 6 ...
a6 line. Therefore the 6 ... a6 line
is merely an interesting side-road
where the defence is forced to re-
direct his steps, by transposition of
moves, to the main avenues as
subsequently discussed.
9 The 7 ~f4 Line
At once White assails the d6 field.
The 4Jge7 defensive move cannot
now be made. Yet another, if not
the main, threat of the 7 ia.f4line is
that with the massing of the forces
on ite2 - ~dl the attack on the
backward d6 pawn starts a tempo
earlier than in the usual systems
(discussed later) whi.;h also contain
the 0-0 - ite2 - ~dl attacking set-
up.
The early presence of tactical
elements in the king's forecourt
forces Black to come to a quick
decision on his defensive form-
ation. The defence naturally must
look for the shadowy side of the 7
.Qf4 move.
Without a doubt, the bishop's
early deployment has committed
White, for if the bishop wants to
attend to other danger areas, such
as the pinning of the f6 knight, he
can now do it only with a loss of
tempo. It would also mean a loss
of time if White were forced to
alter his plans should Black be able,
after thorough preparation, to
make the freeing move e6-e5. The
best method of reaching this aim
for Black is the system
recommended by the author.
Now we shall illustrate the
following defences:
A 7 a6
B 7 4Jf6
C 7 ile7
A
7 ... a6 (83)
Black prepares to move his queen
off the Cd' file away from the
attacking ~dl. Therefore he first
safeguards the weak d6 point from
4Jb5.
8 ite2
In the 7 .Qf4 line the intention is
to make the ~dl move as soon as
58 The 7 JU4/ine
possible. Castling is postponed.
Contrary to the spirit of the system
are the moves 8 0-0 and 8 a4 which
transpose to other lines - by a
change in the move sequence:
a) Examples after 8 0-0 a.e7:
al) 9 Ik1 ~f610'lte2 e511 afdl
a.g4 12 a.g54Jd4 13 'lte3 .Qxf3 14
gf~4! ± Albano-Matulovic, 1968
a2) 9 'ltd2 ~f6 10 fHdl
a21) 10 ... 0-011 .Qxd6 b5? 11 e5
± Carlsson-Nilsson, corres 1958-61.
a22) 10 ... eS 11 ae3.a.g4 +
a3) 9'lte2
a31) 9 Qf6 10 afdl Yhc7 leads to
the 8 a6 line by transposition of
moves.
a32) 9 ... eS 10 a.e3 ~f6 11 <£leiS
and owing to the weakness of the
b6 point the chances are equal.
b) Developments after 8 a4 do not
justify pushing the outside pawn
forward:
bl) 8 ... 4lf6 9 'ltd2 .a.e7 10 adl
b11) 10 ... ibs 11 .Qxd6 .Qxd6 12
'ltxd6 ~e4 13 'lta3 ~c3 14 bc
Yhc7 15 0-0 ~e 7 + Tartakower-
Najdorf, Saltjobaden 1948.
b12) 10 ... eS 11 .a.g5 a.g412 .Qxf6
.Qxf6 13 'ltxd6 ~4 + Kozomara-
Vidmar, 1956.
b2) 8 ... ~7 9 0-0
b21) 9 ... gS?! 10 ag3 h5 11 h3
'ltc7 12 acl ± Szasz-Turi, corres
1959-60. Black's attempt to start a
second front whilst generally under-
developed asks for trouble.
b22) 9 ... 4lf6 10 'lte2 0-0 11 Ilfdl
'ltc7 transposes into the 8 ... a6
line.
b23) 9 ... eS 10 ~e3 ~f6 =
8 ... a.e7
9 l::!d1
Prevents e6-e5 and threatens
immediate tactical action on the 'd'
file.
9 ... 4lf6
The theorists are wrong in their
assessment of the 9 ... b5 move: 9
... b5 10 a.b3 ab7 11 .Qxd6 .Qxd6
12 e5 ~e5 13 ~e5 ~6 (because
of~f7!)
a) 14 O-O? 0-0 15 <tJe4 .Qxe4 16
'ltxe4 'lte7 17 ad3 .Qxe5 18 'ltxe5
'ltf6 19 'ltxf6 gf 20 afdl Y2:Y2
Raud-Goransson, Uppsala 1957.
b) 14 4lxf7!! This move is the
refutation of the variation (Flesch).
bl) 14 ... 4lxf7 15 'ltxe6+ 'lte7 16
axd6±
b2) 14 ... ~xf7 15 'ltxe6+ ~f8 16
O-O! ± (16 axd6? 'ltg5 ::0)
10 eS 4lhS (84)
11 ~3!
A decisive improvement!
11 .acl? allows an escape route
for after 11 ... d5 12 g4! *a5 13
a.b3 'ltb4 14 gh d4 15 ~2 dc 16
.Qxc3 'ltg4 17 ag1 'ltxh5 18 axg7
~d7 White's initiative comes to a
halt. Examples:
 The 7 £Jf4/ine 59

B
84 7 .,. <Df6 (85)
W
Black does not weaken the b6
field, as in the A section, but
responds with a piece development.

~
I :J.~~'i'j -.
~ :&::&: ~'''"z, ' iLltt~:1
_-; 41 Lt /11-: .i1i
b
a) 19 <Dg5? 'lth6 20 4Jxf7 'ltxg7 21 ~. 1l:J.~_: '
&h8 O-O-o!! +F
b) 19~2'ltxh2
'n~t2.J: .~, I
itiit : : :ir.!.ft'lfl
b1) 20 'lW3 4Jxe5 21 'ltxb7 ~c6 22 f----+--~··-····~----·i-·- _·_-r .1- /u

~4 <Bd3+ 23 '<?te2 <Df4+ 24 ~fl ,B: ! tyi~LB.

'lth3+ 25 ~1 'lth1 + 26 ag1 (26 8 .e2
~fl 'lte4+ 27 ~e3 'ltxa4 +F J 26 ... 8 0-0 ~e7 9 'tte2 e5 10 ~e3 0-0
'ltxg1 + 27 <Df1 0-0 28 'ltxe7 ~g2 29 a) 11 afd1 ~g4 12 a3 'ltd7 13 h3
'ltg5+ <Dg6 30 'ltf6 e5 31 ~e2 ~h5 14 ad2 a6 15 aad1 b5 +
~fl+ 32 Elxfl 'ltg4+ 33 ~e1 'ltxa4 Matulovic-Kotov, 1958
0:1 Reicher-S.Szabo, Bucharest b) 11 h3 ~e6 ~
1953. 8 ... 4}h5
b2) 20 ~4 4Jxe5! 21 ag3 ~b5! 22 8 ... e5 9 ~5 Jle7 also comes
'lte3 'lth1+ 23 ~d2 0-0-0+ 24 ~1 into consideration.
Elxd1+ 25 ~d1 ad8 +F 9 iole3 iole7
11 ... b5 10 Ud1 .a5
11 ... d5 12 g4 'lta5 13 ~b3 ~b4 11 O~ Qf6
14 gh ~c3+ 15 bc 'ltxc3+ 16 'ltd2 12 Qg5 0-0
±!: 13 4}b5 (86)
12 ed bc
13 de
14 <Be4!
15 4lfd2!
.xe7
"fJb4+ •
B

Black's game collapses irretriev-

ably.
In the A section White obtains an
early tactical skirmish on the cd'
file. Therefore, he has accomplished
the 7 .£lf4 line's aim independently
of whether the quoted game can be
improved on for Black or not.
60 The 7 ~f4line

13 d5! The author advocates this contin-

14 ed ed uation. The advantage of the move
15 1hf6 1hf6 is that it keeps control of the
16 11xd5 ~4 important g5 field. With this he
17 4)d6 itb6 adequately prepares the e6-e5
18 <!le4 $le7 move.
19 4:lc3 $lf6 8 0.0
The position is equal. Tartakower- To 8 ite2 the answer can be 8 ...
Lokvenc 1948. e5 9 ~e3 ~4.
In the B section Black can 8 e5
temporarily ease the pressure on 9 $le3 4lf6
the 'd' file with his knight's curious 10 h3 0.0
move. This gain of time gives him 11 'lte2 $le6
respite and he can complete his Black has reached his destination
development. Therefore he has a with a gain of tempo and therefore
real chance to reach equality. he has reasonable prospects of
C making good his material advantage.

Conclusion:
In the A section Black exposes
himself to tactical dangers. He can
reach equality in the B section,
whereas in the C section using the
method of play recommended by
the author he holds the advantage.
The balance tips decidedly: the 7
~f4 line is an out-moded weapon in
White's armoury.
10 The h ..l£Jge7 Line

not forget the debit side either. The

new-style knight development
requires two tempi. This, of course,
benefits the better developed
White. The 4Jge7 move temporarily
blocks the path of .af8. White can
exploit this by the following
unpleasant 'pin'.
8 ilgSI (89)

r~:!l. . ~~:---n~. ~=-.~.~~

..
. .
~*~Lj-. ~

In later chapters of the Morra
Gambit, a recurring problem is the
development of the g8 knight. The
reason for this is that to put the
knight on f6 as in the 'normal'
Sicilian defence is not as safe in the
Morra Gambit where White
frequently uses the knight's
position to initiate a dangerous
attack by the e4-e5 advance. The
value of the 7 ... 4Jge7 line is that
from the g6 vantage point the
knight can control the important e5
field and should .af4 be played the
knight can reach his base with a
gain of tempo. Naturally we must
~~"lji.!<ln . •. r ft ,i
-~1. 1t-'~"-o
._~:.~~--- .. -.Jcc
ml
lsC ';g;t- .·ii~Tn. :'
j
This ties down the defence
completely. It is superfluous to
search for anything better than this
obviously excellent move. The
following powerless attempts are
proof of this:
a) 8 Qf44Jg6 9 ag3 Qe7 10 ite2 a6
11 lafd1 *c7 12 laac1 0-0 13 .ab3
lad814 4Jd5 ed 15 ed
a1) 15 ... ~7 16 dc bc 17 1£kl4 c5
62 The 7 ... lclge7/ine

18 itS ~f6 (18 ... ~f8 19 axf7+ lclxe5=

~h8 20 *e4 ±) 19 itd5 ~d4 20 b12) 13 g3 a6 14 f41clxd4 15 axd4
itxf7+ ~h8 21 Ihd4 ~f8?? 22 b5 16 ab3 ab7 = Mykov-Suetin,
itxg6 ±!: Sunnucks-Mills, Bognor 1956.
Regis 1960. b2) 121hc1 0-0 13 h4
a2) 15 .,. ~f6 =. b21) 13 ... 4lxh4 141clxh4 ~h4 15
b) S'lte2 itg4 ±
b1) S ... a69a34Jg610b4b511 b22) 13 ... a6
.Q.a2 ~e 7 12 ~b 2 0-0 13 ~ac 1 'ltb6 b221) 14 hS ~eS 15 lclxe5 lclxe5
14 ~fd1 ~b7 15 ~h1 ~ac8 + 16 ab3 b5 17 f41clc4 18 axc4 bc
Beilin-Roshal, USSR 1966. 19' *xc4 ~7 20 *e2 ± Leonidov-
b2) S ... ci\g6 9 ~d1 a6 10 .Qe3 b5 Tityenko, USSR 1962.
11 ab3 ad 7 12 4Jd4 ~e 7 13 Iclxc6 b222) 14 4la4! (The author's
~c6 14 f4 b4 15 c£la4 ~b5 16 *h5 suggestion) 14 ... 1cld4?? 15 Ihd4!
0-0 171clb6 (17 f5 axa4 =) *xa416 ~e6 ±
b21) 17 ." IhbS = Sax-Gergely, It is possible that the variations
Hungary 1968. 12 a3 and 12 ~d2 also favour
b22) 17 ... .nxf4! 18 *f3 e5 '+ White.
S ... a6 (90) 8 ... *d7 in the end still necess-
itates the a6 and h6 moves. Yet the
9o~~j,F:~l&-S
~~. . ;~1J'r ~'NN~
queen stands awkwardly on the cd'
W
I~,~,~'
•

'" ~.
/0
. . .
_ ze :
f".".•/~
l-:/.
f

t:1) .. '.t'j:1 .~~

'~
it·(;,/~.
." '.'.':iii
~ ;;;
.. '~
...
. • ..
...

j
,
file. Therefore 8 ... *d7 has to be
dismissed.
9 'lte2

··!)i~t-r
The best move! Other paths are
less recommended:
['~"~-'-.c--·f· ''':-''r~ a) 9 a4. White considers that the

, .(;~h'TfTIlLJ~' ,,' Iclg6 knight's base is too far away

";~ ;g1¥. it~i..' . '"I

1:It
b~ad~
o'
Forced, because the pin cannot
be resolved satisfactorily.
a) S ... h6?? 9 c£lb5 d5 10 ed
a1) 10 .,. hg 11 de! c£lg6 12 ef+ 1:0
Nei-Koblenz, USSR 1956
a2) 10 ... ed 11 af4! ±!:
b) S ... 'ltd7 9 *e21clg6 10 ~fd1 h6
11 ae3 ~e7
b1) 12 <ikl4 0-0
b11) 13 f4 Iclxd4 14lhd4 e5 15 fe
from the queenside, therefore he
..•
starts activity on that side. His aim
is to force a4-a5, so that by
controlling the b6 point he can
break through there. 9 ... h6
a1) 10 ~e3 c£lg6 11 4:k:I2 ~e7 12 f4
all) 12 ... ~f6? 131clb3 0-0 14 as!
~c3? 15 bc 4Jge7 16 ~b6*d717
§a2 ± Capello-Saidy, Venice 1969.
a12) 12 ... 0-0 13 c£lb3 c£la5 ~
a2) 10 ~h4 *c7 11 *e2 c£lg6 12
~g3 ~e713 ~fd1 c£lge514c£lxe5de
+ Ganayev-Estrin, USSR 1970. The
9 a4 move is unnecessary.

b) 9 &c1 h6 10 ~e3 ~g6 11 <lliI4
~7
b1) 12 Qxe6? Qxe6 13 ~e6 fe 14
'lth5 ~e5 15 f4 O-o! 16 fe ~e5 +
Leonyidov-Sabanov, USSR 1969.
b2) 12ithS'lh5! =
c) 9ltd2
c1) 9 ... ltc7 10 Elfd1 ~g6 11 ~ac1
'ltb8 12 ~e2 h6 13 ~3 ~e 7 = Dzhan-
gevaladze-Bronnik, USS R 1963.
c2) 9 ... h6 10 ~f4 gS 11 ~g3 ~g6
12 Elfd 1 e5 13 <lliI5 ~g4 14 ~e2
c21) 14 ... Qxf3? 15 Qxf3.t1d4 16
~h5 ~f4? (16 ... Qg7!) 17 Qxf4 gf
18 'ltb4 b5 (18 ... Qg7) 19 Elxd4!
ed 20 'ltxd4 1:0 Tarasov-Shestakov,
corres 1970-71.
c22) 14 ..• Ag7! 15 4Je3 Qxf3 16
Qxf3 ~4 17 'ltb4 = The 'lWd2
move has no strategical meaning.
9 ... h6 (91)1
a) 9 ... 'ltc7 10 ~ac1 h6 11 .ae3
~g612~d5 ±
b) 9 ..••as
b1) 10 J:;lfd1 ~6 11 Elac1 h612
.ae3 .ae7 13 ~d4 ~d4 14 §Xd4
0-0 15 b4 'ltd8 16 f4 with a double-
edged game, Matvik-Petkevich,
USSR 1969.
b2) 10 &d1 ~g6 11 J1b3 h6 12 .ae3
bS (12 .,. Qe713~4 ±) 13~d4±
911- .I. .9
w 1: .1:
.1: .. :t
The 7 ... ~ge7 line 63
10 !le3
10 .ah4 is not recommended:
a) 10 ... gS 11 .ag3 .ag7 12 ~ad1 e5
13 h3 g4 +
b) 10 ... *as 11 Qg3 ~6 12 'ltd2?
~ge5 13 ~e5 de! 14 a3 J1e7 15 b4
'ltd8 16 'lta2 bS + Smith-D.Byrne,
San Antonio 1972.
The bishop merely stands by after
10 J1h4?
10 ... 11d7
10 ... ~6. Continuations:
a) 11 J:;lfd1 ?(instead of 11 Elad1!)
11 ... bS 12 ~b3 .ae713 Elad ~7
14 <lliI4 fud4 15 Ihd4 0-0 ~
Muchnik-Estrin, USSR 1961. The
rook is missing from fl. Because of
this the f2-f4-fS charge is less
dangerous.
b) 11 &d1!
b1) 11 ... fk7? 12~4! b513 J1b6
'ltd714~5 ±!:
b2) 11 bS 12 .ab3 J1b7 13 ~4 i
b3) 11 Qd7 12 ~d4 merges into
the text continuation.
11 Elad1
Generally in the 7 ... ~ge7 line
the 'd' file should be controlled by
the Queen's rook, because the king's
rook's task is to assist a possible
push by the 'f' pawn. The 'f' pawn's
bayonet-<:harge makes the g6
knight's position most vulnerable.
11 .,. ~6
12 ~4 (92)
According to theorists this is the
only move to offer an advantage.
~f3 no longer obstructs the f2-f4-f5
attack.
The defence has reached the
cross-roads again. He has to choose
among the following routes:
64 The 7 ... !iJge7/ine
A 12 ~5
B 12 ~d4
Other roads are practically
impassable, e.g.: 12 '" b5 13 ~b3
b4?
a) 14 f4!? ~d4 15 1hd4 bc 16 f5
~b517'ltf2
a1) 17 ... .Qf4? 18 'ltxf4 'ltg5 19 fe
'ltxf4 20 l:lxf4 fe 21 1he6 cb 22
.Qxb2 h5 23 e5 ~h6 24 ~f7+ ~d7
25 ~5 ~c8 26 e6+ 1:0 M.J.
Conroy-J .steedman, England 1974.
a2) 17 .,. !btl 18 fg! (18 l:lxn
'lth4!) 18 ... fg 19 axn 'ltd7 20
.Qa4!! 'ltxa4 21 'ltf7+ ~d8 22 .Qb6+
±t. This line needs to be analysed
thoroughly. It is not Ii kely that the
12 ... b5 variation is capable of
rehabilitation!
b) 14,ga4! ±
A 16 1lf2
12 .. , &5 (93)
Generally, this move is criticised.
Not without reason! Black de-
centralises his knight from a good
position, thus using up two tempi
just like his colleague on g6. White's
advance in development is further
increased.
13 .Qxe6
Many are of the opinion that it is
a pity to give up the bishop-pair
just to regain the material balance.
Therefore they advocate 13 ~3
instead:
a) 13 Qe714 f4 0-015 'lth5 ±
b) 13 ~5 14.Qb1 CZJec4 15 ~1
b5! 16 b3~6
b1) 17 .Qa3 I;lc8 18 ~4 tclb7! =
b2) 17 ~2 ~c8 18 ~b2 ;!;
b3) 17 ~2 b418ofid1 ;!;
The 13 .Qd3 variation requires
further detailed analysis before a
considered opinion on it can be
given.
13 •.. fe
14 'l&h5 ~
15 f4 ~4
15 ... 'lth4?? 16 'ltxa5 ±t
16 ~1?? 'lth4 ++
16 ... 1:k8
a) 16 'ltf6 17 e5 ±t
b) 16 lle8 17 ~e6 ~xe6?? 18
'ltf5+ ~e7 19 ~5 mate.
17 f5
Many recommend the manoeuvre
17 ~d3-~g3, but to this the 17 ...
 The 7 ... ~ge 7 line 65

Elc5 reply causes enormous compli- A success can be deceiving. This

cations. game is used as a model in many
17 '" theoretical articles. Yet in researches
of opening systems the outcome of
94 single games must not influence our
W judgement. In this end-game Black
has merely lost on time! Otherwise
obviously he would have equalised
by 31 ... e4! 32 fue4 ~e4 33
*xe4 itxe4 34 ~e4 ~ 1+.
Of course when one takes into
account the itxg6 winning improve-
ment, the sub-section still gives
superiority to the attacker.
B
18 fg? 12
18 itxg6! leads to a superior
position, e.g.
a) 18 ... ~e8 19itg3! (19itxe6+??
~f7 ++) 19 ... ef 20~d5:!::!:
b) 18 ... 4)e519itg3 ±
18 ... *g5!
18 ... fub2 19 .Q.h4 .Q.e7 20 ~e7
'/!1xe721 Eln ~d5 :!::!:
19 "ith3 *xg6
20 ~3 *e8
21 §g3 mt7?
IGM Gufeld regards the 21 ... g5 l
and 21 ... h5 answers as favourable Using the motto: 'fewer pieces -
to Black, because they help to less worry' he exchanges the
consolidate the e5 knight base. centralised knight and tries to
22 b3 4ld2 transfer his <£lg6 piece to a better
23 ~1 Qe7 square. Generally, this is considered
24 4la4 ild8 the most acceptable defensive plan.
25 ~3 b5 13 11xd4 4le5!
26 cnc3 !1g5 14 i1b3
27 *g3 &5 In IGM Gufeld's opinion 14 .Q.xe5
28 caf5 ilf4 de 15 Eld3 comes into consideration
29 itg4 h5 30 *e2 .Q.xf5 31 ef 1:0 with pressure on the 'd' file. The
I.Zaitsev-Sakharov, 36th USSR Ch author, however, believes that the
1969. 15 ... ~c5 reply solves the problem
66 The 7 ... f;Jge7/ine
for the defence as the d4 field stays
in Black's control.
14 ... &6
15 ~e3 Qe7
Many people regard this move as
the scapegoat. But it is doubtful
that a better move could be found.
After all the king cannot camp for-
ever in the centre.
16 '(tg4!
This is an innovation by the
author, dating back to 1960, which
is most appropriate for gambit
players, giving them an active,
attacking game stuck full of tactical
complications.
According to IGM Gufeld and
other experts 16 f4 promises a solid
and lasting advantage.
16 ... ~5
Difficult to find an alternative
defensive plan.
17 '(txg7 ~6
18 '(td4 ±
18 e5 pointlessly complicates the
position:
a) 18 ... d5? (18 ... de?? 19 ~e6!
±±) 19 ~2 ~f8 20 'ltxg6!! fg 21
iaxg6+ ~e7 22 ~5 mate. Flesch-
Holdosi, blindfold simul, Hungary
1960.
b) 18 ... ~f8! 19 'ltf6 'ltxf6 20 ef
~g8! with a double-edged game.
In the B sub-section the author's
innovation 16 'ltg4 poses an
unsolvable problem for the defence.
Summary and Conclusion:
Although 7 .,. f;Jge7 slows down
the attack's momentum, yet it
cannot halt it completely.
White can start middle game type
attacks while the defence is still in
the throes of opening problems.
Naturally, improvements can still
be imagined for both sides, but
none of these sufficiently reduce
Black's insecurity.
This chapter should be studied in
conjunction with the 5 ... e6 line.
11 The 7. .. ~e7 Line
1 e4 c5 2 d4 cd 3 c3 dc 4 ~c3 c1lc6
5 c1lf3 d6 6 !l.c4 e6
7 0·0 ~7 (96)
/ /1 -
96~~.t ,~)~-LJ_~ 4J All
W 4/ ~ i11.~ ~ i :l
It is characteristic ofthis defensive
system, that Black delays the move
~g8-f6. He attempts to bring the
queen early into play, before such
a move would be ruled out by
White's completed development.
The early deployment of Black's
queen prompts White to intensify
his attack on the king by acting
against the queen.
Sparkling variations are produced
as the two sides clash.
8 ite2
The White queen makes for her
best vantage point and gives up her
place to the rook.
Less purposeful is the move 8 .Q.f4
which results in the following
variations:
a) 8 ... g5? 9 .Q.g3 a6 10 ~d2 g4 11
I ~1?! ygc7 12 Etad1 ~5 13 .Q.b3
.Q.d7 14 f4 gf 15 <£lxf3 4Jf6? 16
!3c1? (16 4Jxe5 de 17 ygh6 ±f:)
Agfay-Turi, corres, Hungary 1959.
This line cannot be good for Black,
for while under-developed he opens
a new front and, worse still, on the
king's side.
b) 8 ... a6 9 a4
b1) 9 ..• g5? 10 .Q.g3 h5 11 h3ygc7
12 !3c1 .Q.d7 13 4:le2 (13 4:lb5 ab 14
ab h4 15 .Q.h2 e5 ~) 13 ... !3c8 (13
... 0-0-0 14 b4!?) 14 e5! yga5 (14 ...
de 15 4Jxe5 fue5 16 ~e6 ±f: or
14 ... d5 15 .Q.xd5 ed? 16 e6 ±f:) 15
ed ±f: Szasz-Turi, corres, Hungary
1959-60.
b2) 9 ... c1lf6 10 yge2 0-0 11 !3fd1
~c7 12 Etac1 .Q.d7 13 b4! e5 (13 .,.
4Jxb4 14 e5 ±f:) 14 .Q.g5 4Jxb4 15
~b5 ~b5 16 ab ~b8 17 4Jh4! h6
18 ~f6? (18 4:lf5! hg 19 4Jxe7+
'it'h8 20 !3c3! g6 21 !3h3+ cffJg7 22
ygd2 a5 23 4:lf5+ ±f: or 18 <£If5 !3e8
19 fue7+ lhe7 20 .Q.xf6 gf 21 ygd2
a5 22 ~xh6 ±f:) 18 ... ~f6194Jf5
!3d8 20 ~f3 .Q.g5? (20 ... ab) 21
~f7+ 'ifih8 22 *g4 ab 23 ac3 Eta2
24 ~xg5 1:0 Uppstrom-Petersson,
68 The 7 ... J:J.e7/ine
'="------_: ~ -~"---'-=..==-------'
In the 7 ... J:J.e7 line Black
endeavours to move his queen from
the dangerous 'd' file.
As well as the well known posting
on ,*c7, the newer '*b8 move is
part of an important theoretical
variation.
Accordingly the game branches
off into two main lines:
A 8 J:J.d7
B 8 a6
A move. It obstructs the rooks'
8 ••• .11d7
9 ~1 'f!1b8 (98)
Black chooses a modern continu-
ation for the queen. The undoubted
advantage of this move is that here
White's rook cannot worry the
queen as it could do on the open 'c'
file. Also the c6 knight is free to
move. The b8 queen helps to
restrain the e~5 advance. Black's
strategic aim is to stabilise his
centre by developing his pieces with
the moves ~f6, 0-0 and ad8.
If this plan succeeds without a
hitch, the defence can begin a
counter-action by a6, b5, '*b7
and aac8.
White cannot wait upon this with
folded arms. He must disturb the
Black camp's development.
He continues the attack by
exploiting the disadvantages of the
queen's unusual position. What are
these?
The queen - although it attends to
the important task of defending the
d6 pawn and e5 field - is placed
passively and has little room to
connection. Being far away from
the d8-a5 diagonal, Black cannot
move the queen to d5 to assist his
defensive plans.
Although this posting of the
queen and the avoidance of the
 The 7 ... fJ.e7/ine 69

