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One of the things that is particularly exciting about dynamic lines is that sometimes you end up in positions where both players are balancing on a tightrope – where there may only be one good move with all other moves blunders! This occurred in the middle game of this match! My opponent played the Sicilian Defense, I responded with the Smith-Morra Gambit, which Black accepted (1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3).

One of the great things with the Smith-Morra Gambit is that it often takes the Sicilian players out of their comfort zone, which was the case in this game against a rather higher rated opponent in the mid-1500s. After I recaptured with developing my knight, they immediately played an ostensibly sensible move by taking the centre with their e-pawn (4. Nxc3 e5), but this is an inaccuracy.

One of the consequences of the Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted is that White has the potential for a rapid attack on the f7 pawn. A common tactical theme is the bishop and queen forming a battery along the light squared diagonal.

I knew and saw this tactic in this game, though I didn’t necessarily implement it well or the most accurately and missed some opportunities that the engine demonstrated in the analysis. However, it is nonetheless a powerful attack that remained available for the rest of the game!

On move 9, I start piling the pressure on the f7 pawn, with three attackers. Black develops their knight to h6, managing to secure three defenders. A couple of moves later, I manage to open the f-file, adding my rook to the mix, but Black had castled. Now 4 vs 4 attackers and defenders!

And in this state of high tension, we now each make consecutive blunders as neither of us saw a lurking tactic I had available that could break the balance – Ba3 which is a power skewer of the black queen and rook!

Black blunders first with (12… dxe5) – but I don’t see it! After two minutes unable to find a move, I withdraw my knight, thinking that the attack on f7 had been refuted. I knew that this was probably bad, and Stockfish agreed with the evaluation going from [+5.6] to [-5]!

However, Black’s attempt to move their knight from the edge of the board was a blunder back [+3.3] as the Ba3 tactic hasn’t been addressed. Seeing Black having taken a defender away from f7, I move my knight back (14. Ng5) but this is also a blunder [0.00] – I needed to play Ba3 first! Black, seeing the attack on f7 again, decides to physically block the f-file with the knight (14… Nf6), but this a blunder as it doesn’t work [+4.3].

I now finally saw (15. Ba3) and calculated the line and knew that it was crushing! Black attempted to counterattack my queen with (15… Na5). This was a clever but doesn’t work as I have a step of tempo advantage. We trade queens and then I capture his knight (16. Bxe7 Nxb3 17. axb3) with Black’s rook trapped on the back rank.

It looks superficially like Black could sidestep the dark square bishop’s attack, but then (18. Bxf7+)! The f7 pawn remained the weakness and bishop now forks the king and rook. Black, facing catastrophic loss of material, experiences emotional damage and resigns. GG!

Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/game/live/82769396543

[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2023.07.10"]
[Round "-"]
[White "vitualis"]
[Black "Yaqoub9"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Timezone "UTC"]
[ECO "B21"]
[ECOUrl "https://www.chess.com/openings/Sicilian-Defense-Smith-Morra-Gambit-Accepted-4.Nxc3"]
[UTCDate "2023.07.10"]
[UTCTime "23:03:44"]
[WhiteElo "1411"]
[BlackElo "1566"]
[TimeControl "900+10"]
[Termination "vitualis won by resignation"]
[StartTime "23:03:44"]
[EndDate "2023.07.10"]
[EndTime "23:16:58"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/live/82769396543"]
[WhiteUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/3711094.f52a0759.50x50o.ab18600a8723.png"]
[WhiteCountry "17"]
[WhiteTitle ""]
[BlackUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/110083772.2dc7057c.50x50o.a6be28bab9ed.jpeg"]
[BlackCountry "123"]
[BlackTitle ""]

