I just played a short and fun game as black against user Tarasss. Hat's off to Tarasss because he used the Smith-Morra gambit, that I think makes for exciting games, and I think he was playing fairly well up until move 11. where to my delight be made a blunder and lost his dark square bishop, then resigned.
http://en.lichess.org/analyse/gsfd3nxd/black
However, there was something about this game that caused me to stop and think a bit. The basic theoretical ideas of the Smith-Morra gambit is that white is trying to play e5, (I guess this restricts black's development and opens lines towards the king side.) One of the guidelines is that if you're white playing the Smith-Morra, and you have an opportunity to play e5, then you should. And a guideline for black is that you're trying to pile up on the central dark squares precisely to prevent such a push.
In this game white played e5 way early, even before he castled. In the game, I knew something was bad about this early e5 push, I knew there was something there I could take advantage of and I stopped and thought for a minute but just then decided to go ahead with normal counter-Smith Morra moves anyway. And I did try to figure it out for myself after the game was over and was considering that I should have played d6 in response (and if rook d1 pinning the pawn to the queen then queen c7) Only then did I run a computer analysis and it said I should have played f6. This seems to be the better idea as it forces an exchange of the pawn and frees black's center, however, it also seems that this weakens black's pawn structure, creating three pawn islands and a weakness on e6 if the now free d7 pawn comes forward.
I know that often during opening play computers will suggest strange and incorrect moves. Do you think f6 in response to the early e5 push was truly the best move or was there something better?
http://en.lichess.org/analyse/gsfd3nxd/black
However, there was something about this game that caused me to stop and think a bit. The basic theoretical ideas of the Smith-Morra gambit is that white is trying to play e5, (I guess this restricts black's development and opens lines towards the king side.) One of the guidelines is that if you're white playing the Smith-Morra, and you have an opportunity to play e5, then you should. And a guideline for black is that you're trying to pile up on the central dark squares precisely to prevent such a push.
In this game white played e5 way early, even before he castled. In the game, I knew something was bad about this early e5 push, I knew there was something there I could take advantage of and I stopped and thought for a minute but just then decided to go ahead with normal counter-Smith Morra moves anyway. And I did try to figure it out for myself after the game was over and was considering that I should have played d6 in response (and if rook d1 pinning the pawn to the queen then queen c7) Only then did I run a computer analysis and it said I should have played f6. This seems to be the better idea as it forces an exchange of the pawn and frees black's center, however, it also seems that this weakens black's pawn structure, creating three pawn islands and a weakness on e6 if the now free d7 pawn comes forward.
I know that often during opening play computers will suggest strange and incorrect moves. Do you think f6 in response to the early e5 push was truly the best move or was there something better?