'pin' by the rook has strengthened 4"Jxd6+ ~8 14 4"Jxf7?? itxh2+ and

the c6 knight and the d6 pawn,
nevertheless this does not preclude
in many variations the e4-eS break-
through as the d7 bishop is in an
awkward position and the knight
defending it can be 'pinned' by
White's bishop.
The 8 ... itb8 system needs
to be further tested in practice.
The system divides into two main
variations:
A1 10~S
A2 10.Qf4
A1
checkmate next move!) 12 ... 4::leS?
13 fJ.xe6 .Qxe6 14 4"Jxe6 g6 lS ith 3
fe 16 itxe6+ 4::le7 17 I£xlS itd8 (17
... llic6 18 ~f6+ ~f8 19 4::ld7+ :!:±)
18 4::lf6+ ~8 19 Elxd6 :!±.
c) 11 ... ~eS 12 4::lb S 4"Jxc4 13 itxc4
~bS 14 itxbS+~e7 lS eS dS16
ElxdS!! ed 17 itxdS 4::lh6 18 itcS+
~8 19 e6! fe (19 ... itc8 20 ef+
4"Jxf7 21 ~e1+ :!:±, or 19 ... f620
itbS+ ~8 21 e7+ :!±) 20 13e 1 :!±.
d) 11 ." ~ge7 12 4::lbS 4::lc813 ithS
g6 14 ith6 ~7 lS itg7 ~f8 16
fJ.xe6 :!±.
e) 11 .., a6 12 ithS g6 13 ith4 and
White can pile on the pressure.
11 Ad2! (100)

100 [ !l~'
~ 'T"
'~~
, .
i=r'
"~
B ie' ..:t A l ..:t i .t
[ '.
~*jl
~.:t A >'
, v .ft i/ ",;x\Y;%;.'" ~

r ~w~P~\~.1. t:. .
~ ~ •. ,,~ttJ
He wants to exploit the queen's
l~Bs~~.:··. t~·
move from d8 by exchanging the
rB,~ ~~ ~
bishop and thus weakening the d6 White's plan is simple: he wants
pawn. to double rooks on the 'd' file. The
10 ... ~f6 defending side has a difficult choice
After another possible continu- to make.
ation, 10 ... .QxgS 11 4"JxgS, White 11 ... a6
gains a dangerous tactical superiority There is no other useful move!
shown by the following variations: a) 11 ... 0-07 would be quite
a) 11 ... ~f6? 124::lbS!:!± unwary and would lose to 12 eS!
b) 11 ... h6? 12 ithS (Amazing de?? 13 .Qxf6 fJ.xf6 14 Elxd71£xl4
moves follow the seemingly lS 4"Jxd4 ed 16 4::le4.
plausible 12 4::lbS: 12 ... hg! 13 b) 11 ... h6 12 fJ.xf6 .Qxf6 13 as
70 The 7 ... ~e7line

~e7 14 Eladl :!± 20 "ltg7 Af8

12 J::lad1 eS 21 itt6 1:0
a) 12 ... O-O? has even less to Kadar-Koszorus, Theme Tourna-
recommend it than previously. ment, Hungary 1979.
b) 12 ... h6 13 ~4 :!±. White can White gets the advantage in the
delay taking the knight, which A1 variation.
effectively prevents Black's castling A2
for this would be punished by e4-
e5.

White's aim is to gain the d5

vantage point by provoking e5.
Possibly a stronger move than the 10 '" e5
reasonable 13 axf6. 10 ... 4Jf6:
13 ... ~xdS a) 11 ~b5 e5 12 ~5 a6 13 ~f6
14 ed ~d8 a1) 13 .., gf 14 ~3 i.
According to the Hungarian a2) 13 ... ab! 14 axe7 't;xe7 15
Master Koszorus, Black is in a bad ~b5~4=.
position all round: b) 11 Ad2 e5 12 ~g5 merges into
a) 14 ... ~a5 15 ~d3 f6 16 b4 fg 17 the A23 variation.
fug5! axg5 18 'lWh5+ ±!:. 11 ~5 ~f6
b) 14 .,. ~d415 Elxd4! f616 Ele4! We have reached a cross-roads
fg 17 fue5 de 18 Elxe5 'lWd6 19 again:
Eldel 0-020 Elxe7 Elae8 21 'lWe5 :!± A21 12 h3
15 ~e5! de A22 124Jd5
16 d6!! M6 A23 12 Eld2
16 ... ~f8 is hopeless because of A21
17 'lWxe5+ <£le6 18 axe6 ±!:. 12 h31(T03)
17 ~f6 gf 12 0-0
18 itt3 f5 13 ~d5 ~dS
19 "ltg3 -'\e6 14 ed?
 The 7 ... ~e7line 71

22 §ad1 Ac6
0:1 Tolyak-Bandza, USSR 1976.
The 14 h3 move in the A21
variation proves a loss of time.
White can improve on the 14th
move but cannot gain the advantage.
A22

14 .Q.xd5 is a stronger possibility.

This secures the d5 vantage point
and does not shelter (as 14 ed) the
weak d6 pawn. It also threatens
.Q.xc6 and Black finds it impossible
to free himself, e.g.:
a) 14 ... oild4? 15 lhd4! .Q.xg516
flb4! ~f6 17 lhb 7 !.
b) 14 ....dS 15 ~e3 =. White, having learnt his lesson in
So 14 .Q.xd5 offers equal chances. the A21 variation, plays 4Jd5 at
14 ... oild4! once. Now the Black king is still in
15 oilxd4 the centre.
The 15 lhd4 exchange sacrifice 12 ... .Qe6
offers little: 15 ... .Q.xg5 16 4lxg5 The following alternatives are
ed 17 it1e4 and now: given:
a) 17 '" g6 18 it1h4 h5 a) 12 ... 41xd5 13 ed
a1) 19oile6fe (19 ... !::le8? 20it1f6!) a1) 13 ... oildS 14 ~b5 .Q.xb5 (14 ...
20 de d5!! (20 ... ~e8 21 e7+ flf7 f6? l5 .Q.xd7+ 'i!txd7 16 it1b5+ ±!:)
22 ~6 ++) 15 itb5+ 'i!tf8 16 it1d7 .Q.xg5 17
a2) 19 ihd4 ~f5 20 g4 hg 21 hg 4lxg5 ±!:.
it1d8 22 it1f4 .Qd7 23 <tie4 !. a2) 13 ... oila5 14 ~b5
b) 17 ... f5! ++ . a21) 14 ... 'ltdS 15 .Q.xe7 it1xe7 16
15 .Qxg5 b4 ±!:.
16 oile6 fe a22) 14 ... f6 15 "hd7+'i?ixd716
17 de AeS it1xb5+ 'i?id8 17 it1xa5+ b6 18 it1d2
lS e7+ §f7 ±!:.
19 'lte4 'ltc7 a23) 14 .., b6 15 b4 ~b7 16 4Jd4!
20 h4 ~f6 f6 17 .Q.xd7+ ~xd7 18 it1b5+ 'i!td8
21 fld3 'ltxe7 19 <8e6+ ±!:.
72 The 7 ... ile7/ine
b) 12 ... ~413 .Qxf6 gf 14 h3 4Jd4
15 ~d4 flxf3 16 .Qb5+ ~d8 (16 ...
~8 17 'tte3 ed?? 18 iMl6+ ±!: or
17 ... ild8 18 nd3 .Qh5 19 'l6'h6+
±!:) 17 'l6'xf3 ed 18 nc1 a6 19 iM5
ab 20 4:lb6 'l6'c7 21 ~c7 <:3Jxc7 22
'l6'xb5!! ±!:. Given the superiority
of the knight the position is
undefendable.
13 .Q.xf6!
The strongest continuation. Other
lines: 13 nac1?! (Its purpose is to
wait for Black's castling).
a) 13 ... 0·0 14 .Qxf6 .Qxf6 15
fuf6+ gf 16 {}h4 ±!:.
b) 13 ... .QxdS 14 ed {}d8 (14 ...
.£la5 15 .Qb5+ ~8 16 b4 ±!:) 15
.Qb5+ ~f8 (15 ... 4:ld7? 16 .Qxd7+
~xd7 17 'l6'b5+ ±!:) 16 .Qxf6 .Qxffi
17 ild7 a6 18 nc8 itra7 19 nc7 ±!:.
c) 13 ... 'l6'd8! 14 .Qxffi .Qxf6 15
fuf6+ 'l6'xffi 16 ~d6?? .Qxc4! ++ .
13 ... .Q.xf6
14 Qxf6+ gf
15 Qh4 0-0
15 ... {}d4 16 'l6'd3 b5 17 .Qd5
ilxd5 18 ed 0-0 (18 ... ~719 'l6'e4
±!:) 19 4:lf5 fuf5 20 itrxf5 ±!:.
The White rooks' entry results in
a conclusive advantage.
16 'l6'h5 .Q.xc4
Otherwise nd3 is played.
17 QfS ~h8
18 'l6'h6 ±±
White wins in the A22 variation
as the entry of the major pieces is
decisive.
A23
12 Ad2 (705)
12 ... a6
a) 12 ... !lg4 13 .Qxf6
a1) 13 ... .Q.xf6 14 4:lb5 ile7 15
nad1 ±!:.
a2) 13 ... gf 14 {}d5 4:ld4? 15 ~d4!
ed 16 .Qb5+ 'it'd8 (16 ... ~8 17
*d2 ±!:) 17 nac1 ±!: .
13 Aad1 ±!:
In the A23 variation Black has
difficulty in escaping from the
pressure of the attack. The violent
attempt to free himself proves a
failure.
Conclusion:
The defensive system discussed in
the A section is the product of an
interesting opening theory. It poses
new problems for White but with
accurate play the attacker's chances
are better.
B
8 ... a6
Black would like to place his
queen on c7, this move is a necessary
safe-guard.
9 Ad1
Putting the White rook on the 'd'
file is the most robust continuation
for it increases the pressure on the
central files.

Less energetic is the 9 a4 move
which is designed to prevent Black's
b7-b5 advance. Yet it is inadvisable
for Black to weaken himself on the
queenside with such an advance.
After 9 a4 (106)
106 E ,~~~~;:.~~" ."il'~
B '.iW"'";t.;t
1;t~:J~~ ~
~-~
[ft (.~, ft . B
[
,
~m ttJ
IrU'y.'¥'~-' ft ~.
r-/. ~,~
._ _ ~,~_~Mt,
we annotate the following variations
arising out of 9 a4:
a) 9 ...•a5 10 ilf4 ~5 11 <ill<e5 de
12 'l*h5!
a1) 12 !lf6? 13 ile3! ±!:.
a2) 12 itc7? 13 .Qxe5 itxc4 14
.Qxg7 4::lf615 flf3 ±±.
a3) 12 ... ~f6 13 fixeS ~xe5 14
.Qxe5 0-0 15 I!fd 1 Black encounters
difficulties for he cannot complete
his development.
b) 9 ....c710 I!dl ilf611 ~f4
4::le5 12 <ill<e5 de 13 ilb5+! ab 14
<ill<b5 fle7 15 I!acl!
b1) 15 ... ef 16 4::lc7+ 'i!tf8 17 <ill<a8
ild7 18 &7 i*d8 19 I!dxd7 i*xa8
20 Ihn+ ~e8 21 i*b5+ ±±.
b2) 15 .,. 'I1f8 16 I!c7 i*b4(16 ...
i*e8 17 4::ld6 ±±) 17 i*d3! g6 18
.Qd2 i*xa4 19 b3 fla2 204:ld64:le7
21 .Qh6+ ~g8 22 <ill<c8 <ill<c8 23
fld8+±±.
b3) 15 ... Slb8 16 I!c7 (Or 16 4::ld6+
The 7 ... ile 7 line 73
'i!tf8 17 <ill<c8 i*b4 18 axeS! ±±) 16
... ~d7 17 I!dxd7 i*xd7 18 Ihd7
~d7 19 fld3+ ±± Wannrud-
Gustavsson, corres 1958-61.
c) 9 .,. ~f6! This is the most
natural reply to the 9 a4 move. We
shall see, after further analysis, that
it is unnecessary to prevent the
move ... b5.
9 Sldl (107)
I."~'~. ' '* •. ~'
107 E
~;t ~ t<;t &.;t J
," :!""..,';t : . :• I
;t;;/~~ ~ .t. j
~ ~.~
It ;J w"
,It l2J/d
,..g.. i"" "ft .; .
'="--- ~~-~~-'
9 ... itc7
The thematic move. It has been
proved in tournament practice that
the following variations are unsafe:
a) 9 ... b5 10 ~b3
al) 10 ... !lb7 11 ~f4 i*b812 e5
d5 13 axd5!? €laS 14 .Qxb7 i*xb7
15 c£)e4 flc4 16 .Qg5! ±± (Stronger
than 16 a4 as transpired in Suarez·
McCurdy, Orebro 1966: 16 ...
<ill<b2?? n I!dbl 4::lc418 flxc4 ±±)
16 ... .QxgS174::lfxgS ±±) Blackis
helpless. b2-b3 chases away the
knight that guards the vital d6 field.
a2) 10 ... itc7 11 .Qf44:lf6 12 I!acl
(the threat is 4::ld5!) 12 ... 4:lh5 13
i1e3
a21) 13 ... f1b7144:ldS!ed 15.Qxd5
ild7 16 ~4! <ill<d4 17 Ihd4 ±±.
74 The 7 ... Ile7/ine
a22) 13 ... Ab714~d5 ed (or 14 ...
ltb8 15 ~b6 ~a7 16 e5! de 17 <W7
±!:) 15 ed 0-0 16 dc Ile8 17 .Qb6
ltxb6 18 ltxe7 .Qg4 19 ~d6 Ilxf3
20 c7 'l1:\"b7 21 ltxf7+ 'it'h8 22
ltxf8+ 1:0 Bolterauer-Furstenau,
BieI1977.
b) 9 ... Ad7
b1) 10 .Qf4 e5 11 Ile3 ~f6 12 h3
0-0 13 ~c1 ~c8 14 .Qd5 b5 15 a3
~5 'f Parma-EI iskases, Mar del
Plata 1962.
b2) 10 a3 This variation is now
fashionable in Europe.
b21) 10 ... h6? (Its aim is to
prevent .Qg5 after ~f6, but wastes
too much time.) 11 b4 ltc7 12 .Qb2
~f6 13 ~c1 ~d8 14 Ila2 b5 15
~5! ltb716 ~e7 ~e7 17e5 de
18 ~e5 ~e5 19 ltxe5 :I::t
Rydholm-Pettersson, corres 1958-
61.
b22) 10 ... ~f6
b221) 11 e5? de 12 IDeS ~e5 13
ltxe5 ltb8! 'f.
b222) 11 ~S ~
b23) 10 ... ~c8
b231) 11 ~3 b5 12 .Q.a2 ~f6 13
~c1 h6 == Roberts-Janssen, Ybbs
1968.
b232) 11 ~4 e5 12 .Qe3 ~f6 13
~4 b5 14 .Qb6 ~7 15 Ild5 ba 16
~c1 ~c8 17 .Qxc7 ~xc7 18 .Qxc6
Ilxc6 19 iha6 Ilb7 20 ita7 ~d7
21 ~e5 ~b5 22 itb8+ Ild8 23
~d6 ±!: Kadar-Kovacs, Hungary
1959.
b3) 10 a4 The most popular reply
in the U.S. Also ±!:. The 9 ... Ild7
move does not fit in with defensive
plans.
c) 9 ... *as 10 Ilf4~5
c1) 11 .Qb3 ~f6 12 ~eS de 13
.Qd2 itc7 == Lebegyev-Estrin,
Moscow 1963.
c2) 11 ~xeS de
c21) 12 Ad2 ltc7 13 ~c1 itb814
~4 (14 ltg4 ==) 14 ... b5 15 .Qxb5+
ab 16 ~c8+ ~xc8
c211) 17 ~b6 itc6 18 ~a8 ~8!
19 ~dc1 ~xa8 20 'lhxb5 ~f6 21
.Qb4 Ilxb4 22 itxb4+ \tlg8 23 th5
*f8 24 ~d1 (24 ltxe5! 'f) 24 ... h6
25 ~d8 4le8 0:1 Zaitsev-Vladimirov,
USSR 1968.
c212) Commentators tend to judge
a variation on the outcome of a
single famous game. This is also the
case here: there is a stronger
continuation than C211 - that is
true - however its appraisal in the
international chess press is mistaken.
Zaitsev could have improved on his
17th move with 17 itxb5+!!:
c2121) 17 ... ~8?? 18 ~b6 lta6 19
~d7+ ~d8 20 ~f6+ 'it'f8 21 ~e8+!!
~e8 22 ~d7 checkmate.
c2122) 17 ... ltd7 18 itxd7+ ~xd7
19 ~b6+ ~c6 20 fua8 ~b 7 21 .Q.a5
\tlxa8 22 ~d7 .Qf6 23 b4 ~ 7 24 b5
E!c8 25 £i.c7 reaching a barbed
position. According to the
Hungarian chess fanatic, I.M.
Kluger: 'Both sides are about to
lose!'
In the author's opinion White's
win cannot be proved, but neither
can Black think of winning, his
problem is to seek an escape.
In the author's opinion the
following C22 variation gives a more
convincing advantage to White.
 The 7 ... .Qe7/ine 75

c22) 12 ithS! ~d7 Eb<e7 25 ~d8+ ~e8 26 .Qc5+

c221) 12 ... cilf6 13 itxe5 itxe5 14
~xe5 :!± Black's position is difficult
for he is behind in development.
Zaitsev-Estrin, Moscow 1964.
c222) 12 ... itc7 13 ~e5 itxc414
.Qxg7 Cllf6 (Or 14 ... .Qf6 15 .Qxh8
~h816itxh7:!±) 15itf3:!±.
c223) 12 ... .Q.f6 13 .Qd2! (13 .Qe3
u7 14 ~d6 0-015 Etad1 is only ik)
13 ... itc7 14 .Qb3 u7 15 Etac1
itb8 (15 ... tfJc6 16 ~5 :!±) 16
~4 b5 17 .Qa5! 0-0 18 $k,7 itb7
19 -flb6 ~a7 20 .Qd8! tfJc6 21 .Qxf6
gf 22 ~d3 :!±.
:!±.
b2) 19 ... .Qd8 20 ~5 .Qxg5 21 ~3
~fe8 22 ith5 h6 23 Cllf6+! .Qxf6 24
Eb<d7 g6 25 ~3 .Qg5 26 itS ~f4
27 Eb<g6+ ~7 (27 ... fg 28 itd5+ is
decisive) 28 ite4 1:0 B.Papp-
Somogyi, Hungary 1972.
c) 10 ." bS The correct reply!
White's central pressure is reduced,
Black has his say on the queenside.
For example: 10 ... b5 11 ~3
.Qd712 Etac1 itb7=.
10 ... ~eS (lOB)
"if{Y~

10 Af4 1:t::
108 .:::;, lilt.
/ . .ii. v ~'.
''tJ? "g'
""\" ,
.....

The 10 .Qe3 line forbears to press w .1:11 ;~.1: ~.1:

on the d6 field and the e4-e5
advance is no longer so menacing.
J: .. .1: ?:!1
'NN~ .~~
The bishop's move, however, is not
as innocent as it looks, for its target .~ ~ijAf I
is the weak b6 square.
Variations after 10 .Qe3:
a) 10 ... ~S? The gain of tempo in 1ft' :", ~~ ~ .1 ft'",
Schuch-Filip, Vienna 1949, gives I'.1.
L.~g
I ;",i%.> ~ . i
l:::!J:. ,://~/ ,~.• ~
advantage to White according to an
analysis by Hungarian Master Papp: Black's knight blocks the diagonal
10 ... u5? 11 ab3 Cllf6 12 €\xe5 de of White's dangerous bishop.
13 ~ac 1 itb8 14 Clla4 ~ 7 15 .flb6 Concurrently it prevents White's
and White has the upper hand. king's pawn's advance. Nevertheless
b) 10 ... cilf6 11 Etac1 .Qd7 12 h3 it has the disadvantage of opening
0-0 13 g4 Etac8 14 .Qb3 itb8 (14 ... the 'c' file.
afd8 15 ~4!) 15 e5 €\xe5 16 After the 10 ... Cllf6 alternative
€\xe5 de 17 g5 ~5 18 .Qxd5! ed 19 White can cross over to the 8 ... a6
€\xd5 line by 11 Etac1.
b1) 19 ... afe8 The 11 e5 reply is premature:
b11) 20<ilxe7+Axe721 ac5 ~5= a) 11 ... de? 12 €\xe5 .Qd6? 13
b12) 20 otlf6+ .Qxf6 21 gf ae6 22 Eb<d6! itxd6 14 <tig6 ~4 15 itd3
ith5 with a very sharp position. :!±
b13) 20 Axc8 itxc8 21 ~6 .Qb5 b) 11 ... ~hS!
22 €\xc8 .Qxe2 23 €\xe7+ eM8 24 b1) 12 ed? €\xf4 13 dc €\xe2+ 14
76 The 7 ... £J.e7/ine
.Qxe2 .Q.d7 lS Ihc1 Etc8 16 4::la4
!hc7 17 ~S f6 18 {lxd7 !hd7 19
t:lel ~d4 ++ Gik-Kasp,arian, USSR
1963.
b2) 12 AgS ~gS (12 ... de 13
£!xe7 ~e7 14 ~e3 brought great
complications in Zaitsev-Bebchuk,
USSR 1967) 13 {lxgS (13 41<IS
it d8! 14 {lxgS 'itfxgS lS <£Ie 7+ ~8
16 {lxa8 ~f4 17 'itff1 {lxeS ++) 13
... ~f4 14 'itff3 de lS g3 ~4 16
!hd4ed 17~h6!++.
11 AxeS!
11 £J.b3?! i~ weaker than the text
continuation. Lines include:
a) 11 bS? 1Q Eiac1
al) 12 *b8 13 ~4.Q.d7 14 .Q.g3
~f6 lS f4 <£Ie6 16 {lxc6 .Qxc6 17
~S! ±:!:.
a2) 12 ... *b7 13 {lxeS de 14 .QxeS
~f6 lS ~dS .Q.d8 (lS '" ed 16 .QxdS
fudS 17 ed 0-0 18 Etc7 'itfb6 19
Eixe7 ±:!:) 16 Etc7 £!xc7 17 ~c7+
'!ie7 18 'itfd2 1:0 Stieg-Klemm,
corres 1962.
b) 11 ... oilf6 This switches to a
branch of the 8 ... a6 line - chapter
12 (see page 88) where Black
equalises.
11 ...
109
W
How to continue?
We have reached a critical stage.
Because of the scarcity of published
games and the scant analysis
accompanying them it is not
possible to give a final verdict on
this position. By thorough
theoretical research the author has
succeeded in filling in the gaps left
by tournament practice. Now the
following variations are annotated:
Bl 12 Eiacl
B2 12 £J.bS+
Bl
12 §ael (llD)
110
B
Logical move which engages
another major piece in the attack.
The move's advantage is that it
passes the decision to the Black
queen. White will arrange his pieces
according to Black's solution of his
queen's exposed position.
Now the following main variations
are studied:
Bll 12 .ad7
B12 12 'itfb6
B13 12 'itfb8
B14 12 'itfaS
 The 7 ... 5le7/ine 77