1. e4 {[%clk 0:15:09.1]} 1... c5 {[%clk 0:15:08.1]} 2. d4 {[%clk 0:15:12.6]}
2... cxd4 {[%clk 0:15:16.8]} 3. c3 {[%clk 0:15:21.4]} 3... dxc3 {[%clk
0:15:25.3]} 4. Nxc3 {[%clk 0:15:29.9] Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit
Accepted} 4... e5 $6 {[%clk 0:15:31.8][%c_arrow
e7e6;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e6;persistent;false][%c_highlight
e6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e6;persistent;false][%c_effect
e5;square;e5;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] An inaccuracy [+0.5] with Black
having weakened the defense of the f7 pawn and square} 5. Bc4 {[%clk 0:15:33.8]}
5... Bb4 $2 {[%clk 0:15:37.6][%c_effect
b4;square;b4;type;Mistake;persistent;true][%c_arrow
b8c6;keyPressed;none;from;b8;opacity;0.8;to;c6;persistent;false][%c_highlight
c6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;c6;persistent;false] A mistake [+1.4].
Black needed to focus on piece development first.} 6. Nf3 $6 {[%clk
0:15:26][%c_arrow
d1b3;keyPressed;none;from;d1;opacity;0.8;to;b3;persistent;false][%c_highlight
b3;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;b3;persistent;false][%c_effect
f3;square;f3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] A tactical idea to know - I had
the opportunity to immediately make an attack on f7. So my developing the knight
is an inaccuracy as it's a bit slow [+0.8]} 6... d6 $2 {[%clk 0:15:31.2][%c_effect
d6;square;d6;type;Mistake;persistent;true][%c_arrow
b8c6;keyPressed;none;from;b8;opacity;0.8;to;c6;persistent;false][%c_highlight
c6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;c6;persistent;false] A mistake [+1.7]} 7.
Qb3 {[%clk 0:14:14.5]} 7... Bxc3+ {[%clk 0:15:37.4]} 8. bxc3 {[%clk 0:14:02]}
8... Qe7 $2 {[%clk 0:15:35.9][%c_arrow
g8h6;keyPressed;none;from;g8;opacity;0.8;to;h6;persistent;false][%c_highlight
h6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;h6;persistent;false][%c_effect
e7;square;e7;type;Mistake;persistent;true] A mistake [+3.5]} 9. Ng5 $2 {[%clk
0:14:00.3][%c_effect g5;square;g5;type;Mistake;persistent;true][%c_arrow
c1a3;keyPressed;none;from;c1;opacity;0.8;to;a3;persistent;false][%c_highlight
a3;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;a3;persistent;false] I miss a winning
tactic of Ba3, which potentially deflects Black's queen from the defence of f7
and develops another piece to attack the Black king. Stockfish rates this move
as a serious mistake with the evaluation back to equal [0.00]} 9... Nh6 $1 {[%clk
0:15:32.4][%c_effect h6;square;h6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 10. O-O
{[%clk 0:13:20.3]} 10... Nc6 {[%clk 0:15:37.7]} 11. f4 {[%clk 0:12:48.7]} 11...
O-O {[%clk 0:15:34.8]} 12. fxe5 {[%clk 0:12:38.7]} 12... dxe5 $4 {[%clk
0:15:17.1][%c_effect e5;square;e5;type;Blunder;persistent;true][%c_arrow
c6e5;keyPressed;none;from;c6;opacity;0.8;to;e5;persistent;false][%c_highlight
e5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e5;persistent;false] In the delicately
balanced position, this was a blunder of surprising severity [+5.6]} 13. Nf3 $4
{[%clk 0:10:43.6][%c_arrow
g5f7;keyPressed;none;from;g5;opacity;0.8;to;f7;persistent;false][%c_highlight
f7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;f7;persistent;false][%c_effect
f3;square;f3;type;Blunder;persistent;true] But I miss the tactic $1 This is a
blunder back [-5] $1} ({This is the best line - at this point, I hadn't seen the
Ba3 tactic yet...} 13. Nxf7 $1 {[%c_effect
f7;square;f7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 13... Nxf7 14. Ba3 $1 {[%c_effect
a3;square;a3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 14... Qg5 15. Bxf7+ Kh8 16. Bxf8
{And chess continues...}) 13... Ng4 $4 {[%clk 0:15:15.6][%c_effect
g4;square;g4;type;Blunder;persistent;true][%c_arrow
e7c5;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;c5;persistent;false][%c_highlight
c5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;c5;persistent;false] Luckily, Black
doesn't see Ba3 either and blunders back with their kngiht advance [+3.3]} 14.
Ng5 $4 {[%clk 0:10:42.9][%c_effect
g5;square;g5;type;Blunder;persistent;true][%c_arrow
c1a3;keyPressed;none;from;c1;opacity;0.8;to;a3;persistent;false][%c_highlight
a3;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;a3;persistent;false] A blunder again $1
[0.00]} 14... Nf6 $4 {[%clk 0:14:24.7][%c_effect
f6;square;f6;type;Blunder;persistent;true][%c_arrow
e7c5;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;c5;persistent;false][%c_highlight
c5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;c5;persistent;false] Luckily for me, I'm
the first to see the tactic [+4.3]} 15. Ba3 $1 {[%clk 0:09:05.8][%c_effect
a3;square;a3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 15... Na5 $6 {[%clk
0:13:57.4][%c_arrow
e7e8;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e8;persistent;false][%c_highlight
e8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e8;persistent;false][%c_effect
a5;square;a5;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] A clever counterattack on the
queen, but it doesn't work after the series of trades [+6.2]} 16. Bxe7 {[%clk
0:08:32.2]} 16... Nxb3 {[%clk 0:14:06]} 17. axb3 {[%clk 0:08:33.8]} 17... Re8
{[%clk 0:14:13]} 18. Bxf7+ {[%clk 0:08:35.8][%c_effect
g1;square;g1;type;Winner,g8;square;g8;type;ResignBlack][%c_arrow
f7g8;keyPressed;none;from;f7;opacity;0.8;to;g8;persistent;false,f7e8;keyPressed;none;from;f7;opacity;0.8;to;e8;persistent;false,g5f7;keyPressed;shift;from;g5;opacity;0.8;to;f7;persistent;false][%c_highlight
e8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e8;persistent;false,g8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g8;persistent;false,f7;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;f7;persistent;false]
Black is about to lose catastrophic material - emotional damage - resign $1 GG $1}
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