811 15 l'td3+ Ad6

12 .,. 15 ... ~8 does not help either,
for 16 €lc7+ *xc7 17 5lb5+ also
111 b=::~~~~~,J""i2"b leads to a simple win.
W 16 cilxd6 l'txd6
17 cilxe5+ *e7
18 l'txd6+ \tlxd6
19 cilxf7+ etJe7
20 cilxh8 cilf6
21 e5 cilg4
22 f4! Ibh8
23 .Q.e2:!±
The resulting endgame is hopeless
for Black because of penetration by
13 cilb5! the rook and his material deficit.
A more forceful continuation 8112
than the subsequently discussed 13 ... l'ta5 (1J3)
alternative which is similar to the
MatuI ovic-Segi game played in
1953.
Now we shall examine these two
main branches:
B111 13 *b8
B112 13 *a5
We do not consider taking the
knight. 13 ... ab?? 14 ~d7!! ±to
8111
13 ... l'tb8 (112)
14 Ibd7 ab
Lines after 14 ... *xd7:
a) 15 cilxe5+ ~8 16 ith5 g6 17
fug6 hg 18 ~6+ ~d6 19 itxa5
±t.
b) 15 l'td3+ 'i&e8 (15 ... ~8?? 16
~e6+ ±!:) 16 4X; 7+ 'ltxc7 17 .Qb5+
ab 18 ~c7 with instant decision.:!±
15 ~b5
The threat is 16 Etd8+!! ~xd817
-&d3+ with a mating attack.
15 etJf8
14 Ibd7! \tlxd7 16 cilxe5 f6
78 The 7 ... ae7/ine

17 ~f3 b6 14 ~xe5 ab
18 ~d4 itxa2 15 ~a4!! 'lta5
19 ~4 'lta5 15 .., ba?? 16 Etxc8+! Etxc8 17
20 ~xe6+ ~e8 4Jd7+ ±!:.
21 ~xg7+! ~8 16 ~b6!! 'ltxb6
21 ... ~xd7 22 ~e6+! ~d8 23 17 !!xc8+ Axc8
itd3+ leads to mate. 18 ~d7+:!::!:
22 ~e6+ ~8 The 812 variation offers no
23 ~5 defence.
We have been following the game 813
Sternina-Lim, 1972.
23 ~7
24 ith5+ ~e6
25 'ltd5+ mate.
In this section also there is no
hope of escape.
812

This move of the queen to b8

White is set a new problem: he
must find the shadowy side of the
queen's position and exploit it
tactically.
13 Ab5+ *t8
13 ... ab 14fub5
a) 14 '" !!b8 15 fue5 4Jf6 (15 ...
~8? 16 Etxc8+ Etxc8 17 4Jd7+ ±±)
16 4Jc4:!::!:.
b) 14 ... *t8 15 fue5 tilf6 16 lac7
±!:. The c8 bishop cannQt be saved.
seems purposeful. The attack,
however· thanks to White's great
advance in development . strikes
down this plan.
13 .Qb5+!!
Another interesting move is 13
tila4?! 'which, however, has seldom
been tried out in practice but gives
rise to combinations discussed in
other variations. To date it has not
been refuted and therefore,
according to theorists, 13 4Ja4 well
fits the spirit of the gambit.
Variations after 13 tila4?!:·
a) 13 ... b5 15 ~b5+ ab (14 ...
itxb5 15 -«rxb5+ ab 16 4Jb6 lab8 17
fuc8 tt) 15 Etxc8+ -«rxc8 16
 The 7 ... ~e7line 79

'itxb5+ \f1f8 17 ~6 'ita8? 19 4Jb8! ±±, or 18 ... ~d719

a1) 17 ... Ab818~7+ 1:0 Waligora- ~d7 fud7 20 1k8+ ~8 21 'itd6+
Sahlman, Hamburg 1964. 'ifte8 22 !i:iJ;7 mate) 19 flxc8+ 4Je8
a2) 17 ... fra6 18 I£\d7+ ~e8 19 #1.
4Jf6+ 'itf8 20 'ite8+!! ~e8 21 I£\d7 c2) 16 .c4 flxb2174Ja6! (17t£lb5
mate. flxb5 18 .xb5 I£\f6? 19 *xe5 'ita8
b) 13 .•. 'ita7 14 ~b5+ ~8 15 20 ~1 ±±) 17 ... ba 18 .xc8+
fue5 ab 16 I£\b6 'itxb6 17 ~c8+ 'itxc8 19 axc8+ ~8 20 ~dxd8+
flxc818~7+±±. 'it>e721 g3 ±±.
In the author's view 13 t£la4 is 16 itb5 ~f6
worthy of attention, even if its 17 *xe5 ~8(116)
choice is questionable, as the main The winning of the queen by
line promises White a surer victory. fue6+ could be averted by 17 ...
In practice chess professionals ~8 bu t then 18 fua8 'lYxa8 19
decline to follow untrodden paths. 'itc7! leads to overwhelming
However, the amateur chess player superiority.
can derive great pleasure from
playing rarely encountered
variations.
13 '" ab
Very interesting developments
occur after 13 ... ~8 14 t£la4!:
a) 14 ... 'ita7 15 fue5 ab 16 4Jb6!
'itxb6 17 flxc8+ flxc8 18 4Jd7+ ±±
b) 14 ... b6 15 flxc8+ 'itxc8 16
fub6 'itb7 17 I£\d7+ ~8 18 .Qa4
'ita7 19 4Jfxe5 ~d8 20 *f3! I£\h6
21 I£\f6++ '<fit8 22 flxd8+ ~d8 23
4Jed7+ 1:0 Zickelbeim-Lehmann, 18 ~d5!!
Germany 1968. 18 fue6? took place in Macles-
14 ~xb5 \f1f8 Paoli, Le Havre 1963. Black
Another path: 14 ... I£\f6 15 t£lc7+ naturally did not take the queen
'3tf8 16 fua8 *xa8 17 'itc4 ild7 18 but continued the defence with 18
flxd7! fud7 19 'itc8+ ±± Schmidt- ... ~8! 19<tlc7 ~e6.
Gackstetter, Krumpa 1967. 18 ... ~6
15 ~c7 &7 18 ... 'itxe5 or 18 ... ~8 in both
a) 15 .•. &5 16 b4 ±±. cases 19 flxc8+ is decisive.
b) 15 J::la616'itb5 ±±. 19 .xd6! .xd6
c) 15 flxa2 20 Sxc8+ "l6'f8
c1) 16 itb5? oili617'itxe5'ita7! 18 21 (\e7+ mate.
4Ja6 (18 I£\b5 *a8) 18 ... ba! (18 ... In the B13 variation White
80 The 7 ... Sle7/ine
exploits his advantage in develop-
ment and wins.
B14
13 <1)b5! ab
After 13 ... 4::If6 14 tzx7+ *xc7
15 .Q.b5+ is decisive.
14 .Qxb5+ 'ilX8
Now there is a choice of two
favourable continuations. Trials in
tournament practice will decide
which is the better road.
B141 15 4::Ixe5
B142 15 E1c4
The tempting 15 'ltc4 f6 16
*xc8+!! !axc8 17 !axc8+ ~ 18
Sle8+ variation cannot be considered
for the simple answer to 15 *c4 is
15 ... g6!
B141
15 <1lxe5 (118)
15 ... f6
It is but a mirage that the
'developing' move 15 ... 4::If6 is
better, because the unexpected 16
~d4 continuation decides the fate
of the battle: Black is unable to
protect himself against the threats
of ~a4 or ~c4. There is no help in
the reply 16 .., *b6, for then 17
~dc4 decides the struggle.
According to eminent Soviet
theorists the present position is
amazingly complicated and it is not
evident by theory what compen-
sations White should seek for being
a piece down.
The author after lengthy studies
has come to the conclusion that the
attack can be redoubled with a
good chance of success and it is
uncertain whether Black can even
manage a draw.
16 b4!
The author's own theoretical
innovation, which diverts the queen
from the control of the vital c7 and
d8 squares. The 'try' 16 Elc4 leads
to catastrophe for after 16 ... fe! 17
~a4 'lID<a4 Black gains a decisive
material advantage.
16 ... fla7
Now the following lines are
possible:
a) 16 ... .Qxb4 17 *h5 g6 18 4Jxg6
hg 19 'ltxh8 'ltxb5 20 W8+ :!:±
b) 16 ... f1a3
b1)17!k7?
b11) 17 ... fe? 18 iMl5 g6 (18 ...

~f6? 1'9 gd8+ ±t) 19 'itxe5 ~f6
(19 ... .Qf6 20 'itxf6+ fuf6 21
gd8+ ±t) 20 gd8+ .Qxd8 21 'itd6+
±t.
b12) 17 ... g6! 18 gd8+ ~g7! 19
~g8+ <;t>xg8! 20 ~e7 'itcH 21
'itfl i!\"xfl 22 'i!i'xfl fe ++ .
b2) 17 oilc4 i!\"a7 (17 ... i!\"xb4 18
~b6 ±t or 17 ... l'txa2 18 l'txa2
~a2 19 ~b6 ±t) 18 ~6 .Qxd619
~d6 ~e7 20 gd8!! <;t>xd8 21
l'td3+~e7 22 ~7+ ±t.
c) 16 ... itxa2?? 17 'itxa2 ~a2 18
~b6 ±t.
d) 16 ... itb6?? 17 ~c8+ ~c8 18
~d7+ ±t.
e) 16 itxb4 17 gc4!
el) 17 ita3 18 '&h5 g6 19 ~g6+
hg 20 '&xh8 '&a5 (20 ... '&xa2 21
~7 '&b3 22 ~8+ .Qxd8 23 'itg7
mate) 21 .Qe8 ~xe8 22 'itxg8+ .Qf8
23 '&xg6+ ~e7 24 ~7+ 'itxc7 25
'&h7+ ±t.
e2) 17 ... *xb5?! 18 ~c8+ ~c8
19'&xb5fe (179)
The most important variation
which is worthy of further research.
An interesting endgame takes
shape here which contains several
The 7 ... J1e7/ine 87
problems for Black such as:
(i) a passive king's position
(ii) undeveloped and inharmonious
position of his pieces
(iii) badly placed pawns, and
(iv) White's 'outside' pawn on the
'a' file.
White can continue in two ways:
e21) 20 *xb7 ~8! (20 ... gd8? 21
~d8+ .Qxd8 22 'itb8~7 23 a4 ±t)
This gives most chances for the
defence. According to an analysis
by Hungarian Master Dr. Perecz
after 21 gd7 ~f6 22 gc7 W 23
h3 (or g3) 23 ... ~f8 24 a4 C2g8
(now the rooks are free at last, ~8
will see to the defence of .Qe7) 25
'itb2 ~6 26 f4 .Qd6 27 ~6 the
problems remain owing to the
exposed position of the king, e.g.
27 ... lad8?? 28 Elxd6! ±t. Never-
theless the e21 variation's endgame
needs further thorough analysis to
discover if there is a rescue for
Black.
e22) 20 *xeS <M7 21 '&f4+ ~8
(21 ... ~6 22 ~7 ±t).
Now White can choose among 22
e5, 22 gbl and the similarly active
22 g4!?
It must be mentioned however,
that to win this endgame is not
child's play even if Black plays 21
... ~f6 instead of 21 ... ~8.
Admittedly 22 e5 wins a piece, but
White is only ahead by the quality
of the exchange in a very rare
composition indeed: queen and
rook against two rooks and a
bishop.
White's job is made easier because
82 The 7 ... .l1e 7 line
in many variations his outside 'a'
pawn can play an important part.
To sum up: Black, even from a
practical point of view, cannot risk
entering into such a lamentable end
game.
16 .a7 (120)
17 flhs
It is possible that another com in-
ation will also be successful: 17
Etc7!? fe (17 ... 'ttb6? loses instantly
to 18 Etd8+! ,Q,xd8 19 Etf7 mate!)
18 ~h5 g6 (18 ... ~f6 19 ~d8+!
~d8 20 'itJf7 mate) 19 'iD'xe5 ~f6
(19 ... 'iD'b6 20 Etd8+ axd8 21 ~g7
mate or 19 ... Jlf6 20 ~xf6+! ttixf6
21 Etd8+ ~8 22 Etxe8 mate) 20
Etd8+! axd8 21 'iD'd6+ and here
also mate cannot be avoided.
17 g6
18 4lxg6+ hg
19 'ltxh8 'itb6
19 ... flxa2 20 ac7 flb3 21 ~d8+
.l1xd8 22 .g7 mate.
20 .Q.e8 *xe8
20 ... 1ha2 21 ~f1 and now the
troubles multiply, for the c8 bishop
is also unprotected.
21 flxg8+ .Q.f8
22 'itxg6+ ~e71(121)
121
W
23 1L::7+!! 'itxc7
24 flh7+ 1:0
Kadar-Koszorus, Theme Tourna-
ment, Hungary 1979.
It is too early for a final verdict,
but this much is already certain -
that in the B141 variation White's
attack is extremely menacing. Black
can narrowly escape into an end-
game, but even that is risky to
undertake in master praxis.
B142
15 1L::4!?
This continuation arises out of an
analysis by the Hungarian Master
Ozsvath and has been known for
the past two decades in Hungary
(and certainly in other places as
well).
That it has not been tried out in
practice is possibly due to the fact
that 15 ~xe5 was in favour until
the Soviet analysts with their 15 ...
f6 reply called in question the
strength of the attack.
To the best of our knowledge the
15 ac4 move was first pUblished in
an article by the American K.Smith
 The 7 ... .1le7line 83

in 1970.
lS f6
There is nothing better, for after
15 ... iDf6 16 iDxeS foil ows and
Black's position collapses.
16 b3!
16 1ll4? *xa4! 1 7 .1lxa4 lha4
and Black gains much material· but
White need not hurry with the 1114
move.
16 ... 'ltb6
17 !idc1 ±:!:
We can only rely on analysis but
on that score we deem Black's abounds in attractive combinations
position undefendable in the B142 the following main lines are
variation. described:
B21 12 ab
Conclusion: B22 12 ~8
The B1 system even with the best B21
defence is problematical for Black. 12 ... ab
Admittedly, in some variations he is The chief test of a sacrifice is
able to escape into an endgame whether it is accepted. Therefore
which lasts a bit longer but the we shall first examine what happens
result is just as wretched. if Black takes the checking bishop.
As these variations lead into an 13 4:lxbS (T 23)
endgame those who either dislike or
are unable to play the endgame
with sufficient energy will probably
choose the following B2 system in
which the events of battle flow
faster.
B2
12 abS+ (T 22)
'Strike the iron, while it is hot'·
goes the proverb in Hungarian as
well as in English. It is also the
most appropriate motto for this
main variation. After he is checked Black can choose between two
Black is forced to accept the defensive plans:
wildest complications. B211 13 *as
From this battle position which B21 2 13 *"8
84 The 7 ... £Le7/ine

8211 a) 14 ... cilf6154:lc7+~8164}xa8

13 *a5 leads to a win by White according
14 Dacl cilf6 to the 8211 variation.
a) 14 ... f6 b) 14 .., ffi 15 'f!£7 aa6 (thus he
al) 15 cilc7+? ~7 16 4:lxa8 *xa8 defends the important d6 field, and
17 itc4 4:lh6 18 *c7 fIc8 ++ at the same time plans to free
a2) 15 Ac7! *a4 (15 ... b6? 16 *c4 himself by 'f!£6.) 16 4}xe5! fe 17
:!:±) 16 *d3 b6 17 b3 (17 Ihc8+ ~5+ g6 (17 ... ~f818 ad8+:!:t)
Ihc8 18 *d7+ ~8 19 *xc8+ ~7 18 *xeS £Lf6
20 *d7 is also good.) 17 *b4 18 bl) 19cild6+? Ihd6 20*xd6*a8!
a3 *a5 19 *d8+!! (19 ihd8 20 21 *c5? 41e7 22 e5 £Lg5 23 f4 0-0
4:ld6+ ~8 21 an mate) 1:0 24 fg 4}d5 25 Ihd5 ed 26 *e7
Tilliette-Giacomelli, corres 1955-6. *a7+! +i=.
b) 14 ... ~8 is annotated in the b2) 19 lle7+? 4:lxe7 20 'ltxb8 W:D
822 variation. b3) 19 .c5 CiJe7 (19 '" 'f!£6 20
15 <ilc7+ ~8 4:ld6+ :!:t) 20 e5 itg5 (20 'f!£6 21
16 cilxa8 ~a8 ef! :!:t) 21 4}d6+ ~8 (21 Ihd6
17 .c4 .Q.d7 22 ed :!:t) 22 4:lxc8 'f!£6 23 ad8+
18 Axd7 <ilxd7 'I1g7 24 lhe7+ ihe7 25 *xe7+
No escape! 18 '" g6 19 'f!£7 :!:t. ~6 26 *h4+ 'I1g7 27 ad7+ :!:t.
19 .c8+:!:t 15 cilc7 Axa2
The 8211 variation merges into a) 15 ... cilffi merges with the 8211
the Schmidt-Gackstetter game variation.
which will be discussed in detail b) 15 f6?? 16 *t>5! :!:t
sUbsequently. Without a doubt c) 15 !:las 16 b4 aa3 17 *t>5
White wins in this variation. 4}f6 18 *xeS 'I1g8 (18 ... 'l!ta7 19
8212 4:lb5 :!:t) 19 4:ld5 itd6 20 'ltxd6
13 ... *xd621 Ihc8+*t8 22CiJe7 mate.
d) 15 ... aa7 16 *t>54}f617*xe5
'I1g8 18 4:ld5 itd6 19 *xd6 'ltxd6
20 Ihc8+*t8 21 <ile7 mate.
16 .c4
16 *t>5 4:lf6 17 'ltxe5 *a7
a) 18 cilb5 *a8 does not offer as
much as the text move.
b) 18 cila6
bl) 18 a8? 19 4}b8! :!:t
b2) 18 .Qd7? 19 Ihd7 4}xd7 20
'f!£8+ itd8 21 *d6+! ~8 224}c7
mate.
14 Ihcl ~8 b3) 18 ... ba! 19Ihc8+4}e8 ++
 The 7 ... S1e 7 line 85

16 .... §Xb2 variations:

17 ~a6 B221 13 ita5
Branches after 17 <tlb5 lhb5 18 B222 13 itb8
itxb5: 13 ... i6'b6 is manifestly weak, as
a) 18 ... I£lf6 19 itxe5 i6'a8 20 itc7 the queen is too exposed:
-'1d7 21 ~xd7 <£\xd7 22 itxc8+ ±:!:. a) 14 ~4 itxb5 15 itxb5 ab (14 ...
b) 18 ... b6 19 itc4! .\lb7 20 itc7 ita7 15 <£\xeS ab 16 <tlb6 itxb6??
itxc7 21 lhc7 .\la6 22 ~a1! .\lb5 17 lhc8+) 16 <tlb6 ~b8 17 <£\xeS
23 ~a8+ .\le8 24 Elcc8 ±:!: <tlf6 18 <£\xc8 ±:!:.
c) 18 ... f6 19 itc4 W 20 i6'xc8 b) 141£lxe5 ab 15 <tld5 ita7 (15 ...
<tlh6 and Black is defending with ita5 16 b4 or 15 ... ed 16 ~c8+
the 'exchange down'. ~xc8 17 <tld7+ ±:!:) 16 itxb5 ed (16
17 ba ." <tlf6 17 <tlxe7 tfIlxe7 18 ~c7+ ±:!:)
18 'fhc8+ itxc8 17 lhc8+ ~xc8 18 <tld7+ tfIle8 19
19 Elxc8+ Ad8 <tlf6+ tf9f8 20 ite8+ ~xe8 21 4Jd7
20 Eldxd8+ tlJe7 checkmate.
21 g3:!:± B221
The B212 variation does not solve 13 ita5
the defence's problems either. 14 I£lxe5 ab
B22 15 <£\xb5 {126}
12 ... 'tJf8 {125}

Now that the Black king is out of
check a new task is set for White.
13 Elac1
Now Black is forced to remove
his queen from the open 'c' file
because of the <tld5 threat.
We shall discuss the following
15 b6
An interesting attempt to free the
bishop. Important branches here:
a) 15 ... f6? 16 lhc8+! ~xc8 17
<tld7+ ~e8 18 ith5+ g6 19 <tld6+
~d6 20 itxa5 ~d7 21 e5! fe 22
itxe5 ±:!:
b) 15 ... I£lffi 16 ~c7 (16 b4 has not
86 The 7 ... ~e7line

yet been sufficiently analysed: 16 18 !he7!! bUxe7

... i§'xb4 17 ~c7 i§'xe4 18 !axc8+ a) 18 'lIxe719 ~d7+ ±:!: •
!axc8 19 4Jd7+ fud7 20 *xe4 ~c5 b) 18 gh 19 !axf7+ ~8 204Jd6+
is only ±) Wd8 21 t£lc6 mate.
b1) 16 ... tfle8 17 *h5 g6 18 *h6+ 19 'lth6+ <&'g8
4Jg7 19 ~d8+! ~d8 20 !axf7+We8 20 <ild7 f5
21 4Jd6 mate. 20 ... f6 21 ~f6+ '\ftf7 224Jh5!!
b2)16 ... g6 gh 23 4Jd6+ ~g8 24 'ltxe6+ ~g7 25
b21) 17 'ltc4 4Je8! 18 !axe7 rJ)xe7 *f7+ Wh6 26 ftf6+ .£Ig6 27 .£If7
19 *c5+ 'M6 20 4Jc4 *xa2 21 mate.
*d4+ We7 22 'ltd8+ (or 22 *xh8 21 cild6!!
'ltxc4 23 'ltxe8+ =) 22 ... 'M8 23 According to the author's analysis
4Jcd6 Wg7! 24 fue8+ !axe8 25 White wins in this variation as well.
i§'xe8 fta4 26 ~c1 'ltc2 =. B222
b22) 17 Eldc1 4Je8 18 !axc8 !axc8 13 ... "'8
19 ~xc8 '3ig7 20 a3 ± Black is not 14 Cila4! 'lta7
just a pawn down, his position is 14 ... b6 15 ~xc8+ i§'xc8 16
also too passive. 4Jxb6 ftb7 17 4Jd7+ We8 18 ~a4
16 !:Ie 7 .Q.a6 *b4 19 b3 ~d8 20 ~fxe5 ±:!:.
a) 16 ... f6?? 17 ~d8+ .Qxd8 18 15 cilxe5 cilf6
~xf7+ ~8 19 .£Id6 mate. 15 ... ab 16 4Jb6! 'ltxb6?? 17
b) 16 ... cilf6?? (or 16 ... 4Jh6) 17 !axc8+ ~xc8 18 4Jd7+ ±:!:.
!axe7 Wxe7 18 t£lc6+ ±:!:. 16 ~7 ab
17 'lth5! g6 {727} 17 'ltxb5 FiJe8{728)
17 ... 4Jh6 18 !axe7 ftxb5 19 Otherwise 4Jb6 cannot be averted.
!axf7+ Wg8 20 !axg7+ Wxg7 21
itg5+ 'M8 22 'ltxh6+ Wg8 (22 ...
~e8 23 'lth5+) 23 'ltg5+ 'M8 24
~f6+ and ftf7 mate.

127
W

18 Ud8!! ±:!:
White's victory is incontestable in
the B22 variation.

We can conclude with regard to
the B2 system that Black, whether
he chooses the B21 or the B22
main variation, finds himself in
trouble for his development is
retarded, his king's position is
precarious and in addition White
controls the important lines and
vantage points.
The 7 ... J1e7line 87
Conclusion:
To sum up on the entire 7 ... J1e7
line we can say that White having
obtained a lead in development for
his sacrificed pawn, retains it in all
the main variations, and makes use
of it by tactical means. In studying
the 7 ... J1e7 line you will encounter
many attractive variations.
12 The 8...a6 Line
Black protects his position from a
possible attack by 4)b5 and later he
can move his queen to a safe
vantage point.
The present battle formation is
very similar to the main position
discussed in the B section of the 7
... fJ.e7 line, with this difference,
that here on the seventh move the
knight (4Jf6) is developed instead of
the black bishop (~e7). Because of
this great similarity many variations
are transposed (by changing the
move sequence) from one system to
the other. It quickly becomes
apparent that the two systems
should be studied together.
9 ad1
The rook's move is logical and
best serves the gambit's strategic
aim. It is obvious that the massing
of the rooks on the 'c-d' files lays
the foundation for the subsequent
play of the minor pieces.
a) The 9 a4 move has no distin-
guishing thought behind it. True, it
hinders a possible b7-b5 pawn
advance but in modern tournament
practice Black does not play that
anyway: 9 a4 ~e7 10 ~1 'i!Jc7 11
~f4 and now:
a1) 11 .,. 0-0 12 e5 de 13 4Jxe5
fue5 14 axeS 'i!Ja5 15 I!d3 b5! 16
'i!Jd2? bc 17 4Jd5 when
all) 17 ... itcs 18 b4 cd 19 bc
4Jxd5 20 Rc1 = (20 'i!Jxd3? ~c5 ~
Lundquist-Hogborg, 1956).
a12) 17 ... ~xds! 18'i!Jxa5 (18~6
f6 19 I!g3 I!f7 ++) 18 ... .Q.b4 19
Etxd5 .Q.xa5 20 Etxa5 .Q.b7!
b) 9 ..l.f4 e5! is to Black's advantage:
b1) 10 ~gs? ef 11 4Jxf7 (11 axf7+
~e7 12 4Jd5+ 4:lxd5 13 ed uS ++)
11 ... itJe7 12 fuh8 .Q.e6 ++
b2) 10 ~g5 h6! 11 .Q.xf6 itJxf6 12
4Jd5 itJd8 13 h3 (otherwise Black
will pin the knight with .Q.g4) 13 ...
~e6 f.
As in the 7 ... .Q.e7 line so in the

8 ... a6 system Black's aim is to
remove the queen from the
dangerous d-file. According to
which vantage point is chosen this
chapter is divided into two main
sections:
A 9 'ltaS
B 9 'ltc7
9 ... .Q.d7 is foreign to the spirit of
this defence and is not discussed
here.
A A1 10.Q.gS
9 ... tltaS(730)
". , ~
The defender hopes that here the
queen is in a less dangerous place
than on c7 in the B section.
Naturally, White has to modify
his tactics to exploit the new
position of the queen. According to
the practice and theory of the
Morra Gambit this attack must
continue with the development of
the queen's bishop. But which
point should the bishop occupy?
Here there are diametrically
opposed views.
Theory follows practice and
develops with it. It is a curious fact
though that from time to time
The 8 ... 06 line 89
some false dogma or another holds
sway for longish periods.
The fault is not entirely with the
grandmasters but rather with the
back-room boys.
The variations that follow here
are wrongly assessed by Ken Smith
in his bulletin due to his faulty
analysis.
Let us then carefully examine the
main lines:
A2 10.Q.f4
A1
10
Logical developing move! Having
developed all his pieces White plans,
at the right time, to exchange with
advantage the f6 knight. The .Q.f8
bishop cannot support both the f6
knight and the weak d6 pawn.
Black in tournament play has until
now reconciled himself to having
doubled pawns on the 'f' file. This
weakening is especially risky after
the defence has castled.
10 ... ~7
11 Ilac1
Now the play branches off as
90 The 8 ... 06 line

follows:
All 11 c£le5
A12 11 0-0
We will not discuss the obviously
weak moves 11 ... h6 and 11 ...
~d7, which can only worsen the
defence's position.
All
11 ... FiJe5~(132)
132fB]~' A~% CI'~." __ •
w ~., i"A. A:.t .ra .:.t1 After 12 ... gf 13 Eld3 White
:.t' , ';:.tA "W attacks strongly. Therefore one
'" :. ," ~ .J must retake with the bishop leaving

~
,A. ,'= the d6 pawn unprotected. By
~ ft : returning the material the Black
'(7 .•~. 'ltJ_~ king gains an escape route and the
# 11 : ~8 is secure.

~ _.~.;§ ._J~i
..
~ Mt
In the bulletin issued by the
ft ~~.
. K.Smith wrongly asserts that with
the regaining of the pawn White is
better off in the end-game, as he
American K.Smith this is the move does not take into account Black's
that starts the defence's main line pair of bishops.
but as we shall see later the move is 13 Ahd6 gd8
misguided. 14 Acdl
12 FiJxe5 de 14 Elxd8+ .Qxd8! 15 e5 ~7!1++.
After 12 ... '&xe5 13 f4 itc5+ 14 14 Ahd6
~hl Black stands badly: because of 15 Ahd6 ~7
the critical position of the queen a 16 ad2 b5
tactical blow is a possibility. 17 .Qb3 .Qb7
13 Ad2 0-0 18 Eld7 ~8
13 ... itc7 14~b5!itb8154Jc7+ 19 ad2 .Qb7
itxc716 .Q.b5+~d817 -'1a5+:!:±. 20 Dd7 ~8
14 FiJd5 'ltd8 Y2:Y2, Kadar-Koszorus, Hungary
15 FiJxf6+ Axf6 1978.
15 ... gf?? 16 .Q.h6 :!:±. In the A1 main variation White
16 .Qb4:!:± gains the advantage if the defender
The All variation loses for Black. stubbornly holds on to his extra
A12 pawn. This is proved by the All
11 0-01 variation. It is better to return the
12 Axf6 Axf6!(T33) pawn as Black did in the A12
 The 8 ... a6/ine 91

variation where it is an important the 7 ... $le7 line here one must
consideration that White is forced exchange with the knight on e5.
to part with his bishop pair. 11 .,. de
The A1 variation leads to equal 12 .Qd2! itc7
chances. a) 12 .,. ~7? 13 4Jd5 "«td8 14
A2 fuf6+ ~f6 (14 ... gf? 15 J1h6 :l±)
10 M4 (734) 1 5 .Q.b4 :l±.
b) 12 ... itb6? 13 4Ja4! "«tc7 (13 ...
~34[K:?£Y'~:f .~ "«ta7 14 ~e3 :!±) 14 lhc1 ++.

[i".~J:.~J
13 Elac 1 Ad 7
K.Smith gives this a question

~
mark 'Safe is 13 ... ile7! 14 ~b3
J
... ' . / r itb8 as in Lebegeyev-Estrin, USSR
~' d,ft ;;. 1961 ' he comments.
,. J.. iiJ -, j Contrary to K.Smith's excla-
~ . ,7 . mation mark, 13 ... $le7 is worthy
ir. If'
~~, J/ 1';. 6Y.. ?I.'d!
~~ ,ft~.
' of at least two question marks as
~ ----.i 113. 1 _J ; the move produces complete ruin:
Paths after 13 ... .Q.e7?? 144Jb5!:
K.Smith overestimates the a) 14 ... ab 15 axb5+ 'itld8 16
strength of the A1 system. Here, in ~a5+! ±±.
the A2 variation he publishes b) 14 ... 'ltb8 15 01;7+ ~8 (15 ...
another mistake. He marks the 10 itxc7 16 .Q.b5+ ~8 17 ~5+ :l±)
.Q.f4 move with the '?!' sign. 16 fua8 "«txa8 17 .Q.b4 ~b4 18
'Incorrect', he writes in his bulletin. Eld8+ 4Je8 19 .Q.b5 ab 20 "«txb5 :l±.
It will soon be apparent on which Therefore we have to dismiss K.
analyses he has based his false Smith's suggestion. We can see that
conclusion. 13 ... .Q.e7?? is not safe at all but, to
10 .Q.d2 took place in the coin a phrase, 'chess hara-kiri'.
Muratov-Arulaid game, USSR 1959. 14 Axa6! (735)
Black can play 10 ... ith5 or
after 10 .., itc7 11 .Q.f4 he can 135
B
follow the lines discussed in the
'B' chapter.
10 .Q.f4! is the move that brings
advantage to White! It is therefore
superfluous to seek less trodden
paths which provide less advantage.
10 .,. ~e5
11 ~xe5!
Now contrary to the 'B' system in
92 The 8 ... 06 line

Now the main line branches into: 17 {lxa8 .xa8

A21 14 ba 18 ac7 itb8
A22 14 1:ha6 a) 18 ... c1Je8 19 .Q.g5 .Q.b5 20 i6'c2
The return of material by 14 ... ±t.
i6'b8 15 .Q.b5 ±t cannot be b) 18 h6 19 i6'd3 <1Je8 20 .aa5 ±t
considered by Black because White c) 18 itxe419 .Q.g5! ±t.
retains his positional superiority. 19 .e4 itb5
A21 20 Ab4+ c1Jd8
14 ... ba 21 ac8mate
15 {IdS itb8 The A21 variation also offers no
No researcher has come up defence.
with an analysis of the 15 ... ~d5 A22
reply. Yet Black receives substantial 14 .,. Axa6
material compensation for his 15 {lb5 itb6 (736)
queen. Therefore a win for White is 15 ... .axb5 leads to the endgame:
not at all simple after 15 ... fud5: 16 i6'xb5+ §c6 (16 ... i'Wd7 17 ac8+
a) 16 ed i6'b7 17 .\laS i6'b5 18 iM3 ±t) 17 .\laS i6'c8 18 1:hc6! bc 19
a1) 18 ... Ab8 (18 ... i6'xa5? 19 de §d8+ i6'xd8 20 i'Wxc6+ 4.Jd7 (20 ..•
±t) 19 Ac7 'itxa5 20 de (201:hd7 i6'd7 21 i'Wa8+ ~7 22 .Q.b4+ ±±) 21
~d7 21 de+ ~e6 =) 20 ... "he6 "hd8 ~d8 22 a4 ~b8 23 i6'b6+
21 i6' c6+ ±t. ~8 24 as .Q.e 7 25 a6 fua6 26
a2) 18 .., Ae8! 19 de .Q.xe6 20 i'Wxa6+ ~d7 27 i'Wb7+ ~d6 28 b4
1:hc8+ .axc8 21 Ad8+ ~ 7 and ad8 29 b5 .Q.f6 30 g3 §d7 31 i6'c6+
White rolls to a halt. rJ:Je 732 b61 :0 Grazdancev-Zharkov,
b) 16 Axc7li:Jxc7 17 i6'h5 USSR 1968. In this endgame the
b1) 17 ... Ad6 18 .Q.c3 ~b5 19 analysts have not found any
"he5 (19 1:hd6 ~d6 20 i6'xe5 substantial improvement.
~b5! 21 'itxd6 §d8 22 i6'b4~) 19
... .Q.xe5 20 ~xe5 f6 21 'ith5+ g6 22
i6'f3 <1Je7 (22 ... §f8 23 e5 ±t) 23
a4 ~7 (23 ... 4X7 24 i6'a3+ ±t) 24
e5 fe 25 i6'b7 §hd8 26 h4 ±±.
b2) 17 .,. {lb5 18 i6'xe5 f6 19
i6'h5+ g6 20 'itf3 ±t.
In the 15 ... Ii:Jxd5 sub-division
despite the balance of material
Black's position is undeveloped. By
increasing the activity of his queen
White can force a favourable end-
game. 16 Ail3! 'lta5
16 {lc7+ c1Je7 a) 16 ... itxbS 17 '&xb5 .Q.xb5 18
 The 8 ... 06 line 93

Ek8+ ~e7 19 .Qc5+ Eld6 20 ~d6 B

~d7 21 Elxf8 ±±. 9 'ltc7 (138)
b) 16 ... Axb5 17 Elc8+ ~7 18
.Q.xb6 .Ilxe2 19 ~d8+ ~8 20 ~f6 138
mate. W
17 ~c7+ 'lJe7
18 b4 'ltxa2
19 'ltd3 'lta4
a) 19 ... Uc6 20 Elxc6! bc 21 ~g5!!
++ there is no defence against
i*xd7+.
b) 19 ... §a3 20 'ltd6+ 'lJd8 21 'ltb6
++.
c) 19 ... 'lta3 20 Elc3 ++.
20 ~xa6 'ltxa6 (13?) In the 8 ... a6 main line this is the
20 ... ba 21 ihd6+ ~e8 22 i*b8+ customary queen move. Black,
±±. according to the established custom
in the Sicilian Defence, concentrates
his forces on the wing to strike
against the centre. He attempts to
halt the attack by tough defence.
He either retains his pawn advantage
or exchanges it for positional
superiority.
The attacking side hopes to profit
from the queen's awkward position.
But both theorists and players of
the Morra Gambit are divided in
their opinion on how White should
21 Uc8!! 'ltxd3 proceed. Without a doubt the
22 .Q.c5+ 'ltd6 queen's bishop has to enter the
23 Axd6 mate struggle. But where?
Flesch-50S, blindfold simultaneous The dilemma is similar to that
game, Hungary 1959. which we have discussed in the 'A'
In the A21 variation Black is section. Again the answer is not
again in a difficult position. In the clear cut.
A2 main line White's advantage is In certain theoretical ideas the
indisputable. chess world follows the fashion.
Conclusion: The A system intro- The chess players of each country,
duced by the move 9 ... iha5 is and even those with a language in
disadvantageous for Black. common, usually represent an
94 The 8 ... a6/ine
opposing point of view.
The way the fashions go and
which openings or variations are
popular are influenced by the
successes or failures of outstanding
grandmasters.
The opinions of chess nations
possessing an advanced literature
are formed by the books or even
articles of famous theorists.
The interest of this battle position
is that the English speaking players
and theorists but mainly those of
the North American continent
prefer 10 i1g5, whereas in Europe
to a man 10 .llf4 is played.
We shall try to examine these
'fashions' objectively. Our research
is divided in two main lines:
81 10 .Ilg5
82 10 .llf4
81
In the New World this move is the
fashion. It is not by chance that
Fischer chose this once against
Korchnoi. (In their game the
position was reached after a
different sequence of moves!)
10 ~7
11 &c1 0-0
11 i%8 has not justified
expectations in master practice. In
the Smolensky-Telihovsky game,
Ukraine correspondence champion-
ship 1978, a strong attack followed:
12 a3 0-0 13 .aa2 §d814~4~c7
15 .lle3 ~d7 16 b4 b517 ~c3 ~b8
18 4Jg5 4Jf6 19 f4 h6 20 h4 and
81ack resigned on the 37th move.
Once again opinions differ. Here
are two trustworthy paths:
811 12.llb3
812 12 a3
811
12 .Qb3
He abandons the plan of advancing
the queenside. The aim of the move
is to reach a decision quickly on the
'c' file.
We shall follow the defence's
chief possibilities:
8111 12 h6
8112 12 .lld7
8111
12 ... h6
13 Af4
13 .llh4 appeals more to some
theorists. The question is, are they
right? Let us examine the main
variations after 13 .llh4. Now:
a) 13 ... ~g4
a1) 14 ~d5 ed 15 ed i1xh4 16
~xh4 ite7!1+=t.
a2) 14 ~3 i according to
American analysis White retains the
initiative.
b) 13 ... ita5 14 ~d5 ed 15 ed 0e5
16 4Jxe5 de 17 d6 .lld8 18 i1xf6
i1xf6 19 d7. This is where the
 The 8 ... a6/ine 95

analysis has led - to White's 22 ~b7 !;lb8

advantage in the 13 11h4 variation. 23 ~b8 itxb8
White is sufficiently compensated 24 h3 jhf3
for his pawn loss by his active 25 itxf3 ~c6
major pieces and by the weakness 26 itd3 ~d4
of the t7-b7 fields. The Hungarian 27 A.c4 as
masters are of the opinion, however, 27 ... itxb2 28 ~b1 offers active
that Black can reach a draw in the play.
ensuing endgame by judicious 28 b3 *t>4
simplification. 29 f4 ~h8
13 e5 Y2:Y2. This is the famous Fischer-
'14 ~3 .d8 Korchnoi game (with some change
15 ~d5 ~xdS in the sequence of moves in the
16 jhd5 ~7 opening) in Buenos Aires 1960.
16 ... ae6 17 axc6 bc 1a ~eS i. Korchnoi's observation is of
17 ~d2(140) interest that Fischer, then still a
The 17 a3 suggestion is also child, for some reason did not strive
vigorous. Its aim is to prevent the after a win with his customary
following liberating manoeuvre: fanaticism.
In the B111 sub-variation White's
set-up can be improved. A proof of
this is that in tournament encounters
this line is usually avoided by
Black.
Bl12
12 ad7
Learning from the experience of
the B111 variation Black here tries
to equalise with piece play. K.
Smith puts a question mark to this
move in one of his publications, but
17 ... ~b4! his opinion rests on faulty analysis.
18 ab3 13 ~dS
18 axb7 abS 19 itf3 ~xa2 =. 13 itd3 is too materialistic and at
18 ... !'tgS the same time naive. Variations
19 Axg5 itxgS after 13 'l*d3? ~fd8 14 axf6:
20 ~f3 Ag4! a) 14 ... gf? 15 ~d5! ed (15 ... ita5
20 ... *f6 21 itd2 ~c6 22 itxd6 16 ~c6 ed 17 ~3 ±±) 16 ed itb8
itxd6 23 ~d6 .Q.g4 24 ~5 gives 17 dc bc 18 ~c6! Axc6 19 .ac2. In
White a favourable ending. this position as published by K.
21 !:ic7 itd8 Smith (Swarley-N.N., US 1973)
96 The 8 '" o6/ine
Black resigned! A bit too soon!
After 19 ... f5! 20 t6'xf5 ~
follow:
al) 21 itxh7? ~f6 22 ab3 ~7 ±:!:.
a2) 21 .Qb3! d5 (21 ... f6 22 t6'xh7
d5 23 4Jd4 ~d6 24 ~xc6 ~c6 25
lhd5 ±:!:) 22 t6'xh 7 ~f6 (22 ... ~6
23 ~el ++) 23 t6'h6+ S1g7 24 t6'xc6
±:!:
b) 14 ... ~f6! Let us not be mean
with our pieces, especially as we
have plenty!
bl) 15 itxd6 t6'xd6 16 ~d6 ~e5
and Black stands better as he has
the bishop pair in a materially equal
position.
b2) 15 ~d5 ed 16 ed~b417 ~c7
(17 t6'e4 t6'b6 ++) 17 ... ~xd3 18
~d3 ~ac8 and Black has more
chances in the endgame.
13 .. , ~xd5
13 ... ed 14 ed ~e8 15 dc ~c6
16~d4 i.
14 ed ~g5
15 ~xg5
15 dc?? ~cl 16 cd ~h6 ++
15 ... ed (741)
K.Smith gives an exclamation
mark to the move 16 ... ~xh 7 and
after 16 ... <!'xh 7 17 *h5+ ~g8 18
~d4 credits White with a win. But
this is faulty analysis because of 18
... ~e6! 19 ~h4 f5! (19 ... f6 20
~2 with some possibility of a
draw) 20 t6'h7+ W 21 ~h6 (21
*h5+ ~e7 22 ii'g5+~d7 ++) 21 ...
ii'd7 (21 ... ~e8 22 t6'g6+ ~g8 23
t6'h7+ W =) 22 ~g6 ~g8 23 t6'h5
~8 +F. It can be seen that K.
Smith's suggestion 16 ~xh 7 is
altogether hasty.
16 ... g6
17 ~d5
The Black king's position is
extremely weak. The ii'c4-*h4
manoeuvre is threatened. The ~e4
move hangs like the sword of
Damocles over the defender as the
knight not so much intends to take
the d6 pawn but threatens to
occupy the weak f6 point.
If need be the queen can also use
the al-h8 long diagonal.
Therefore we must regard K.
Smith's 16 ~xh 7? move as refuted,
but the author!s idea of 16 t6'd3
will secure certain advantage for
White. Accordingly in the Bl12
variation the attack attains it goal.
812
12 a3
White makes sure that the bishop
can be favourably withdrawn. He
also prepares to push the queenside
pawn pair forward to increase his
gain of space.
12 ~d8
13 ~2

13 .Q.a2 is an excellent move, the
author feels, causing considerable
problems for Black. Example: 13
.Q.a3 ~d7 14 ~e3 and because of
either the positional threat ~a4 or
the tactical one ~d5 Black is in
trouble.
13 ... ~7
Black is forced to make room for
the queen's retreat. He cannot wait
with folded arms while the opposing
pawns chase away the c6 knight
taking advantage of the queen's
wretched position, for the opening
of the 'c' file favours the completely
developed White.
14 b4 .d8
15 ~2 ~e8 (142)
15 ... h6 in the Hohl-Zottmann
game led to White's advantage after
16 ac1. The returned bishop on the
b2 or possibly a3 field constitutes a
dangerous threat.
The 8 ... a6/ine 97
important b6 point is weak. The
clumsy d7 rook obstructs the ~d7
defence move. What can Black do
against the threat of ~a4?
In the B12 variation Black is
over-restricted.
Conclusion on the B1 main line:
Because of faulty analysis and wide
publicity chess players expect
greater advantage from the B1 line
introduced by 10 ag5 than it can
offer. In the process of sifting out
the mistakes from the analysis and
through examining and correcting
the material we have arrived at a
cool appraisal of the position,
which indicates that White retains
the initiative.
B2
10 !J.f4(143)
The bishop's presence on the h2-
b8 diagonal signals tactical threats.
The weak d6 pawn on the open
'd' file is under heavy fire. A break-
through by e4-e5 is also imminent.
Instinctive gambit players prefer
this road. No wonder that extensive
theoretical material exists in this
line. We shall illustrate the following
98 The 8 ... o6/ine

defences: 822
B21 10 ~d7 10 ... ~7
B22 10 Jle7 11 J;lac1
B23 10 4:ld7 It is logical that White should
B24 10 e5 decide to place one of the rooks on
B25 10 .., 4:le5 the 'c' file.
As 10 ... 'l6'b8 merges wi th the 11 e5 is too early, which can be
above variations we do not discuss shown by the following variations:
it seperately. a) 11 de 12 4:lxe5 4:lxe5 13 Jlxe5
821 al) 13 itc6
10 ... A.d7 all) 14 aac1 0-0 15 Jld3 *b6 16
Black attempts to bring in the a8 4:la4 "«ra5 17 b3 Jld7 18 ~c4 .Q.c6 =
rook to defend the centre. The (18 ... .Ilxa4? 19 lha4 ~ Uppstrom-
defence is willing to return the Gustavsson, Boras 1958).
extra pawn in the hope of achieving a12) 14 .{:IbSI 0-0 15 4:lc7 ~b8 16
equality. The correct plan for the .Q.b3! (164:lxa6? ba 17 axb8 .Q.b7!
attacker is not to regain the pawn 18 f3 lhb8 1++) 16 ... 'l6'b6 17
but to try the advantageous break- 4:ld5 ±±.
through e4-e5. a2) 13 itaS 14 ~d4 ~
11 J;lac1 J;lad8 b) 11 .{:Ih5
12 eS de b1) 12 ed 4:lxf4 13 dc 4:lxe2+ 14
12 ... d5? 13 ef "«rxf4 14 4:lxd5 ±± axe2 .Q.d7 15 ~cl ~c8 16 ~4
13 .{:Ixe5 itc8 lhc7 17 ~e5 f6 18 ~d7lhd7 19
13 ... 4:lxe5 14 axe5 "«ra5 15 4:ld5 ~el 4:ld4 ++ Gik-Gasparian, USSR
~d516lhd5 ++. 1963.
14 .{:IdS! .{:Ixd5 b2) 12~S
14 ... ed 15 4:lxd7+ 'i!txd7 (15 ... b21) 12 ... de 13 axe7 'i!txe7 14
Jle7 16 4:lxf6+ gf 17 axd5 ±±) 16 ite3 f6 15 'l6'c5+ W 16 ~d6 with
Jlxd5 ±to a double-edged game which led to a
15 AxdS fU7 draw after 31 moves in Zaitsev-
16 .{:Ic4! bS Bebchuk, USSR 1967.
Otherwise 4:lb6 wins the queen. b22) 12 ... Axg5
17 Axc6 Axc6 b221) 13 .{:Ixg5 4:lf4 14 'l!W3 de 15
18 .{:Ia5 Ibd1+ g34:ld4 16 lhd4 ed 17 ~ce4 h6 ++
19 itxd1 itd7 b222) 13 .{:IdS? "«rd8! 14 4:lxg5
20 .{:Ixc6 1:0 "«rxg5 15 4:lc7+ 'i!tf8 16 ~a8 4:lf4
Wendel-Sandin, Boras 1958. In the 17 *f1 4:lxe5 ++.
B21 variation the Black king is 11 ... 0·01 (744)
stranded in the centre. 10 ... Jld7 is a) 11 '" itb8 branches:
quite unsuitable in the defence's al) 12 .{:IdS (Pachmann) 12 ed!
armoury. 13 ed 4:la5 14 ~el O-O! (14 4:lg8
 The 8 ... o6/ine 99

is too passive and therefore loses)

15 ~xe7 ~c4 16 Eixc4 ~xd5 17
~xd6 ~xf4 18 ~xf4 ae6 =.
a2) 12 AIl3 merges into the 82214
variation (see page 100) where
White holds on to his advantage.
b) 11 ... cile5 12 axe5 de 13 ~b5
~b8 14 4X7+ ±±.

144
W

82211
12 §es
Prepares for the temporary
sacrifice of a piece so as to gain
active counter-play in possession of
the opened "e' file.
13 cild5 ed
14 ed .Q.fS
Returning to the text, there have 15 ii"c2 .I1g4
been many disputes as to how 16 dc .Q.xf3
White should continue. Our book 17 gf §acs
discusses the following main 17 ... bc 18 'l*xc6 ~xc6 19 ~xc6
variations: simplification leaves White with the
8221 12 ab3 advantages of the bishop-pair at;d a
8222 12 e5 queenside pawn,majority.
8223 12 ad3 lS ii"d3 lied8
8224 12 h3 18 ... bc 19 ii"xa6 ±±.
8221 19 .I1g5 ~7
12 All3 (J45)1 20 Axf7+!!
In possession of the 'c' file White 20 ... <Jixf7 21 ii"b3+ 'it>f8 22 cb
endeavours to increase the pressure. and Black resigned, Sokolov-
We are illustrating this battle 8rajovic, 1964.
position, which has been well tried The move 12 ... ~e8 does not
out in tournament practice, by the justify hopes attached to it.
following variations: 82212
82211 12 ~e8 12 lid8
82212 12 ~8 13 ~d5 ed
82213 12 e5 14 ed h6
82214 12 ii"b8 Gets ready for the opening of the
100 The 8 ... 06 line

a2-g8 diagonal and against a 23 ~d5?? itxd5 24 ttlxd7 *d4+

possible .£lg5 defends the weak f7 25 ~1 'ltxf4 26 Ele1 .\lxf3! ++.
field. 23 ... Ete7
14 ... .\lg4 15 dc bc 16 *c4 i. 24 'ltxe7 ±t
15 dc bc In this variation the needle of the
16 ~d4 c5 balance points to White.
16 ... .\lb7 17 .£lxc6 .Qxc6 18 .\la4 82213
++ Matulovic-Bradvarevic, ±ugo- 12 ... e5
slavia 1957. 13 ~d5
17 ~c6! Also interesting from a theoretical
17 ~c5 itxc518 *xe7 .\lg4! and point of view is the game Kokkoris-
it is now the defence's turn to Christiansson, Tel Aviv OL 1964,
speak. which was played as follows: 13
17 ... 'ltxc6 ~e3 ~g4 14 <£)d5 <tlxd5 15 ed e4 16
18 'ltxe7 W7 dc (16 itc4 :!±) 16 ... ef 17 gf ~e6
a) 18 ite8?? 19 ~f7+ ±t 18 ~4 bc 19 .Qxc6 Elab8 20 ~4 ±±.
b) 18 ~7 19 itxf7+ 'it'h8 20 It is still an unanswered question
'ltg6 ++. whether Black has anything better
19 ~f7+ to offer than 13 ." .\lg4 which
19 ~d6 *xg2+! 20 'it'xg2 ~e7, could gain equality.
despite the White bishop-pair 13 ... ~xd5
Black's position is defendable 13 ... itd8? 14 .£lxe5 gains back
because weak points can also be the pawn with a superior position.
found in White's position. 14 ed ef
19 \t>h8 15 dc bc
20 'lte6 .Qb7 16 ~d4 c5
21 f3 Etf8 17 Ad5 .Qb7
22 -'\g6 ~d5 (746) 18 ~f5 .\lf6
19 ~d6±t
I
146.
;;. W'
tv ~----V~~::
.~ This variation does not offer a
W.l ' sufficient defence.
. ~ . ,;AI. 82214
*i'\&I~"1 12 ... ttb8
J{:.: 13 ~a4 {147}
An innovation by the author
which wishes to take advantage of
~ Black's disharmonious set-up by
positional means.
There are many other roads
suggested by theorists but none of
23 ~4! ±t them can be recommended as the

147
B ihf6 19 d7. The presence of
author has vital improvements for
the defence in each instance:
a) 13 e5 {JhS 14 ed Cllxf4 lS ~d2
ihd616 -«rxd6
al) 16 ... itxd617 l3xd6
all) 17 '" e518 §el !ilg6 19 adS t
a12) 17 ... ~818l3xd8+!ilxd819
g3 !ilg6 20 !Lla4 !ilc6 21 !ilb6 ~b8 22
!ilgS t and White went on to win in
Alyanov-Tityenko, USSR 1962, by
increasing his positional advantage.
a2) 16 ... ~d5! An improvement by
the author. Returning the material
is good policy for the defensive
forces gain more freedom: 17 -«rxb8
l3xb8 18 CllxdS ed 19 ~dS
a21) 19 .Qe6 20 ihc6 bc 21 b3 i
a22) 19 ~b4! 20 ab3 ae6! =
Because of the weakness of the base
line White is not forging ahead.
b) 13 ~d5. K.Smith gives this
move an exclamation mark in his
bulletin mentioning that he is
taking this attribution from the
Yugoslav chess magazine Informator
(vol. 6, page 2S). Admittedly, there
too the combination is analysed
faultily, to lead to an advantage for
White. But let us see: 13 ~dS ed 14
The 8 ... a6/ine 101
ed <tieS 1S till<eS de 16 axeS
b1) 16 ... -«ra717 d6 ad8 18 ihf6
opposite coloured bishops increases
the chances of the attack. Neverthe-
less, after 19 '" ihd7 20 l3xd7
~d8 21 ~cdl ~xd7 22 l3xd7 -«rb8
it is impossible to demonstrate the
thread of a forced win. But the bl
branch is a mistake because b2
offers more to Black.
b2) 16 ... .Q.d6 17 axf6 gf 18 -«rhS
~f4 19 l3xc8 ~xc8 20 d6
b21) 20 .., ~h8 21 g3 ~g8 22 -«rxf7
~f8 23 d7 'l6'd8 24 'l6'e6 ~eS 2S
~S bS 26 ik2 ~7 27 i1fS ~7 28
f4 axb2 29 axh7 fS (29 ... ~h7
30 ~hS+ *g6 31 -«rg4+ W 32
~h7+ ++) 30 -«rh6 ~f6 31 ~g6+
'i!tg8 32 -«rh7+ 'i!tf8 33 '&:Jh8+ 'i!te7
34 -«re8+ '&:Jxe8 3S de-«r mate Kim-
Zhukhov, USSR 1968.
b22) 20 ... ~d6!! 21 l3xd6 -«rc1 +
22 ~dl -«rgS +i=.
We can see that the K.Smith type
of deduction is wrong for this
variation leads to a loss not a win.
c) 13 h3 !LIeS leads into the B224
system which is rated t (see page
103).
13 ~d7
14 .Q.g5!? .Q.xg5
15 ~xg5 h6
16 ~xe6! fe
17 .Q.xe6+ 'Cth8
18 .Q.xd7 .Q.xd7
19 ~b6 ±±
In the B221 variation all known
theoretical material has shown a
quick win for White - quite
mistakenly. Forceful attempts can
102 The 8 ... o6/ine

easily become counter-productive. White's success in the above game

White must be satisfied with a solid should not put us off our guard. It
but lasting positional advantage. is likely that by detailed analysis
8222 improvements will be found for
12 e5 both sides.
The time has come for White to 8223
open up the position. 12 Ad3
12 de A suggestion by L.Uppstrom. He
13 ~xe5 ~xe5 removes the bishop from the rook's
14 ~e5 ih5 path but does not place it on the
15 J:ld3 usual b3 field. The bishop can
15 ~d4 is a possibility so that become a dangerous weapon on the
after b5 .Ild3 can be played. b1-h7 diagonal.
15 ... ~d7
15 ... b5 16 .Ilb3, according to
12 ... "'8
12 ... e5 is not included in the
K.Smith White stands better. This Swedish analysis. Yet it is certainly
however is not always the case: worthy of study. It is -true that it
a) 16 ... ~d7 and Black is indeed weakens the d5 field, but it
worse off. prevents the e4-e5 breakthrough.
b) but the new move 16 ... .Qb7! 13 e5!
leads to a game that can cut both The further opening of the files
ways. and diagonals increases the chances
16 .Q.f4 of the attack.
16 ~d5 brings great compli- 13 ... ~h5
cations: This move was once considered as
a) 16 ... ~xe5 17 ~e7+ 'it'h8 18 the refutation.
~h3 ~xc4 (18 ... ~g6 19 ~h5 -Qrd8 13 ... de 14 ~xe5 ~xe5 15 ~e5
20 ~h7+ ++) 19 -Qrxc4! (19 ~h5? *a7 16 .Ild4! -Qrb8 (16 ... .Ilc5?? 17
itd2! ++) 19 ~ .. .Ild7 20 ~h7+ ~b5!! ±t) 17 ~4! ++.
'it'xh7 21 ith4+ ±t. 14 ~h7+! *xh7
b) 16 ... ed 17 Shg7 according to 14 ... c;f;lh815 .Ilg5 ±.
Hungarian analysis leads to un- 15 ~g5+ ~g5
resolved complications. 16 'itxh5+ *g8
16 b5 16 ... ~6 17 ~e4! with an over-
17 Ab3 ~c5 whelming assault on the king.
18 Ag3 ~xb3 17 Axg5 de 1(148)
19 ab f5 17 ... ~xe5 18 .Ile7 ±t.
20 ~d5 ~4 18 Af6!! gf
21 ~7 fra2 19 'ith6!!
22 ~b4 1:0 To 19 ~d3 the reply 19 ... ~d8
Popkov-Nerezov, USSR 1963. offers a ray of hope.

19 f5
20 itg5+ '\ths
21 Ad3 ±:t
Mate is unavoidable.
Black fails in this variation if he
allows the e4-e5 breakthrough. If
he accepts the weakness of the d5
field his prospect for a successful
defence is better.
8224
12 h3
A waiting move but useful, for it
rules out a pin by ~g4.
12 ... e5
a) 12 ... l:leS 13 i1b3 b5 14 o[jd5
i6'b7 15 o[jxe7+ ~e7 16 -'hd6 o[jg6
17 e5 o[jf4 18 ite3 o[jfd5 19 ~d5
~d5 20 i6'e4 h6 as it occurred in
Lonnblad-Korling, Helsinki 1957,
where White played 21 h4. 21 o[jd4
would have increased his advantage.
b) 12 ... Ad8 13 ~b3 i6'b8 14 ~4
1ZJd7 15 .Q.g5 ~g5 16 ~xg5 h6 17
~f7! ~xf7 18 i!\'h5+ :!:± with a
penetrating attack.
c) 12 ... itb8
c1) 13 Ab3 o[je5 changes to the
B2214 line, see page 101.
c2) 13 e5 :!:±.
The 8 ... 06 line 103
13 .Q.e3 b5?!
In the Morra gambit one finds in
practice that the move ~6 plays a
key role in defence of the cc ' file.
Any action, however temporary,
which results in making the knight's
position unsafe is advantageous to
the attack.
14 .Q.d5! .Qb7
15 "hc6 i6'xc6
15 ... ~c6 16 o[jd5 i6'b7 17 Etxc6
:!:±. The exchange sacri fice is the
only available plan for the defence
as with an extra pawn and the
bishop-pair he is not without hopes.
16 ~d5 ite8
17 ~c7 itb8
18 ~xa8 itxa8!
18 .,. -'has? 19 i1g5 i1xe4 20
~xe5 ~g2 21 ~f6 gf 22 i6'g4+
'i!1h8 23 ~xf7+ 1 :0 as happened in
Van Hoolandt-Ballay, Val-Thorens
1979, proving that taking with the
bishop is the wrong choice.
19 ~h4! (749)
The game has reached the simpli-
fication stage which according to
Hungarian analysis promises White
a better game after 19 ... ~e4 (19
704 The 8 ... 06 line
... ~xe4? 20 ~f5 ~f6 21 f3 ±±) 20
f3 ~g6 21 §c7 ~d8 22lh7 *b8 23
~g6.
It would be to early to reach a
final verdict on the B224 line intro-
duced by 12 h3, as there are many
variations which await thorough
analysis.
823
10 ~d7
A path advocated by Soviet
analysis.
11 !:lac 1 'ltb8
Variations after 11 ... ~de5 12
~xe5:
a) 12 ... ~xe5 13 axeS de 14 ~b5
*"8 15 ~c7+ ±±.
b) 12 ... de 13 ~d5! i*b8 (13 ...
*d8? 14 ~g5! ++) 14 S1g3 .Q.c5 15
~3 ~716*h5
b1) 16 ... 0-0 17 ~f6+!! gf 18 ~h4!
:!±.
b2) 16 ... ed 17 ed 0-018 dc bc 19
*xf7+ §Xf7 20 ~d8 mate. Sazet-
Semachev, USSR 1961.
12 b4(750)
The 12 *d2? side-road aims at
regaining the pawn as soon as
possible - this is contrary to the
spirit of the gambit: 12 i*d2? Jle7
13 axd6 ~d6 14 *xd6 *xd6 15
§Xd6 rtJe 7 16 lkd1
a) 16 '" &17 17 ~e2 ~b8? t_
Kokkoris-Koral, Tel AvivOL 1964.
b) 16 ..• oilde5! 17 ~e5 ~e518
~e2 g5! 19 ~4 Jld7 20~b6lhd8
After 12 b4 Black's choice is
critical. Theorists are divided in
their judgement of the position.
In Soviet tournament practice
declining the sacrifice has not paid
off, therefore more recently many
advocate taking the pawn.
We shall study two important
main lines:
B231 12 ~b4
B232 12 ~e5
No other move comes into serious
consideration: 12 ... e5?? 13 ~f7+
'Ilxf7 14 *c4+ 'i!te8 15 ~g5 ~8 16
~5~617~7+±±.
8231
12 ... oilxb4
The test of the sacrifice is in its
acceptance.
13 e5!
Many theorists advocate taking
the pawn as they count on the
reply 13 ~e6? when 13 ... fe 14
*c4 ~6 (14 ... d5 15 ed ±±) 15
*xe6+ Qe7 and now the ~d7
parries the threats in all variations
and retains the material advantage.
13 ... d5
13 de 14~xe5.
a) 14 'f1a7?? 15 ~xf7! ++
b) 14 .Q.d6 15 ~f7! ilxf416
*xe6+ 'M8 17 ~d6 ++.
c) 14 ... oilxe5 15 axeS *a7 16
 The 8 ... a6/ine 105

.Q.b5+ ~c6 17 ~d5!! ab 18 ~c7+ 8232

'!Je7 19 .Q.d6+'!>f6 20itf3+~g6 21 12 ~ce5
'ltg4+ <itf6 22 <£le8 mate. 13 Axe5 de
14 Axd5! 13 ... ~e514~e5 de 15 .Q.b5+!
14 ~xd5 ~d5 15 Axd5 ab 16 ~b5 .Q.d7 17 ~7+ ~7 18
a) 15 '" ed 16 e6 merges into the ~a8 'ltxa8 19 l;k:7 :!:!:.
main line. 14 ~g5 ~7 (151)
b) 15 .•. ~7 16 .Q.e4 ~c5 17 .abl
.Q.d7 ~. 151
c) 15 .,. ~c5! with a double-edged, W
complicated position.
14 ... ed
a) 14 ... ~xd5
al) 15~xd5 ed 16 e6:!:!:.
a2) 15 Axd5 ed 16 ~d5 :!:!:.
b) 14 ... ~7 15 ~e4 0-0 16 ~g5
Axg5 17 Axh 7+ It '.1Jxh7 18 ~g5+
~619~f3! :!:!:.
15 e6 'ltxf4
16 ed+ 'llxd7 15 ~f7! 'llxf7
17 ~xd5 ~xd5 16 Axe6+ 'llxe6
18 Jbd5+ .Qd6 17 'ltc4+ t&>f6
19 ~e5+! ~ 18 ~3 ~b6
20 ~d3+ 'llxd5 19 Af3+ <&tg5
21 ~xf4+ Axf4 20 *f7 .Q.f8
22 Ad1+ t&>c5 20 ... ~f6 21 axf6 gf 22 'ltg7+
23 'lte7+ t&>b6 ~h5 23 ~e2:!:!:.
23 ... ~c6 24 'lte4+ ~b6 25 21 h4+ t&>h6
'ltd4+ .c6 26 'ltxf4 ±!:. 22 Af6+ g6
24 "ltb4+ *a7 23 Axb6 ag4
25 'ltd4+! b6 24 f3 'ltd8
26 itxf4 ±:!: 25 fg -ltb6+
Because of'ltc7 mate the defence 26 *h2 ~7
... ~e6 is impossible, therefore the 26 ... ite3 27 <£Id5! itxcl 28 g5+
win is simple. ~h5 29 00+ ~xh4 30 'ltg3+ ~h5
Accepting the 12 b4 sacrifice 31 <£If6 mate.
cannot be good because the Black 27 ~d5
position is too passive and with a 27 ... itd6 28 <£Ixe7 Aaf8 29 <£If5+
central push White takes advantage gf 30 g5 matel:0 Karlsson-Hodosz,
of the awkward placing of the 1958.
knights. In the B232 variation even by
706 The 8 ... o6/ine

declining the 12 b4 sacrifice Black :!± Waligora-Mohrlock, Stuttgart

fails to reach equality. 1955.
Summarising the B23 defensive d) 12 ... ~e7 13 <£!xe5!
system introduced by 10 ... <£Id7: dl) 13 ... g6 14 l3acl 'llJd8 15 *f3
because of the theoretical improve- (15 ~g5! :!±) 15 ... ~g7?? 16<£!xf7
ment given in our book Black's '1Jxf7 17 ~d6+ af6 18 ~e 7 '\txe7
hopes stay unfulfilled. 19 d6+ <;!;>f8 20 d7 '1Jg7 21 ae6 1 :0
824 Nilsson-Purschwit, corres 1967.
10 ... eS d2) 13 ... f6 14 <£lf3 b5 15 ~b3 etlf7
Chases away the bishop from its 16 ~acl "d8 17 ~d6! *xd6 18
excellent position on the h2-b8 ~c6 *d8 19 d6+ '\te8 20 de *xe7
diagonal. But this gain is offset by 21 ~c7!! 1:0 Fuchs-Merkel, East
the early weakening of the dS field. Germany 1964.
There are many plans to choose 12 ~3
from: 12 ~g5 ~e7 13 ~f6 ~f6 14
B241 11 <£IdS h3 i.
B242 11 ~e3 12 ... ~xdS
11 ~gS ~e7 12 Shf6 ~f6 13 12 ... <£ld7? 13 ~5!! <£Id4 14
<£IdS *d8 14 h3 according to Euwe l:hd4 ed 1 5 <£!xf7! ~xf7 16 tI1h5+
White is somewhat better. g6 17 <£lc7+ ~e7 18 *h4+ <£If6 19
In the author's opinion this <£Id5+ :!± Mihaljcisin-Cuderman,
miniscule advantage is unrealisable Yugoslavia 1961.
if Black resiliantly returns the extra 13 .Q.xdS!
pawn. This is the move! The d5 base
B241 must be kept occupied by the
11 ~dS fld8 pieces.
11 fudS 12 ed branches: 13 ... ~7
a) 12 ~aS 13 ... 'llJe7 14 l3acl <£Id8 15 ~6
al) 13 §acl tI1e7 (13 ... ~xc4 14 ++ Heilmann-Gumprich 1953.
~c4 'llJe7 15 ~eS de 16 d6 :!±) 14 Axc6 bc
14 ~eS fuc4 15 l:hc4 de 16 d6 15 ~xeS flc7
i!W6 17 l:hc8+ l:hc8 18 d7+ 1:0 16 ~c4 §b8
Beilin-Myasnyikov, USSR 1959. 17 §acl .1le6
a2) 13 .Q.d3! :!± 18 b3 0-0
b) 12 ... bS 13 ~b3 <£la5 14 fue5! 19 fld2 ~fd8
<£lxb3 15 <£lc6+ ~7 16 ab ~b7 17 20 flaS ±±{752}
l3acl :!± E.Stein-Myslowski,
The B241 variation is sound but
Warsaw 1965.
c) 12 ... ~7 13 dc ef14cb axb715 the initiative is with White.
l3ac1 ~f3 (15 ... tI1d7?? 16 ~f7+ B242
~xf7 17 <£le5+ :!±) 16 *xf3 *a7 11 .1le3
17 tI1c6+ ~d8 18 ~f7 h5 19 ile6 White postpones the occupation
 The 8 ... a6/ine 107

whilst the Black position is beset by

problems. This new idea is well
worth studying.
Surveying the B241 and B242
sub-divisions we conclude that
Black does not solve his problems
by 10 ... e5.
B25
10 ... ~e5(753)

~.l~",<; n ,.

of the d5 base. Advantage of the i'" ,i'~

~ ,

bishop's move is that it points out b'::W;F·=~~l%':#:,u·~l· . ",

the b6 field's weakness. l""""4m-ff""""~~ ,~ .

/~"
11 ... ~7
Other answers: A/;~;; - , j]: ltJ:/
;; I
a) 11 ... b5? 12 adS! -",;' J .
al) 12 ... b4 13 ihc4 ab7 14 ~4! j]: " _ ~f~ .j]:.£
:!±. =:i ,~;g ~~
a2) 12 ... Ab713 ~c1 :!±.
a3) 12 ... ~7 13 ~ac1 ad7 14 Lines of the dangerous h2-b8
-'lxc6 .Q.xc6 15 <tld 5 fib 7 16 I:txc6 diagonal and the open 'c' file meet
'l!\'xc6 17 ~1 'l!\'b7 18 ~c7 ihb819 on the c7 square where the queen is
I:txe7+ ~8 20 <tlxe5! <tlxd5 (20 ... standing.
de 21 fuf6! <:3;xe7 22 .Q.c5+!! leads The bishop is already on the
to mate) 21 I:txf7+ (21 ... <:3;e8 22 diagonal and the a1 rook is preparing
I:txg7 :!±} 1:0 Jonsson-Kvist, corres to leave forcl.
1968. Here White's arrangement of the
b) 11 !lg412 ~ac1 pieces is based on a geometric
b1) 12 ~7134Jd5:!± design. Black tries to hinder White's
b2) 12 itd8 13 <tld5 :!± progress with his undeveloped
c) 11 ~ 12 axe6 fe 13 ~4 pieces by using the knight as a
<tld 7 14 'ltc4 <:3;e7 15 <tlg5 :!±. barrier. But in chess after any
12 Ihcl 0-0 closure or barrier another line or
13 ~a4! ~d7 diagonal opens somewhere.
14 b4:!± Although the bishop's diagonal is
Analysis by the Hungarian master, closed, the knight's move has the
P.Koszorus. failing that it frees the 'c' file.
The system introduced by 11 .Q.e3 White modifies his plans accordingly
ensures harmonious play for White in the first discussed B251 variation,
108 The 8 ... o6/ine
furthermore in the B252 section he
even frees the 'd' file in front of his
rook. Therefore our choice is
twofold:
B251 11 ~b3
B252 11 ~e5
B251
11 Ab3
An old-fashioned solution. For
the time being White does not take
the central Black knight. Because of
the position of the queen the open
'c' file's importance is increasing.
White bases his plans on this,
ignoring the presence' of €l.e5:
sooner or later the knight will have
to move away from the attack of
the 'f' pawn.
Two possible paths for the
defence:
B2511 11 ~e7
B2512 11 ~d7
11 ... b5 is contrary to basic ideas
of the defence as the worse
developed side opens an additional
front: 11 '" b5 12 Etac1 itb7 13
€\.xeS de 14 ~e5 ~7. Now by
transposition we have reached
Stieg-Klemm, corres 1962 (see note
a2) t on page 76) in which White
went on to win.
B2511
11 ... ~7
12 &c1 'ltb8
12 '" ~a5 13 €l.xe5 de 14 ~d2
~b4 15 a3 ~c3 16 ~c3 itb5 17
~c4 itb6 18 ~e5 .Q.d7 19 .Qd5
itb5 20 itxb5 ~b5 21 ~b 7 :!±
Stromberg-Cederlind, Avesta 1959.
13 .{)d4
From tournament practice we
illustrate the following main lines:
a) 13 a4?! Meaningless waste of
time, for Black does not intend to
play the self-weakening move b7-b5
in this position:
a1) 13 .,. b6? 14 €ld4 ~7 15 ~g3
0-0 16 f4 €lc6 17 €l.f3 €l.h5 18 e5
€\.xg3 19 hg d5 20 ~h 1 g6 21 g4
Ete8 22 €\.xd5! ed 23 ~d5 itb7 24
e6 fe 25 ~e6+ ~e6 26 itxe6+
~h8 27 Etd7 ~g5 28 Wln ++ Silva-
Jorge, Lugano OL 1968.
a2) 13 ... O-o! Black has a comfort-
able game for now with gain of
tempi he can play the text
continuation.
b) 13 AxeS? (This exchange is now
much too late!) 13 ... de 14 ite3
€l.d7 15 €l.e2 0-0 16 €lg3 as 17 a3
a4 18 ~2 EtaS 19 Etc2 b6 ++
Honfi-Sandor, Hungary 1955.
c) 13 ~3. For a long time this
move was the main line:
c1) 13 ... O-o?? 14 €\.xeS de 15 €l.a4!
€l.d7 16 ~6 €l.xb6 17 ~b6 ~f6 18
itd2 as 19 .Q.c4 h6 20 Etc3 .Q.e721
a3 'iflh7 22 !1b5'!1g5 23 itd3 .Q.e7
24 Etc7 !1d8 25 itxd8!! Etxd8 26
Etxd8 Eta6 27 Etxc8 itxc8 28 Etxc8
Etxb6 29 a4 1 :0 Schuch-Filip, Wien
1949. Th is game illustrates
excellently White's control of the
open lines.
c2) 13 ... .{)xf3 14 itxf3 b5! = In
this variation because of the ~c1­
~f4-.Q.e3 time wasting moves this
pawn move has gained validity.
13 '" 0-0
14 ~3 .Q.d7!
The text-move ensures the c8
bishop's effectiveness in the
 The 8 ... a6/ine 109

MihaljClJin-Filep, Hungary 1968.
Black has difficulty in orchest-
rating his pieces. The f7 point is
weak. White has proved his
superiority in the game annotated
above.
B2512
11 ... i1d7
This bishop's move has been a
success in tournament practice.
12 J:hc1 itb8
13 ~xe5
13 ile3 b5 14 h3 is also a known
route:
a) 14 ... ~t3+ 15 *xf3 *b7 16
ilg5 £Le7 17 ~f6 ilxf6 18 ~5
!ld8 19 e5 \!X8 20 !iX7 *xf3 21 gf
§a7 22 laxd6 rtJe7 23 l£)xa6 ;t
Gragger-Djurasevic, Belgrade 1951.
b) 14 ... Ae 7 15 ~4 0-0 16 f4 l£)c4
17 ilxc4 bc 18 *xc4 ~fc8 =.
13 ... de
14 Ag5 ~7
14 .•. £Lc6? 15 ~f6! gf 16 *h5
a) 16 ....c8 i7l£)d5
a1) 17 '" ed 18 ed *c7 19 dc bc 20
laxc6 ±:!:.
a2) 17 ...•d8 18l£)f4! ±:!:.
b) 16 ... *e7 17 {'rl5+! ed 18 ed
ile8 19 d6+ rtJd8 20 d7 ~d7 21
*xf7 !le7 22 .Q.e6 1 :0 Meleghegyi-
Forgacs, Budapest 1960.
15 Axf6 ..Q.xf6
16 ith5 .Qc8!
a) 16 '" g6? 17 *f3 ~e7 18 laxd7
.xd719*xf7 ±:!:.
b) 16 ... ~? 17 ~e6 g6 18 *f3
±:!:.
17 ~a4 b5
18 Axc8 itxc8
19 ~b6 .c6
20 ~xa8 O-O!
Black can reach equality in this
variation.
B252
11 .Q.xe5 (155)
A perceptive decision! The
attacker does not retain the bishop-
pair. He institutes dangerous attacks
through the open I C' and Cd' files on
the king stranded in the centre. The
exchange of the knight which has
lJO The 8 ... o6/ine

~~~1
B2521
12 .Q.d7
T ~
13 !be6! Axe6
i,j: t, 13 ... fe 14 <£IdS <£Ixd5 15 ed itb8
.. ~~". I 16 <£!xeS and the defence's problems

. iI~/:
j~i"~
. ".
I
are unsolvable.
14 ~d5
15 ~c7+ *e7 16 itd2 ~e8 17
*'>8

~xe6! fe 18 itd7+ *t6 19 ~g5

oft .. , :/;~ \'W E. oft /r.
. ,~._ It. ".m., ~ ""]
•
*xg5 20 itxe6 ~f6 21 itf5+ ~6
22 &3 ite8
reached the centre in two moves to 22 ... 4Jh5 23 E!h3 g6 24 E!xh5+
the one move made by the bishop gh 25 itf6 mate.
naturally means a gain of tempo. 23 Elh3+ ith5 (156)
The early bishop check has not
been tried out sufficiently: 11 ~b5+
a} 11 ... ab? 12 <£Ixb5 :!:± Prins-
Wheatcroft, Hastings 1933-34.
b} 11 ... ~7 12 ~d7+ <£Ifxd7 13
<£Id4 ~e7~.
c} 11 ~fd7 12 ~e5 de 13 E!acl
cl}13 *'>8
cll} 14 itd3 ab 15 ~xb5 f6 16
<£Ic7+ W 17 itb5! Jle7 18 <£!xe6!
with a dangerous attack.
c12} 14 itd2 ab 15 <£!xb5 f6 16
<£Ic7+ W 17 <£!xa8 itxa8 18 E!xc8 24 g4 itxh3
'ltxc8 19 'ltxd7+ :!:± (By a change in 25 g5+ *h5 26 itxh3+ *xg5 27
the order of moves we have itf5+ ~6 28 I1d3 ~h5 29 lIh3 g6
Sukhoplyuyev-Ivlyev, USSR 1963). 30 IIxh5+! c&>g7 (30 ... gh 31 itf6
c2) 13 ... ita5 14 itd3 with double- would be an interesting mate.} 31
edged play. It is worthwhile to itxe5+ c&>g8 32 itd5+ *g7 33
study the possibilities of the early itxb7+ *t6 34 e5+ *e6 35 itc6+
bishop's check, but it can hardly . 1:0 Matulovic-Segi, Yugoslavia
better the text continuation. 1953.
11 ... de It is difficult to improve on the
12 !lac1 B2521 subdivision so that it could
Now the defence can use these offer a reasonable defence.
two plans: 82522
B2521 12 ~d7 12 ... 'ltb8(157)
B2522 12 iM>8 Because of the queen's new

refuge White's attack is not as
easily accomplished as in the
previous variation.
157
W
13 ~5+! Ad7
a) 13 .., ab 14 ~xb5 ~7 15 ~c7+
~8 16 ~xa8 frxa8 17 frc4!
a1) 17 ... g6 18 "«txc8+ ++ .
a2) 17 ... .Qd7 18 !:hd7 1:0
(Schmidt-Gackstetter, Krumpa
1967)
a21) 18 ... g619 §c7 ±:!:
a22) 18 '.' ~xd7 19 "iWc8+ ±:!:
b) 13 ... 4)d7 transposes to note c1)
to 11 axeS on page 110.
14 .4xd7+ ~xd7
15 etlg5!
15 ~b5 ab 16 !:hd7 ~xd7 17
"«txb5+ ~7 18 ~xe5 after a
succession of sacrifices reached a
complicated position and won in
the end. The text-move is not so
risky and is more certain of success.
15 ~f6
Both 15 J1e7? and 15 ... h6?
lose to the blow fun.
16 itc4 ~7
16 ... h6? 17 fue6! fe 18 "«txe6+
J1e 7 19 ~d5 ~xd5 20 !:hd5 I3f8
The 8 ... 06 line 111
(20 ... ~8 21 I3d7 fre8 22 I3cc7
±:!:) 21 I3d7 13f7 22 !:he7+ !:he7 23
frg8+ '!Jd7 2t I3d1 + ~c6 2£'*c4+
\tlb6 2& 'ltb4+ \t1a7 2/1*c5+ ±:!:.
17 ~a4!
Puts a finger on the b6 field's
weakness.
17 ... 0-0
17 ... h6 18 ~b6 hg 19 fua8
iba8 20 "«tc8+ ±:!:.
18 ~b6 &7
19 ~xe6! ±:!: (758)
In the Flesch-Bodnar game (simul-
taneous blindfold display, Budapest
1960) the ending was as follows: 19
... l3e8 20 ti:Jl:,7 13d8 21 ~d8 J1xd8
22 ti:Jl:,a8! !:has 23 fua8 'ltxa8 24
itc81 :0.
15 ~g5 is a logical move, because
of this the B2522 variation reaches
a convincing positional advantage.
In the B251 line the knight by
getting to e5 forces the loss of time
11 ~b3.
The B252 system is more in
keeping: White exchanges his
bishop for the knight and gains
a tempo. 11 J1xe5 is not just
 112 The 8 ... o6/ine
an important gain of tempo
compared to 11 .Q.b3 but a great
achievement fram a strategical
point of view, for it opens the 'd'
file for the rook.
Conclusion on the B25 variation:
White's attack causes great
difficulties fot the defence from
both a practical and a psychological
point of view.
Summary and Conclusion of the
8 ... a6line
It is characteristic of this section
that in the dynamic clash of the
two sides' forces many amazingly
attractive combinations see the
light of day.
Because of the many similarities
and closely related moves it is
advisable to study this line in
conjunction with the 7 ... ile7 lines.
In these two lines the strategical
and tactical essence of the gambit is
strongly exemplified. Its study is
indispensable to anyone who is
preparing to play the Morra Gambit
on either side of the board.
13 9~ Move Alternatives

1 e4 cS 2 d4 cd 3 c3 dc 4 .axc3 4k:6 10 eS! 4}d7

5 .go d6 6 ~4 e6 7 o~.gfG 8 .e2 10 ... ~g4 11 ed i1xd6 12 <£le4 ±!:
i1e79 ~1 11 ed .1l.f6
Now apart from 9 .., e5 (Chapters 12 ~d5 0-0 13 4lxf6+ i\'xf6 14 i1g5
14 onward), Black has four other i\'g6 15 .e3 h6 16 i1h4 ~b4 17
important possibilities: );bel b5 18 .Qb3 ~d5 19 i1xd5 ed
A 9 a6 20 .1l.e7 ~e8 21 ac7 i\'f5 22 i\'c3
B 9 0-0 Elb8 23 ~d4 i\'f4 24 &iX:6 Elb7 25
C 9 't!Jc7 t,,)a7 i\'a4 26 acl b4 27 i\'c6 Elxc7
D 9 i1d7 28 't!Jxc7 1:0 Manzardo-Resaz,
A 1969.
9 a6 (759) Conclusion:
The 9 .., a6 line ignores the crisis
on the cd' file, which however
decides the issue. Therefore, it is
not recommended for Black.
B
9 .. , o~ (160)

1601-, .!.'B ~ja,'/,'~'~

W ri~41;:I~~
Had Black considered this move
essential for his defence, then his
last chance to have made it was on
move 8.
n;il,~11.".
.
,t
[;\
111' ~. ,ft,'~.
tZJ
;'4," 11
1

'-=:J~>
Now he cannot play it with , "',§.
._,:_,_,.!¥ !
E
impunity for both his queen and his
king are stranded in the centre. Black risks a lot: he underrates
114 9th Move Alternatives

the pressure on the 'd' file and
virtually provokes White's attack in
the hope that by the return of his
pawn surplus he will be able to
weather the storm and to reach
equality. Indeed, making use of
Black's passivity is not as easy as it
appears. Therefore it is absolutely
necessary to study the chapter.
10 eS
Other experiments are not so
convincing:
a) 10 fJ.f4(161)
1611B .I'
B '.~ ~ ~'''''''
=);<" ' 4 '
a3) 10 .., .aeS 11 4Jb5 (11 1:lac1?
lacks power as is shown in the game
Galia-Folthys, Vienna 1949)
a31) 11 ... ild7? 12 fud6 ± Galia-
Platt, Vienna 1949.
a32) 11 •.. f6! 12 itd2 a6 13 fud6
fud6 14 ~d6 ~d6 15 "fIxd6
itxd6 16 ~d6 'tJf7 17 ~d1 'tJe7
and Black is almost equal.
b) 10 ~S e5 11 h3, by a change in
the order of moves, transposes into
the 11 ,Q,g5 line.
10 ...
162 S. ~ ~
w ~ '" ~

~~,

~r~.Q it~'
~ ,ttJ.
4 ,,' 'ffi' ',' it . 1
rt~ '.~~CJ
a1) 10 .,. "fIc7 11 .£)b5 itb6 12
~d6 fJ.xd6 13 4Jxd6 e5 14 fJ.xf7+
~f7 15 itc4 4Jd8 16 4Jg5 4Jg4 17
4)cJxf7 ,Q,e6 18 ~d8+ ~d8 19 "fIe7
'l6"xe6 ibe6 20 ~e6 1:ld2 21 4Jfd8
~f2 22 1:lf1 1:0 Ingre-Tornell,
corres 1958-61.
a2) 10 ... .ahS 11 fJ.xd6! ~d6 12
e5 ~e5 13 fue5 4Jf4 14 ite4 4Jd5
15 fud5 ed 16 itxd5 ilc7 17 itc5
ilb6 18 fJ.xf7+ ~8 19 itb4 ,Q,d7
20 ~d7 itf6 21 ite7 'l6'xf2+ 22
~1 I!ae8 23 itxe8! ~e8 24 fJ.xe8
'l6"xb2 25 I!f1 Jlc5 26 I!d8 g5 27
4Jf7+ 1:0 Ciocaltea-Menas,
Bucharest 1955.
 9th Move Alternatives 115

Vitally important interposition

which by weakening the c4-g8 165 B. .i ~ ~ W ~;;)I
diagonal opens new tactical targets
to the attacking forces.
W •• ,.t, " d
BlS\.s:.t·
:A.
.t~:.t
13 ... f6 ;:g:z~",
%~ '"=~Y.'
/p. ~, .~
14 !1.e3 !1.b8 . ~'.
14 ... a6 15 <£lxd6 <£lxd6 16 i1c5 ,~ft J

±± c:~ll ' tb/~

~
C'

15 &c1 b6 f( J./'
ft '~, t} .,[% ft t
15 ... a616.ac5 ±±
16 !1.b3 !1.b7 (764)
~ ~o:
~-,... ~
""t
--~-~--'

16 ... .Qd7 17 ~5! bc 18 axd7 exchange.

'ltxd7 19 ~e6+ ±± The position of the queen on the
'c' file draws the attacker's fire.

~4~l!'f
~.
.:~~ j:
-, ".~~ £
Frequently this system transposes
into either the 8 ." a6 line or to
methods based on the e6-e5 pawn
• ·:.tdl move; or a mixture of both.
I tb ,A 10 ... llf4
a) 10 !1g5 was played in the well-
known Fischer-Korchnoi game,
.Ii "tb
,1~L, I
Buenos Aires 1960. There the game
\ft ~ ,tf.;Cft ~ transposed into the 8 ... a6line.
'----_1Z"'A , _~ b) 10 <ilb5 (in K.Smith's opinion
White's best reply) 10 ... 'ltb8
17 ac5! bc b1) 11 !1.f4 4Je5 12 <£lxd6! ~d6 13
18 !1.xe6+ ~h8 axd6 ± In this variation White's
19 I!d7 1:0 superiority is indisputable, although
Kiffmeyer-Candmeyer, 1970 obviously Black could play better:
Conclusion: b2) 11 ... e5 12 .Qg5 O-O! 13 !1.xf6
The 9 ... 0-0 line is too passive. !1.xf6! 14 4lxd6 .Qg4! and by
White's energetic attack on the 'd' returning the pawn Black gains
file will force a win. control of the d4 field and
C approaches equality.
9 "itc7(765) Weighing the chances of 10 4Jb5
In the 9 'ltc7line Black removes we notice that Black's queen
his queen from the 'd' file trying to reaches a better square while the
omit the a7-a6 move (see 8 ... a6 White knight is further away from
line) or at least he is willing to use the weak d5 field. Therefore 10
that move only if he can make 4Jb5 cannot be recommended.
some small but certain gains in 10 .,. e5
116 9th Move Alternatives

10 ... a6 leads into the 8 ... a6 14 I!xd4! axf3

variation. 14 ... ed 15 ~b5itd816~7+ ±
11 ag5 a6 (166) 15 itxf3 ed
16 4lb5! itd8
166.a: ~,A_.~-_.~, ~,~, 17 tik7+ itxc7
w :t ~, .,:t • .t I 17 .'. \M8 18 fua8 itxa8 19 .Q.b3
itb8 20 ~f6 .a.xf6 21 ith5 g6 22
:t ,~i, A, w1 itd5 ite8 23 l:k8 :l:::I:
~ ~] 18 axf7+ ~d8

.i
,

~xc7
!1\,~
19 I!xc7
I j 20 ltd3 as
21 itxd4 ~6
ft, A~
~"
.,
p~, 1.: ft' ~ . I
. § , m , ¥' I
22 ita4 §has
"-_~ __ ~~1~
23 .11c4 l:k6
24 ab5 &5
12 ~c1! 25 .Q.e3 ~5
Playing on the 'c' file results in a 26 itc4+ 1:0
powerful attack because of the 26 ... '<%8 27 .Q.b6 :l:::I:
exposed position of the Black M.J .Conroy-D.Everett, England
queen. Therefore it would have 1977.
been futile to prevent the .Q.g4 'pin' Conclusion:
by 12 h3. If White steadfastly continues his
12 ... ag4 attack, the 9 ... itc7 line will not
13 h3 ~4 (767) justify Black's expectations.
After 13 ... ~f3 14 itxf3 the D
weakness of the d5 and f7 points
will prove fatal. (Example: 14 '.'
~d4? 15l:hd4! ed 16 ~5 ±).
Now, however, the sacrifice of
quality wins.

I
1671.a:
w
"'~ '~~
.1:-,~._~, :t ~' :t

:t' ~'I'.
,Q. ft I.' .
1\ :,'~ <'t~~~ it1 As we have seen in the previously

:._-1\",
" ','1 ~.,,-~~.
d,
i'
R_
'J discussed 9 ... a6, 9 ... 0-0 lines the
e4-e5 breakthrough must not be
 9th Move Alternatives 117

allowed. a) Theorists who advocate a quick

Black, however, wishes to retain simplification for White are wrong
the flexibility of his central pawn because after 13 4lxd6 .Q.xd6 14
formation, therefore he does not .Q.xf6 gf 15 ili'd3 only the pawn is
obstruct the threatening king's regained: 15 ... .Q.g4! equalises! e.g.:
pawn by the usual e6-e5, but tries a1) 164lh4 .Q.xd1 17 tUf5 .Q.h5! 18
to restrain it by the bishop's move. *e3 .Q.g6 +i
This move shields the queen and a2) 16 'ltxd6 ili'xd6 17 Ihd6
prevents the immediate e4-e5 reply. .Q.xf3 =.
Its disadvantage however is that in b) 13 ~3 .Q.g4 14 h3 .Q.e6 = Lieb-
the long term it does not shift the Adam, 1962.
load off the 'd' file. 12 4lxe5 de
White therefore continues to 13 .Q.g5 a6
concentrate his forces against the 14 !hf6 gf
'd' file. In tournament practice this 15 ~3
idea has been tried in several ways. Continuations after 15 lhd7
We follow the main lines: 'iftxd7:
D1 10~5 a) The attack 16 ~1+ ~8 17 ili'h5
D2 10.Q.f4 would be too good to be true:
D3 10 .Q.g5 a1) 17 .•.•c8?? 18 .Q.xe6 ±
D1 a2) 17 ... ab?? 18 .Q.xb5+ ~8 19
10 liJb5 (169) 'lth6+ ~g8 20 ~d3 :!±
a3) 17 ... I::lf8! 18 .Q.xe6 ab 19 .Q.d7+
~d8 ++
White therefore stays inferior in
the a) variation.
b) 16 11xe6+ is also not sufficient:
b1) 16 ... *"e6?? 17 ili'g4+ :!±
b2) 16 ... fel! 17 ad1 + 'ifte8 18
'lth5+ ~f8 19 ili'h6+ ~8! 20 ~d3
ab! 21 ~g3+ ~f7 and Black wins.
15 h5
16 a4 .Q.c5
17 J!Jd3 rtJe7
White goes for a direct attack in 18 I::lh3 h4
order to win the d6 pawn, or at 19 I::lf1 *c7
least to force a weakness in Black's 20 rtJh 1 I::lag8 (170)
central pawn formation. Karaklajic~Gravseth, corres 1957.
10 ... eb8 The possession of the bishops'
11 11f4 4le5 pair and the control of the 'g' file
11 ... e5 12 .Q.g5 0-0 can also be tips the balance in Black's favour in
considered: the 'A'section.
118 9th Move Alternatives

11 ~bS leads to subsection 'A '.

11 ~S
12 axeS de
13 !lb5 a6
14 .Qxd7+ oaxd7
15 ~b5 ~6!
An innovation by the author.
Other moves:
a) 15 ... ab 16llxd7 EtaS
a1) 17 itd2 ga4 18 gd 1 Jlf6 19
'lWe2 Etc4 20 b3 gcs = Oglachky-
Eropov, USSR 1966.
02 a2) 17 !tldl (Flesch) 17 ... af6 (17
10 af4 (T71) ... ~cS 18 fixeS ++) 18 b4 ±
b) 15 ... 4lc5 16 b4 CLla4 17 gac1

••
b1) 17 ... ab 18 ltxbS+ ~f8 19
~eS with a dangerous attack.
b2) 17 ... O.() 180£7 Eta719 ~eS
±
16 &cl O.()! (172)
16 ... a6 would still be too risky:
after 17 ltxbS+ ~8 18 {)xeS the
threat is gd7.

The essence of the 'B' section is

that with his bishop White provokes
Black's central pawns.
10 ... itb8!
10 ,.. eS 11 agS 0.0 12 ~f6
a><f6 13 llxd6 lte7 14 gd3 Jlg41S
~dS (Leonidov-Serdev, USSR
1966) 15 ... 'lWd8 leads to White's
modest but lasting advantage:
a) 16 itd2.Qxf3 17 llxf3 17 4lc7 !tl7
a1) 17 ... ~4?? 18llxf6 gf 19 lth6 18 ~xe5 &8!
±!: 19 ~7 ~d7
a2) 17 .,. ~S 18ltd1 ~ 20 Ihd7 b5!
b) 16 ~3.Qxf3 17 ltxf3 ± Counterproductive is 20 ... ad8??
11 h3 21 lthS! g6 22 ltf3 f6 23 ltb3 ±!:
 9th Move Alternatives 119

21 lhe7 J::Iaxc7 14 ... .Qxd6 15 Elad 1 leads in

Black equalises. every variation to a win for White
The B sub-section has no because of the Black king's insecure
advantage for White if the author's position.
recommendation is used in the lS aetd1 (//c7 (J74)
defence.
03
10 flgS(J73)

16 eS!
Unnecessary elaboration would
be 16 fuf7 'tlxf7 17 Elxd7
The most logical continuation a) 17 ... Ihd7?? 18 .Qxe6+ ~xe6 19
which ties down the bishop for the -{lJc4+ :!±
defence of both d6 and f6. b) 17 ... ctxd7!! 18 laxd7 laxd7 19
10 ... O~ 4lh4 4ld4! and White has mis-
11 flxf6 managed the venture, as there is no
Interesting try is 11 lad2 which sign of a win...
led to White's victory in the game 16
Fleissig-Banet, Vienna 1889, after 17?lxe8
11 ... a612laad1 -{lJc7?? 13 e5! 18 ~7
11 ... gf
11 ... flxf6 12 laxd6 .Qxc3 12
laad1 with superiority to White.
12 <Bb5
12 lad3 4la5! sows confusion
amongst the attackers.
12 ... ctb8
13 ad3 a6
After 13 ... 4lb4 14lab3 flxb5 15
flxb5 as 16 4ld4 the king's position
is fatally weak.
14 ?lxd6 Ilfd8
120 9th Move Alternatives

Black's position is obviously bad '311'8 26 't!Jxh6+ ~e8 27 Jhe7+

and can be taken advantage of in '$Jxe7 28 *g7+ 'it>d6 29 't!Jf7 leads
several ways: to a won endgame for White, for
19 Jhe7! the three connected pawns (f, g, h)
The position is ripe for a tactical are irresistable.
surprise. Another road was also 22 g3
possible: 19 ef ~f6 20~g5! ~g5 The rash 22 *h5?? is answered
21 *h5 Jle7 22 la1d3 *xb2 23 by the fantastic turn 22 ... 't!Jxg2+!
lag3+ ~h8 24 't!Jxf7 23 ~xg2 <tlf4+.
a) 24 ... "'1+17 24 .Qf1 lag8 26 22 l:led8
Jhe7!! Jhg3 (26 ... tilxe7?? 27 23 l:le1 ~5
ilrf6+ and mate!) 27 *f6+ ~8 28 24 ith5 !hg5
't!Jxe6+ ~h8 29 't!Jf6+ ~g8 30 't!Jf7+ 25 ith6! -ilh8
@l8 31 laxb7 leads to a win. 26 *"g5+ ~g6
b) 24 ... §g8! however, leads to an 27 ith6 1:0
unclear endgame which calls for Cibulka-Zajic, Czechoslovakia
further careful analysis. 1966.
19 ... 4lxe7
20 ef ~ Conclusion:
21 of}g5 itc6 The C section leads to a convincing
21 ... h6 22 tilxf7 ~xf7 23 lad7+ win for White.
a) 23 ... \?;xf6 24 *f3+ ~e5 25 Therefore, in the author's opinion,
't!Jc3+ ±± it is not advisable for Black to
b) 23 ... ~ 24 't!Jh5 ±± undertake the 9 ... .Q.d7 line for his
c) 23 '" -ile7 24 fe laxe7 25 't!Jh5+ defence.
14 The 10 ~e3 Line

1 e4 c5 2 d4 cd 3 c3 dc 4 -nxc3 ~6 been successfully experimented

5 00 d6 6 ~c4 e6 7 O~ ~ 8 ite2 with in tournament practice.
~e7 9 Jld1 e5 It would be too early to assert
10 ~e3 (776) however that all sources of strength
for the defence have been revealed.
176~ ?A~"~•.. k1"
,.,.
That is the task for the future.
At any rate, we shall now discuss
B , .. .:lo.A! .:l ',. .:l the two most important repl ies:
[, .. ~', ~ - A 10 .Q.g4
.•. ' §t:;~ B 10 0-0

~~~~r~;
A

Arguments rage over the merits of

the 10th move amongst players of
the Morra Gambit.
Theorists have asserted, even until
recently, that omitting 10 h3 is a
careless error for it permits the ~4
'pin'. At the other extreme, 1M
Kluger the old chess-fanatic has
commented on the 10 ~e3 line as Black hopes that the pin will
follows: 'The strongest continuation sufficiently weaken White's king's
for it lures the bishop to g4 ...' side and that consequently the
The author's point of view is that attack in the centre will lose some
there are many excellent analyses of its power. Many however dispute
to commend the 10 ~e3 line the 10 ... .Q.g4 pin's efficacy. Can
especially as some of them have the reader decide?...:
122 The 10 iae3 line
11 h3 1lh5
To give up the bishops' pair is
not advisable even for reasons of
tournament psychology. This will
restrict Black to a passive defence,
while a win for him - because of
the structure of the position - will
remain illusory: 11 ... .Ilxf3 12
'ltxf3 0-0 13 a3 ~c8
a) 14 'lte2 ~5 15 iaa2 a6 16 .Qg5 ~
b) 14 Ilac1
b1) 14 ... 4ld4? 15 .Ilxd4 ~c4 16
.Ilxe5 ±
.au
b2) 14 ... 15 ~a2 tclc4 16 .Ilxc4
Ilxc4 17 .Qg5
A typical end-game of a good
knight against a bad bishop has
come about, which without a doubt
tips the balance in White's favour.
12 Ilac1 0.0
13 g4 i1g6
14 Qc5 a6 (178)
The Hungarian competitors at the
1978 Manchester tournament spent
a lot of time analysing this position
with the British chess players but
could not find a more favourable
reply for Black: 14 ... ?1xg4? 15 hg
*c8 try cannot be correct. One of
the basic tenets of the openings is
that piece sacrifices by the weaker
side are sure to end in failure.
Examples to show the refutation,
that is the acceptance of the
sacrifice:
a) 16.gxe5l?
a1) 16 ~e5 17 <£id5 ±
a2) 16 de 17 Jh.e7 fue7 18 <£id5
fud5 19 Jh.d5. For Black the end-
game holds nothing but the
prospects of disaster. The iag6 is
out of the game.
a3) 16 ... dc 17 ~5
a31) 17 ... i1g5 18 <£lxg6 hg 19 f4
iad8 20 'ltg2 ~e8
a311) 21 ~2? <£id4 22 ~c3 b5 ~
Smith-Ramirez, San Francisco 1972
a312) 21 1k3 ±
a32) 17 ... .1ld8 18 ~7 ~e8 19
<£!xc5 b6 20 Jh.a6 'ltb8 21 ~7 ±!:
b) 16 Qe3! ± According to analysis,
Black's activity grinds to a halt,
while his material disadvantage
remains, for example: 16 ... 'ltxg4+
b1) 17 ~1 .Qh5 (17 .'. 'ith3+ 18
'i&e1 iah5 19 <£lg1 'lth1 20 f3 <£id4
21 Ilxd4! ~) 18 <£ig1 'ltg6 19 f3 ~
b2) 17 *h1! 1lh5 18 <£ih2 'lth3 19
f3 ±
15 a4 1k8
16 Ala3 h6
17 b4 'itb6
18 b5 ab
19 ab taaSI(179)
Up to here the analysis is
identical with the M.J .Conroy-
Arkell game, Manchester 1978.
20 Ala2!
The critical position, where White
stands better. The Black bishops are
 The 70 J1e3/ine 723

179

w
' W
._. __ H..T-~~
,.t. .; r Aa.t.* r::>
.£4 ~;~"
.~

C
I
f ~.m~~~t:.•'~ ~
, I it it' __
J

" ~ ltJ it]

~", }J'
. A~ g
.d2l
,-.§.'
.,.
. '''f1
l
. l
passive and the ~5 is in a tight order to neutralise the aggressive c4
corner and is out of the game. A bishop.
finish based on a plan of winning 11 §tcl 1100
the knight comes into consideration: 11 ... .Q.g4 12 h3 transposes to the
20 ~5!? 4Jxd5 21 .Q.xd5 Etc7 'A' subsection.
a) 22 Jhc7 'ltxc7 23 13c1 ~ M.j. 12 b4 hc4
Conroy-Arkell, Manchester 1978. 12 .., ~b4 13 ~e5 is obviously
b) 22 'lte3!? 'ltxe3 23 fe 13fc8? 24 in White's favour.
Jhc7! l3xc7 25 .Q.b4 b6 26 .Q.xa5 ba 13 'ltxc4 ~8
27 b613c2 28 b7 13b2 29 Etc1 :!± 14 'ltb3
c) 22 ab4!? 13fc8? 23 13a1! 13a824 14 'ltb5 'ltd7 15 11g5 a6 16 'ltb6?
'ltd2 :!± J1d8 17 'lte3 ~g4 =
In the A subsection a win for 14
White is brought about by judicious 15 a4
simplification towards a favourable 16 ~5
endgame. Black is reduced to 17 Jhd5
extended suffering. M.j .Conroy's 18 ~4
conduct of the game is worthy of 19 h3
attention, because it is difficult to
find a good plan against this 181
shutting out of the knight. Is it W
possible that further analysis might
suggest that M.j .Conroy's continu-
ation should be regarded as better
than the text move 20 .Qa2?
B
10 ... O.{) (780)
The defence ignores the possibility
of the .Q.g4 'pin'. He prefers to place
the bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal in
124 The 10 ~e3line

20 bS! 1le3 White's aim is to reach the end-

White's main objective is to reach game with a modest but lasting
a favourable endgame. The defence advantage. His motto is 'a quick
becomes progressively more difficult shave, after lengthy lathering!'
for there is no co-operation In the A subsection the 1lg4 pin
between the passive defence forces. does not promise well. The B
20 4ld7 method proceeds in a calmer
21 Elxc8 Elxc8 manner towards a favourable end-
22 ba ba game for White.
23 itb7 Elb8 Without a doubt, the 10 ~e3 line
24 itxa6 4lf6 is a dangerous weapon in the
2S Elbs flxbS attacker's armoury, but it would be
26 ab 4ld7 premature to assert that it is
27 ita8+ llf8 altogether stronger than the
28 b6 li'tb3 customary path (10 h3) of the
29 itc6 4lb8 Morra Gambit. We need more
30 ltb7 1:0 theoretical research and practical
M.J .Conroy-Newhouse, England trials of strength before we can pass
1975. a binding professional opinion on
This game is an excellent the advantages and disadvantages of
illustration of the long term aims of the 10 1le3 move. The illustrated
the B subsection. The return of the games by M.J .Conroy prove that
extra material gives no relief, not only grandmasters are capable
because the resulting pawn form- of creating new opening theory.
ations favour White with his passed The 10 ~e3 line is a vital method of
pawn. play which will have many
advocates and adopters in practice.
Conclusion: Many already regard it as the main
In the system introduced by 10 line.
15 11tb Move Alternatives
1 e4 c5 2 d4 cd 3 c3 de 4 eDxc3 ~c6
5 ~f3 d6 6 .Q.c4 e6 7 0-0 ~f6 8 .e2
~7 9 Scll e5 10 h3 0-0
In addition to 11 .Q.e3, Chapters
16 + 17, White can play:
A 11 b3
B 11 b4
C 11 .Q.gS
A .b6 14 ]hc1 .Q.b 7 15 .Q.xc6 .Q.xc6
11 b3 (782)
White intends to develop his
bishop on the a3-f8 diagonal
directing its pressure on the d6
point. This plan does not seem very
adventurous for even if he gains the
pawn on d6 he would only restore
material equality. Furthermore, he
has served Black's interests by
freeing his bishop and getting rid of
his weak pawn during the
exchanges. Moreover, with active
counterplay Black can even hold on
to his extra pawn.
11 ... a6
12 ~3 .a5
12 ... bS miscarries: after 13 .adS
16 cilxeS Black's game is in ruins.
13 ltb2 ~b4
He does not return his extra
pawn! In such a position he might
as well go the whole hog.
14 &cl
Yet, the rook is not going to win
any laurels on the I C ' file. There-
fore, it is more to the point to leave
the rook on the la' file where it
could pose a threat to the queen.
For example, 14 .£xiS comes into
consideration: 14 ~dS ~fxdS 15
.Q.xdS ~a7 16 ~1 bS 17 .Q.xb4
~xb4 18 4XI3 i6'aS 19 a4 with
equality.
14 b5
15 .Q.xb4 itxb4
16 ~5 ~xd5
17 .axd5 Sa7! (783)
He has solved the problem of
defending the 7th rank!
126 11th Move Alternatives

line that Black can exploit the re-

direction of the queen's bishop to
the a3-f8 diagonal by activating his
own queen, while White's queen is
forced on to a more passive square.
Our chosen game has also proved
in practice that in the 11 b3 line it
is White who struggles for equality.
It is unlikely that the attacker can
find a significant improvement,
therefore the 11 b3 line is not a
useful addition to his armoury.
18 a3 'lta5 B
19 b4 'ltb6 11 b4(T85)
20 ac6 'ltb8
21 'ltb3 .Q.d7
22 ac3 ac7
23 adc1 Elxc3
24 Elxc3 g6
25 h4 'l;g7
26 g3 h6
27 ac2 Ad8
28 filh2 ~6! (T84)

Strike while the iron is hot. The

Black has grabbed the initiative. J.
Zaitsev-Taimanov, 37th USSR Ch
1969.
Conclusion:
It is a disadvantage of the 11 b3
defender is underdeveloped and
White can try an aggressive move
like this. The aim of this 'pawn-
charge' is the demolition of the ~6
base which has the twin tasks of
keeping the 'c' file closed and
defending the e5 field.
Another characteristic of the 11
b4 Iine is to delay the deployment
of the c1 bishop. This piece can
become useful on the a3 and b2
fields in addition to the usual e3 or
g5 squares. In many variations
Black notices the bishop's lack of
 11th Move Alternatives 127

development and - in a political 14 ~a5

phrase - exploits the power vacuum 15 'lta4 'ltc7
existing on the 'c' file. 16 Aa3 ~c4
11 ... Ae6! 16 ... itxc3?? 17 gacl :l±
Neutralises the dangerous c4 17 ~c1 !bc8
bishop. 18 ~d2 ~a3!
a) 11 ... ~xb4? is a grave error 18 ... tWcd2 19 ~d5 itd7 20
because of 12 tWce5. fue7+ itxe7 21 ~c8 ~c8 22
b) 11 ... a6 neglects both his ~d2 <£Ih5 23 itdl! <£If4 24 \t!h2 ±
development and the connecting of Novykov-Boleslavsky, USSR 1960.
the base line. Example: 11 ... a6 12 Black's counter-attack is stuck in
a4 ae6 13 axe6 fe 14 b5 ab 15 the mud and White can simplify to
tWcb5 and White stands well, as a favourable endgame.
later he can play on the a3-f8 18 ~d5! {786}
diagonal. He must not allow the counter-
12 axe6 attack: 19 itxa3? d5! 20 itb3 ac5!
Other roads: :;: ,
a) 12 Aa3 axc4! 13 itxc4 ~8 with
equality, as Black has found
counter-play on the 'c' file.
b)12 b5 axc4 13 itxc4 ~5 =.
12 ... fe
13 'ltc4 'ltd7
He aims to equalise. 13 ... itc8 is,
according to theoretical works,
including the Encyclopaedia of
Chess Openings, the best chance for
Black, but this isan error. Variations
after 13 ... "lirc8:
a) 14 ~b5? <£Id4! 15 itxc8 fuf3+ 19 ... 'ltxcl!
16 gf ~fxc8 17 ae3 d5! 18fua7 Only the queen sacrifice can
!k4-:P ensure equality.
b) In the author's opinion, the 20 ~xe7+ <Ilf7
queen is not well placed on c8, for 21 Axcl
after the rook is moved to cl it will 21 ~c8? 22 itxa3 'ltc2 :;:
provoke the queen to move away - 21 Axcl+
with a loss of tempo. Example: 14 22 *tt2 rt;xe 7
itb3! h615 ae3! gd816 ~acl i 23 'ltxa3 llc5! (787)
14 b5 The two rooks are sufficient
14 <£Ig5? <£Id4! 15 ae3?? gc8 16 compensation for the queen, and
itd3 ~c3++ therefore Black can look forward
128 11th Move Alternatives

with confidence to the endgame.

187
W

11 .I1e6
Normal developing move, which
Conclusion: neutralises the strong c4 bishop.
The 11 b4 line is an interesting Other attempts are feeble:
highlight in the chapters following a) 11 ... a6?
9 ... e5. Therefore it is an essential a1) 12 aac1 h6
study not only because it contains a 11) 13 Axf6 ~f6 14 4ld5 ~e6 =
for both sides many variations yet Terexin-Vexler, 1967.
to be solved but also because of the a12) 13 .Qe3 ~e6 14 €)d5 t
similarity of tactical motifs in other a2) 12 Ad2! b5? 13 ~f6 ~f6 14
chapters. ~d5 ~b715 laad1 t
In the 11 b4 line Black has good The 11 ... a6 move weakens the
prospects for equality, but should b6 field.
he over-estimate his chances, he is b) 11 ... h6
sure to come a cropper. b1) 12 Ah4 a6 13 lad2 g5 ~
We rarely encounter the 9 ... e5 Mannrud-Eck, 1969
move in tournaments for it is bad b2) 12 Axf6 ~f6 13 4lb5 ~e7 14
sport-psychology to be defending lad2t
always in one's own half. So there 12 Axf6 .Q.xf6
are very few examples of the 11 b4 13 41b5 .Qe7
line. From such games as do exist 14 Axe6
we cannot yet draw a conclusion. 14 lad2 ~c4 15 'ltxc4 a6 16
The chances seem to weigh equal. 4lxd6 ~d6 17 lhd1 €)d4 18 €)Xd4
C ed 19 laxd4'ltc7! ++
11 ~5 (788) 14 fe
The 'pin' distracts the e7 bishop 15 'ltd3 'ltd7
from the defence of the weak d6 16 Ad2 aad8
pawn. Black cannot rigidly hold on 17 aad1 'ltc8
to his material advantage. 18 itb3 a6
 11th Move Alternatives 129

19 oilxd6 Axd6 weakens the d6 pawn and then

20 I:lxd6 oild4 wins it. But his attack has come to
Black has equalised. Lokvenc- a halt, having used up most of his
Bolbochan, Vienna 1950. material.

Conclusion: The 11 .Q.g5 line leads to an equal

By means of the pin, White first endgame.
16 The 11...a6 Line
A 'waiting' move of the kind
which often crops up in variations
after the main continuation 11 ...
~e6. White however can so develop
that the a6 move has no significance
and will prove a loss of time. The
move is obviously negative as the
required piece development (11 ...
.Q.e6) is neglected in favour of a
pawn move of dubious value. In
appraising the a6 move we must
take into account the experience
of tournament practice which
shows that in systems after 9 ... e5
Black must not allow the weakening
of the b6 field.
In the 11 ... a6 line White's plan is
at hand: exploiting the time Black
has wasted on the a6 move, White
must continue the pressure in the
central files and turn to his own
advantage the weakness of the b6
field.
12 &c1
12 b4 can also be considered.
Another war-path which also occurs
in practice begins with 12 a4:
a) 12 ... tflc7? 131:hcl h6? 144Jd5!
4Jxd5 15 ed 4Jb8
al) 16 tfld2? tfld8 17 g4?
all) 17 ... e4? 184Jd4.Q.g519I3c3
happened in the Uppstrom-Platzack
1970 game which was won by
White after some colourless play oil
both sides.
a12) 17 ... h5!:;:
a2) 16 ~a6! ±!:
No conclusions can be drawn
from the game illustrated in al
because of the weak standard of
play. In the a2 variation the outside
pawn majority on the queen's side
and the advantage in space
decisively favour White.
b) 12 ... Ae6 13 ,Q,xe6 fe 14 i6'c4
bl) 14 ... tfld7 15 4Jg5 4Jd8 16 .Q.b6
 The 17 ... a6/ine 131

h6 17 ~d8 hg 18 ~b6 Etac8 19 b) 14 itc4 *d715 .:t1a4 b5! :=

'lte2 (19 'ltb3 t) 19 ... Etc6 20 14 ei)d7
~e3t 15 .c4 l:!f6
b2) 14 ... itc815.:t1g5<£ld8 16 ~5 Sg6
b21) 16 itxc8 l3xc8 17 .Ilb6 ~c6 17 l3xd6 (T90)
18 l3xd8 axd8 19 <£\xe6 Ete8 20 ..J4,- ~

•.
r W
.£lg5 h6 21 .:t1f3 ~5; 190[!!; ~~I"',
b22) 16 itb3 h6 with chances for B. ~ ~i&~~~
both sides.
12 a4 awaits further research. But ~ ..tIl ~,;i.!!
_. e _~.~
..",, , ~
it is already certain that this pawn
move, like 11 .., a6, is a 'waiting'
lb ~ 1t /Jd
~
move. To try and prevent the move
.,. b5 is basically naive. Black has
anyway no intention of risking the
further weakening of his queen's
side.
12 ... .!le6 17 .Qxg5
a) 12 ... b5?? 13 ~d5! .Ild7 14 18 acdl ei)cb8
axc6 ~c6 15 <£\xe5 ± 19 l3xe6 <!'h8
b) 12 ... ~713 a3 Etc8 14 b4 20 Axg6 hg
b1) 14 ... .!le6 15 axe6 fe 16 'lta2 21 ~g5 itxg5
itd7 17 <£la4! .Q.d8 18.£lc5 ±:!: 22 itc8+ ~7
b2) 14 ... h6? 23 itxb7:!::::!:
b21) 15 ei)h4?! ~ Hildebrand- - Analysis.
$oldmets, corres 1969-71
b22) 15 ei)d5 <£lxd5 16 axd5 t
b23) 15 'lIb2! ± White has Conclusion:
captured completely the a2-g8 In the Morra Gambit Accepted
diagonal. In both variations Black every tempo has an enhanced value.
takes on too high risks. Therefore the 11 ... a6 pawn move
13 .Qxe6 fe proves a dangerous waste of time
14 ei)a4! for the underdeveloped defence.
a) 14 ei)g5 'lWd7 15 <£la4 <£ld4! The attacker, by exploiting the
a1) 16 Axd4? ed 17 4Jb6 'ltb5 18 weakening of the b6 field, can very
'ltxb5 ab 19 ~a8 de 20 .:t1b6 ef+ profitably utilise the gained tempo.
21 ~f1 <£lh5 i+ To play the 11 ... a6 line is
a2) 16 .Q.xd4 'lWxa4 := unwarranted.
17 Main Line: 12ili Move Alternatives

After 1 e4 cS 2 d4 cd 3 c3 dc 4 Now we shall discuss the following

.:Dxc3 .:Dc6 5 .:DB d6 6 .Q.c4 e6 7 0-0 defences:
.:Df6 8 'ite2 ~7 9 lid 1 eS 10 h3 0-0 A1 14 Ci)xb4
11 ~3 .Qe6, Black has three A2 14 a6
distinct options: A1
A 12~e6 14 .:Dxb4
B 12 ~bS 15 'itbS dS
C 12 ~bcl 16 c:DxeS a6
A 17 'itxb7 .Q.d6
12 "lxe6 (791) 18 f4 ~8
19 fJa7 'itaS
191 20 .:Dc4
B Interesting that this move is not
considered good. However, the
alternative suggestion 19 t£ld7
cannot be right:
a) 19 ... .:Dxd7? 20 ibd7 ±
b) 19 ... IIf7! 20 fuf6+ gf! 21
'lWd4eS! ++
20 ... dc
21 ~d6 .:Dd3
22 ~a6!
The 12 ~e6 line aims to hammer In Hungarian practice the move
on the impending doubled-pawns 22 eS has not succeeded:
formation. a) 22 .., .:Dxc1?? 23 ef gf 24 lad7
12 ... fe <£le2+ 25 ~h 2 ±!:
13 ~c1 ac8 b) 22 ... ~8 23 'lWd4 fucl 24
14 b4 ~cl {le8 25 lad7 lac8++ Papp-
The aim of the b-pawn's bayonet Pogats, Hungary 1972.
charge is either to lure out or chase 22 'itb4
away the knight from its base on c6. 23 ac2!
 Main Line: 12th Move Alternatives 133

23 §bl? itxc3 24 §Xb8 '«rel+ 25 20 -«rb5 Af8

~24Jg4+!
23 ... .{lxe4
Black, materially handicapped, is
further distressed by the ~4 and
§xe6 threats. Therefore he is
forced to resort to complications.
24 1h4!
24 tclxe4?? *bl+ 25 ~2 '«rxc2
26 ad4 e5! 27 fe tclf4 #
The Papp-Pogats, Hungary 1972,
game's continuation is refuted by
the author's analysis. In the A sub-
section Black falls behind.
A2
14 ... a6
Impedes the advancing knight's
pawn.
15 b5 ab
16 '«rxb5
We have arrived at an important
junction, from which two main
directions are open to us:
A21 16 tcld7
A22 16 '«rd7
A21
16 ... .{ld7
The defender tries to ease the
pressure by counter-attack.
17 -«rb3!
Decisive turning-point! He first
weakens the eighth rank, before
picking up the pawn. To take the
b7 pawn immediately would only
activate the defensive forces: 17
'«rxb 7? tcla5 18 '«ra6 tclc4 +
17 Af6
18 itxb7 .{la5
19 ita6 !le6
a) 19 ofIc4 20 tcle2 ±!:
b) 19 .{lc6 20 tf)b5 ±
21 .{ld5! ±±
Van Weygarden-Ligterink, The
Netherlands 1976.
In the A21 branch, Black's
counter-attack is baseless and is
bound to fail.
A22
16 ... itd7
Black does not engage in escapades
(as in the A21 variation) but
settles down to a tenacious defence.
17 ~4 .{ld4!
18 ofIxd4 ed
19 itxd7 .{lxd7
20 .axd4 Axcl
21 Axcl !la8!
Black has escaped to achieve an
equal endgame. Pokojowczik-
Gligoric, Yugoslavia 1972.
Conclusion: After 9 ... e5 a
number of theorists view the
defence's position with undue
optimism. The 12 axe6 line shows
clearly that Black can contemplate
only a long defence. In the game
illustrated in the A22 subsection
Grandmaster Gligoric had to fight
to achieve equality against an
opponent some grades weaker than
himself. This also proves that in
systems stemming from 9 ... e5 the
game is very one-sided. It is not by
chance that the move 9 ... e5 is
not favoured.
B
12 ab5 (792)
White tries another tack, re-
arranging his forces for a tactical
blow. He foregoes the exchange of
bishops and by taking the knight he
134 Main Line: 12th Move Alternatives

bishop pair, but he is in a bad

position, for his hanging pair of
pawns that are blockaded on the
c- and d-files are easy targets and
are difficult to defend.
b) 12 ... 'ltc7 This cannot be
correct, for the queen can be
harrassed there:
b1) 13~dS ~dS14ed<£lb4
b11) 15 .Qc4 as! 16 laac1 '5'b8 17
a3 <£la6 18 ~a6!? ba! (18 ... laxa6
19 '5'bS ;0) 19 ~c6 '5'bS 20 '5'xbS
threatens to win the e5 pawn. Black ab 21 ~g5 =
must avert this threat otherwise he b12) 15 !'lael '5'b8 16 '5'c4;o
will find himself in a difficult end- b2) 13 !'lael! i
game. Now we examine two main
The trouble with 12 ~b5 is that continuations:
White has to moVe an already B1 13 <£IdS!?
developed piece again conceding an B2 13 ~d2
important tempo to his opponent. B1
Black tries to make use of this by 13 ~d5 Axd5
simplifying to a level endgame at 14 ed ~b8
the cost only of returning his extra a) 14 ~b4? 15 ~d2 ±I:
material. b) 14 ~d8? 15 <£!xeS! de 16 d6 ±
12 'ltaS (193) 15 b4!?
This pawn sacrifice is much
argued over in Hungarian chess
circles. If the sacrifice is accepted
the attack does accelerate. But only
detailed analysis can tell what
degree of activity is gained by the
attacker if the pawn is taken. Is
there enough momentum to lead to
a favourable sacrifice?
15 'ltd8
16 ~xe5! de
17 d6 Axd6
The safest continuation. Other 17 <£Ifd7 18 de '5'xe7 19
moves are less good: ~ac1 ±
a) 12 ... a6 13 ~c6 bc 14 (\xeS 18 Ac5 cilbd7
'5'c7 15 oflc4 ± Black possesses the 19 §Xd6 i
 Main Line: 12th Move Alternatives /35

Ozsvath-Wollack, Hungary 1969. 17 ~4 ~7

The many tactical variations of this 18 eilxe5 'lte7
sub-section require further thorough 18 ... 'ltb6? 1-9 .Q.xd6 ~d6 20
analysis. lhd6 'ltc5 21 lhe6 fe 22 ~7 'ltb5
Conclusion: The 12 ~b5 line has 23 'ltxb5 ab 24 fuf8 ~xf8 25
hardly occurred in tournament '31f1 ±
practice. There is little evidence on 19 eile4 as
which to reach a final verdict. 20 Jk3 a4
Before he can commit himself to 21 a.te1 ~
play the 12 ~b5 line the attacker The 'B2' sub-section promises a
must analyse in great detail all the favourable endgame for White.
positions arising out of the C
acceptance of the 15 b4 sacrifice. 12 l:Iae1 (794)
At any rate we can sift out this
much, that as in all the other lines 194\2 ~_. ~~ B.~V:
following the 9 ... e5 move here B ,S ,;1 ~;1
also Black has to strive for equality.
This is a very unrewarding role to .~,~A
play and bad psychology in a
tournament. Stubborn defence ki~r it
without a realistic hope of victory
usually leads to impatience and ·A y~_ ',"JlttJ' %~
this - as experience shows - increases
the probability of making errors.
~.i!" .~~,.it';;,
T'

0=113. -
B2
13 ~2 a6?! A quiet, developing move. White
14 .Q.xc6 be occupies the 'c' file before he
15 eild5 'ltd8 starts any action and in this way he
16 eilxf6+ tries to rule out Black's counter-
Recommended by the author. attack which is available to him in
Other paths: 16 ~5 itxa5 17 the 11 b4 and 12 ~e6 lines.
fue7+ ~h8 18 ~c6 (18 lhd6?? 12 ... -'bce4
'ltc7! =1+1) 18 ... 'ltb5 19 'ltxb5 ab a) 12 ... h6. Some Hungarian and
a) 20 eild2 ~fc8 21 41b4 fue4! 22 Yugoslav masters look to this move
fue4 ~c4! = to avoid later problems. In the
b) 20 &d6 fue4 21 ~dd1 ~a2 author's opinion White's best
22 41cxe5 = Richter-Zukerman, course is to transpose into a variation
Israel 1971. similar to the 12 ~5 line by the
16 ... ~f6 move 13 ~5. The difference is
16 ... gf 17 ~h6 ~e8 18 41h4 with that the interposed pair of moves
a dOUble-edged attack. ~ac1 h6 has substantially improved
136 Main Line: 12th Move Alternatives
the attacker's chances. For example:
a)12 h613~b5
al) 13 a6? 14 ~c6 bc 15~e5
,*c716~c4 ± ation, for after 14 ... 'ltd7 15 ~d5
a2) 13 ... *"5
a21) 14 ~d5 ~d5 15 ed ~bS (15
... ~S? 16 ~e5 de 17 d6 ±) 16
b4!? '*dS (16 ... ,*xb4 is too risky
as the queen is in a ticklish position)
17 ~e5 de 18 d6 ~d6 19 ~5
~bd7 20 Elxd6 ±
a22) 14 Ad2!? a6 15 ~c6 bc 16
oW5 '*dS 17 ~f6! ~f6 lS .Q.b4
~e719~e5 ± they are seated in an aeroplane that
b) 12 ... §cS needs more research as
there are insufficient examples for
it.
13 ,*xc4 §cS
Pundits of the Morra Gambit have
long been deterred from the 12
~ac1 line by this rook's move.
However, after Black had made this
move on the advice of the pundits,
as in the Emma-Goldenberg game,
1960 (see next page) and lost, the
theorists held this very move
responsible.
Instead, the new suggestion is 13
.., h6. Truly this is better than the
text move to the extent that it
prevents the .Q.g5 - .Q.xf6 exchange
manoeuvre and the dangerous
weakening of the d5 field. Its
disadvantage is also manifest: the
rook is missing from cS. Examples
after 13 ... h6:
a) In a Hungarian blitz game White
won after 14 b4 ~acS 15 '*b5 '*d7
16 ~5 ~e4?? (16 ... a6) 17
fue5! We cannot use a blitz-game
as a standard but it is instructive
nevertheless.
b) 14 itb5 comes into consider-
the threat again is ~e5.
At any rate, the attacker must
study thoroughly the new positions
arising out of 13 ... h6. GM Lajos
Portisch habitually analyses such
positions deep into the endgame
after all simplifications have taken
place. Therefore his opponents
sometimes have the feeling that
has been diverted off its course,
losing their sense of direction.
14 itb5!
A move both natural and good!
Continuations after 14 ,*a4 ,*d7:
a) 15 b4 a6 16 b5 ab 17 'ltxb5 §as
lS §abl ~fbS 19 a4 h6 20 ~2
~5 21 '*d3 §cS led first to
equality, then to a draw in Marie-
Karaklaie,1956.
b) 15 ~5, according to the author,
considerably improves the chances
of the attack. The 14 'lta4 move
must be analysed thoroughly in
connection with improvements in
the b) variation before a decisive
verdict can be given.
14 ... b6
Decides on the return sacrifice of
the weak d6 pawn.
After 14 ... '*d7 the queen is
unsafe on the cd' file, but it is
nevertheless possible that this move
is better than the text continuation:
a) 15 ~d5! (the threat is 16 fue5!)
al) 15 ... ~xe4?? 16 fue5! ±
 Main Line: 72th Move Alternatives 737

a2) 15 ... h6? 16 axa7! ± arms the doubling of the rooks on

a3) 15 ... ~xd5? 16 ed ~b8 17 the lC' file.
'ttxd7 ~bxd7 18 axa7 b6 19 §c6 ± 19 ita6!
a4) 15 ... a6! = Other moves decrease the
b) 15 ~5! t advantage:
15 Ag5! .e8 a) 19 ~xe7+ axe7 20 'ttxe8 §Xe8
This seems to be an active move 21 §dc1 §c5! 22 b4 §Xc3 23 §Xc3
which exchanges queens after the d5!
return ofthe Cd' pawn. But... b) 19l1'xe8 §Xe8 20 §dc1 §Xc3 =
16 ~f6 Axf6 19 ... flc5
17 ~d5!! (795) 19 ... §Xc3 20 ~c3 ± Black will
struggle on doggedly but without
195 K hope.
B 20 itxa7!
20 b4?? fud5! (20 ... §Xc3?? 21
fuc3 ±) 21 §Xc5 ~b4! ++
20 ~xd5
21 axc5 dc
22 axd5 f6
23 ~d2 Af7
24 .a8 Ad7
25 ~c4 ± (796)
The author's analysis.
Enough is as good as a feast!
Gambits are played for higher
stakes than just the regaining of the
sacrificed material. The excellent
knight base is worth more than a
mere pawn.
After 17 §Xd6? ~4! 18 itxe8
§fxe8 Black has outlasted the
storm and safely reaches port and
a draw.
17 ... Ad8
18 §c3
The other road, after 18 ita6, is White has an obvious advantage.
also advantageous to White as is
shown in the game Emma- Conclusion:
Goldenberg, Argentine Ch 1960. Simplify to a better endgame!
18 ... ~e7 This is the attacker's realistic aim in
Black cannot await with folded the 12 §ac1 line.
138 Main Line: 12th Move Alternatives
Naturally the defence can be
strengthened by hitherto unknown
variations. It is possible that the
attacker's game can also be
improved.
The 12 ~c1 line proves - despite
all that has been advocated in the
majority of published books and
articles - that Black in positions
after the 9 ... eS move is compelled
to undertake a lengthy defence.
Indeed, the momentum of the
attack decreases, exchanges follow,
but less material does not mean
fewer problems.
White having held on to a small
positional advantage can simplify
into an endgame with rightful
hopes. More than this cannot be
hoped for by the attacker even in
the most active and expertly
analysed sections of the Sicilian
defence.
But in the author's view the 12
~ac1 line is not a miracle cure! A
circumspect, stubborn defence by
Black is not entirely hopeless. But
its success is certainly endangered
by the tournament-psychological
disadvantages in the examples
enumerated above.
18 The MoITa Gambit Declined

The defender can side-step the
gambit in several ways:
a) by employing a counter-gambit.
b) by returning the material at an
earl y stage.
c) by ignoring the offer of the pawn
right from the start.
In the Morra Gambit the 'c'
method is the most 'passable' road.
A frequent method of declining the
Morra Gambit is for Black to
transpose into Alapin's line of the
Sicilian (2 c3), naturally through a
change in the order of moves. On
this subject in a separate book, by
Murray Chandler, is to appear in
the Batsford series. Therefore, in
the author's opinion, a detailed
exposition here would be super-
fluous. But by way of introduction,
we must emphasise, that in the
Morra-Gambit-derived Alapin's line
- because of the change in the order
of moves - the most effective
continuation against the Sicilian 2
c3 is unavailable to Black. Never-
theless, it is necessary here to
review in detail the various methods
of declination that generally arise
from the Morra Gambit.
Similarly we shall also mark those
roads which trail off into dis-
advantageous variations of different
openings through attempts to avoid
the Morra Gambit.
1 e4 c5
2 d4 (797)
2 ... cd
a) Other variations after 2 ... e6:
al)3c3d5
all) 4 e5 see French Defence
a12) 4 ed? 'ltxd5! and now Black·
through a blunder by White - has
reached the most favourable
position he can attain in Alapin's
line.
a2) 3 d5! This move ensures a
healthy space advantage for White.
Black cannot hope for a Benoni-
tYpe counterplay, for White puts a
140 The Morro Gambit Declined
piece and not a pawn on c4.
Because of this line, declining by
2 ... e6 does not promise well.
b) 2 ... g6
bl) 3 c3 cd 4 cd d5
bll) 5 eS ~c6 6 h3 i Black's
disadvantage in space is not entirely
balanced by his action against the
fixed pawn-ehain in the centre or
by his attack on the wings.
b12) 5 ed i The game moves into
the Panov variation of the Caro-
Kann defence, which is advantageous
for White.
b2) 3 dS. This variation similarly
brings White both an advantage in
space and a favourable endgame.
b3) 3 dc! l'ta5+ 4 'ltd2! l'txc5 5
l'tc3 *xc3 6 ~c3 ~g7 7 ~dS ±
3 c3 (198)
I
198!! .l ~ 41
~ ~~
)1:,. :it.
ttJ tt-. r 13:
We have already mentioned in the
Introduction to the Morra Gambit
Accepted that White cannot change
the order of moves with impunity.
Thus here 3 ~f3? d6 4 c3 tilf6!
leads to equality.
3 ... d3
The most characteristic declination
which can only arise from the
Morra Gamb it.
Other possibilities:
a) 3 ... g6
al) 4<ilf3
all) 4 '" dc 5 ~c3 see Gambit
Accepted.
a12) 4 '" ~7 5 cd d5 6 ed i see
Panov variation of the Caro-Kann
defence.
a2) 4 cd d5
a21) 5 eS ~6 6 h3 i It is
considered that Black's action
against the rigid pawns in the centre
and his attack on the wings do not
sufficiently compensate for his
disadvantage in space.
a22) 5 ed i. See the Panov variation
of the Caro-Kann defence.
b) 3 ... e6 4 cd d5 5 e5 i. The
Nimzowitsch system of the French
defence has come about; theory
considers the early exchange of the
'c' pawn to be disadvantageous for
Black.
c) 3 '" d5 4 ed l'txd5 5 cd (199)
Theorists consider it decisive that
the 'c' pawns have been exchanged.
In the usual order of moves in the
Alapin's Line the pawn remains on
the c3 field which prevents the

queen's knight's active intervention.
In the Morra Gambit 'Alapin',
following a change in the order of
moves, the 'c' pawns have been
exchanged. Therefore, here the
queen is in an exposed position
because of the ~c3 attack. From
here Black can only slide towards a
disadvantageous endgame. A 4 Axd3
characteristic example: 5 ... ~c6 6
~f3 e5 7 ~c3 ~b4 8 ~d2 ~c3 9
~c3 e4 10 4le5 ~xe5 11 de 4le7
c1) 12 -'k2! t
c2) 12 .c2! 0-0 13 ad1 .xa2 (13
...•c614 ~d6 t)
c21) 14 l'txe4? ~f5 15 .xb7 ~d8
with double-edged play.
c22) 14 .Qb4 'l!\'e6 15 ~c4 (A
suggestion by the author. White can
also reach a promising endgame
with 15 'ltxe4 t.) 15 ... 'ltxe5 16
'ltc3! 'ltg5 17 ~g3 .f6 18 ~d6!
~e8 19 ~xe7! .xe7 20 ~e7 ~4
21 ~g5 t
d) 3 ... ~f6 (200)
A frequently occurring variation
in tournament practice. The game
moves into channels of Alapin's
Line. The forthcoming book 2 c3
The Morra Gambit Declined 141
Sicilian will deal exhaustively with
this currently popular opening.
At this stage we must observe
however, that by this method of
play White can look forward to a
favourable endgame through his
advantage in space, freer game and
more flexible pawn formation.
a) A number of theoretical articles
give prominence to 4 c4 because of
the possibility of answering the g6-
~g7 set-up by the ~d2-e3
manoeuvre. This strategical
endeavour is based on a mistaken
evaluation. The c3 field which is
reached by the bishop with a loss of
tempo would be ideal for the
knight in the given pawn
construction. Naturally, the 4 c4
move is not a mistake as 4 ... ~c6 5
~d3 leads back to the main
avenue.
b) 41!i'xd3
b1) 4 ... d6 54la3g6?6~g5~77
ad1 -tb5? 8 ~4 'l!\'xa2?? 9, fud6+
:!± Fischer-Auer, Vienna 1960.
b2) 4 ... ~c6 = Black must turn the
gained tempo into quiet develop-
ment.
4 ... ~c6
a) 4 ... dS??
a1) 5 ed? 'ltxd5 6 h3 g6 7 'lte2 ~c6
8 ~bd2 ~g7 9 ~c4 'ltd8??(9 ..,
.Q.e6) 10 ~f4 i£lf6 11 0-0-0 ~d7 12
i£ld6+ ~f8 13 fuf7 :!± Kinzel-
Lenner, 1955.
a2) 5 .QbS+:!±
b) 4 ... g6 This move comes into its
own only if subsequently the
queen's knight aims for d7 and not
142 The Morra Gambit Declined

for c6: out of the 5 ... g6 text move. Yet in

b1) 54:lf3 d6 60-0 .llg7 7 h3 4::If6 8 the strategical tangle it is easy to
c4 0-0 9 4::Ic3 b6 10 .ae3 4::Ibd7 11 lose the way. Our book is, however,
lac1 .llb7 12 .Q.b 1 lac8 13 4::Id2 lae8 based on thorough research.
14 b4 V!!Ic7 15 V!!Ib3 ± Matulovie- Now we discuss the following
Vospernik, Yugoslavia 1955. The sections:
text is stronger, because it controls A 6.Qe3
the d4 and b4 points. B 6.lld2
b2) 5 c4 .llg7 6 4::Ige2 4::Ic6 7 4::Ibc3 C 641f3
4::Ie5? 8· 0-0 4::Ixd3 9 'ltxd3 ± Black D 641c3
has wasted too much time in A
obtaining the bishop-pair, yet they 6 .Q.e3 (201)
will do little in this pawn formation. White does not want to declare
c) 4 ... d6 5 f4 g6 6 41f3 .llg7 7 0-0 his true intentions, he waits awhile
4::If6 8 ~h 1 0-0 9 V!!Ie1 41bd7 10 .Q.c2 with the development of the king's
e6 11 .lle3 b6 12 'lth4 .Q.b7 13 knight. Given the chance, he will
~bd2 <tIc5 (13 ... <£Ie8 14 ith3 ±) make the f2·f3 and g2-g4 pawn
14 f5! 4::Ifxe4 15 4)g5! ~g5 16 rush.
.Q.xg5 V!!Id7 17 f6 V!!Ic6 18 laf3 .Q.h8
19 lag1 e5 20 lah3 h5 21 itg3 4::Ie6 201
22 ~h5! 4::If4 23 ~h8+ \txh8 24 B
.llxf4 1:0 Westerinen-Jacoby,
Hamburg 1980.
5 c4
5 4::1f3 d6 6 0-0 .llg4 7 h3 .llh5 8
g4.Q.g6 9 .Qe3 4::If6 10 4::Ibd2
a) 10 .., itc8 11 4::Id4 ± Matulovie-
Vasilievie, Yugoslavia 1956.
b) 10 ." d5! 11 itc2 h5! 12 ed
.llxd3 13 itxd3 hg!!+ - the author's
analysis. 6 '" i1g7
5 '" g6 7 1td2 "a5!
5 ... e5 The routine 7 '" 4::If6 8 f3 is in
a) 6 4:lf3 .llc5 7 0-0 d6 8 h3 4::If6 9 White's favour.
41c3 0-0 10 a3 a6 11 b4 ~ Marie- 8 4:lc3 4xc3 !
Puc, Yugoslavia 1958. Exceptional strategical position!
b) 6 .Q.e3! .llb4+ 7 4::Ic3! d6 8 41ge2 Now the bishops' pair can be
.Qc5 9itd2 ± relinquished. The absence of the
Theoretical articles assess too bishop from the fianchetto is not
lightly and without sufficient such a danger now. In this position
consideration the position arising Black has not yet castled and in a
 The Morra Gambit Declined /43

closed type position the Black king Maric-Pirc, Yugoslavia 1957.

is not so vulnerable. White's advantage in space has no
9 bc b6 significance here, for Black's set-up
10 Ab1 .Qa6 is solid and is ready for a counter-
11 f4 attack. In the author's opinion the
11 c5~e5!; ~d2-c3 manoeuvre in the 'B' sub-
11 ... ~f6 section is a loss of tempo, for
12 ~f3 d6 which there is insufficient compen-
13 h3 ib4 sation.
(Analysis). A sharp position, C
where- it would be a graye mistake 6 ~f3 (203)
to under-estimate the· defence's The knight is placed on its
chances. traditional post in the Morra
B Gambit.

6 ~7
The aim of this curious move is to 7 0-0 d6
lead the bishop also to the long S h3 ~f6
diagonal and so neutralise its 9 ~c3 ~d7
opposing number. 10 ~d5
6 ... ~7 Variations after 10 -'le3:
7 .Qc3 ~f6! a) 10 ... 0-0 11 ~e2 ~c5 12 ~d4
The exchange would place .Q.d7 13 Elc1 a6 14 '«rd2 ~d4 15
White's knight on a good spot. ~d4 ~d4 16 '«rxd4 -'lc6 Sokolov-
S ~f3 Pirc, Yugoslavia 1956. After 17
8 e5 ~h5 places the venturesome Elfd1 '«ra5 Black must conduct a
pawn in an awkward position. stubborn defence.
S d6 b) 10 ... ~de5 11 Elc1 '«ra5 12 ~e2
9 h3 0-0 ~xf3+ 13 ~f3 ~e6 14 ae2 0-015
10 0-0 b6 '«rd2 Elfc8 16 b3 f!ab8 17 §fd1 ..6
144 The Morro Gambit Declined

18 4"la4! *'<d2 19 axd2 4)::5 20

~b6 ± IVkov-Szabo, Mar del Plata
1955.
c) 10 .., Axc3! The author's
suggestion. 11 bc ~5! The
strategical position is deceptive:
Black by employing the ae6 . Etc8-
~a5 manoeuvre (possibly with a
subsequent n-f5 push) can halt the
attacking forces and impose a
positional struggle on his opponent
who is more ready for a tactical
tussle. "'a4+ :!±
10 ... 0-0 a2) 9 .., 0-0
11 Etb1 ~de5 a21) 10 .11.e3 ~e5 11 b3 ~xd3 12
12 ~xe5 ~xe5 itxd3 ~d7 13 Etfd1 ita5 14 Etab1!
a) 12 ... AxeS 13 Alh6 i ±
b) 12 •.. de 13 b4 ~e614 ~e3 ~d4 a22) 10 b3 itb6+ 11 ~h1 Ald7 12
15 f4 i Maric-Ivkov, Yugoslavia ~gS h6 13 Alh4 ± After Alf2 White
1956. can set up one of the best
13 .11.e2 f5 formations of the well-known
14 ~5 ~c6 Maroczy Bind'.
15 ef Axf5 b) 8 .., ~h6 9 b3 0-0 10 Alb2 f5
16 .Q.d3 ± Hans Muller's view is that the
The Black pawn formation is position offers equal chances. In
divided into three islands of which the author's'opinion, however, after
the weak central one becomes a 11 itd2! fe 12 Alxe4 Alf5 13 ~g3 ±
target for attack. Black lags behind in development.
In the C subsection White stands In such circumstances the release of
better, for he finds a lasting tension will be favourable to White,
initiative on the central files. who gains a lasting initiative on the
D central files.
6 ~c3 (204) 8 '" ~h6
White postpones the king's 8 ... ~f6 9 f3 and White progresses
knight's development. on the right strategical lines.
6 ~7 9 f3 f5
7 ~ge2 d6 10 *d2 fe
8 .Q.e3 10 .., ~f7 11 efAxf5 (11 ... gf 12
Variations after 8 0-0: ~g3 ±) 12 AlxfS gf 13 ~g3 ±
a) 8 ... ~f6 9 f3 11 Axh6 Axh6
a1) 9 ... ~e5 10 Alb1 ~c4?? .,., 12 'ltxh6 ed
 The Morra Gambit Declined /./ ~

13 ~f4 ~e5 development. Further research is

13 ... .Qf514 g4 .Qd715 ~g6 ±:!: still needed, but it is very possible
14 0-0-0 ±:!: that the D-section is the attacker's
Black is drastically behind in most up-to-date weapon.
Conclusion
After the second world war
defensive techniques in chess
improved tremendously. The so-
called positional style was in full
flower. By the end of the seventies
there had come a turning point.
Since then those who are 'one-sided'
players - either exclusively attacking
and combative or defence-building
and positional - have found it
difficult to succeed. Even to describe
players in this manner has gone out
of fashion. The improvements in
chess playing of the recent decades
have led in tournament practice
to the prominence of tactically
accomplished, healthily self-
confident and daring players.
I am certain that both the
developing and the experienced
tournament player will find in this
present volume s!Jfficient material
for his tournament preparation in
the modern manner.
The ever-increasing flood of
information further justifies the use
of the Morra Gambit. The attacker
need not delve into the vast library
that has grown around the Sicilian
Defence. Yet Black has a relatively
narrow choice in the Morra:he
either enters the complicated
tactical labyrinth of the Gambit
Accepted, or by declining the
gambit incurs a disadvantage in
space. In addition he can transpose
into Alapin's Line by 3 ... Nf6.
According to the competitor's
character, his experience and the
stability of his nervous system, and
also taking into account the
capabilities of the opponent of the
day, it should be decided in each
instance which will have the better
chance, the Accepted or Declined
Morra Gambit.
Chess is a game of war.
Opening theory is the chess-
player's arsenal. But therein no
'secret weapon', no 'self-winning'
system will be found. Nevertheless
one can find there the latest ideas
and modern weapons which can be
devastating in the hands of the
prepared player. Amongst these
weapons belongs the Morra Gambit
which ensures for the attacker a
colourful middlegame, rich in ideas.
In the opening theory those self-
deceiving endeavours which lead
the analysis of a correct line to the
'inevitable' victory of one side or

the other are more likely to end in
disaster.
The Morra Gambit also does not
'win', especially not by 'itself'.
However, the Morra Gambit is
capable of producing the maximum
which can be expected from this or
any other modern and popular
opening: it ensures a steady initia-
Conclusion /47
tive. It also creates an enjoyable
tactical atmosphere, rich in surprises
where an attacking player may feel
in his element.
For the study of the Morra
Gambit I wish the reader good
health and patience and in its playa
certain amount of luck.
Index of Variations

1 e4 e5
2d4ed 2 ... e6, 2 ... g6 139-140
3d 3.[1f3 7-10
3 ... de 3 ... g6, 3 ... e6, 3 ... d5, 3 ... .[If6, 3 ... d3 140-141
4cilxd 4.[1f3 11
4 ... cile6 4 ... a6 12-14
5cilf3 5~4 15-19
5 ... d6 5 e6 20-28
5 g6 29-45
6 Ac4 e6 6 .[If6 46-50
6 a6 51-56
70-0 7 af4 57-60
7 •.• cilf6 7 ~ge7 61-66
7 ae7 67-87
8.e2~7 8 a6 9 J;td1 *a51'1JIe7 88-112
9 J:ld1 e5 9 a6, 9 ... 0-0,9 ... *e7, 9 ... ad7 113-120
10h3 10~3 121-124
10 ... 0-0
11 ~3 11 b3, 11 b4, 11 ag5 125-129
11 ... ~6 11 ... a6 130-131
12 ihe6 132-133
12.Qb5 133-135
12 J:lae1 135-138
Index of Players
Andersson 32 Gackstetter 111
Apati 14 Gaudin 11
Applewhite 26 Giacomelli 84
Balasa 31 Goransson 58
Ballay 103 Grazdancev 92
Bandza 71 Guskov 35
Bejlin 106 Hardicsay 25
Berta 30 Hellgren 11
Bertok 26 Hodosz 105
Bialas 10 Hofmeister 10
Bodnar 111 Holdosi 14,66
Bolterauer 74 Ingre 114
Bondarevsky 9 Jacoby 142
Brajovic 99 Jonsson 107
Broyles 48 Kadar 39,70,82,90
Cackthorpe 8 Karlsson 105
Candmeyer 115 Kasparian 9
Churkin 35 Kieseritzky 25
Cibulka 120 Kiffmeyer 115
Ciocaltea 114 Kim 101
Conroy 64,116,124 Klemm 76,108
De Gency 11 Koblenz 62
Del Pezzo 34 Korchnoi 95
Devault 52 Koszorus 45,70,82,90
Dubeck 31 Kristiansson 49
Erker 49 Krogius 8
Everett 116 Kruse 49
Filip 108 Kurtes 30
Fischer 95 Kvist 107
Flesch 31,39,45,66,93,111 Lehmann 79
Forgacs 109 Ludvik 52
Fuchs 106 Maddox H
!=urstenau 74 Manzardo 113
150 Index of Players

Marie 26 Soderlung 11
Masnyikov 106 Sokolov 99
Matulovie 14,34,48, 110 Somogyi 75
Meleghegyi 109 Sos 93
Melzer 24 Steedman 64
Menas 114 Stieg 76, 108
Merkel 106 Swarley 95
N.N. 26,95 Szabadi 10
Negyesy 19 Szabo S. 59
Nei 62 Szazet 104
Neibult 109 Szemachev 104
Nerezov 102 Tal 109
Newhouse 124 Tarasov 63
Nilsson 106 Tatarinchev 13
Ojanen 8 Taylor 48
Ozsvath 19,34 Tilliete 84
Papp 75 Toljak 71
Petersson 67 Tomell 114
Popkov 102 Uppstrom 67
Purschwit 106 Usakova 48
Raud 58 Van Hoolandt 103
Reicher 59 Vegh 34
Resaz 113 Vincenti 48
Roberts 49 Vitzhum 25
Sahlmann 79 Vlagyimirov 74
Sallay 25 Waligora 79
Sandin 98 Weinstein 31
Sapi 10 Wendel 98
Schmidt 111 Westerinen 142
Wisluzil 24
Schuch 108 Zaitsev 74
Scocco 14 Zaitseva 48
Seger 32 Zajie 120
Segi 110 Zhukhov 101
Sestakov 63 Zickelbeim 79
Shemcov 13 Zsarkov 92
•