Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Classical Formation
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Statistics from Lichess
185,592 games: White 45.3% / Draw 5.5% / Black 49.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 77,46277K | ||
| 33,35433K | ||
| 20,67321K | ||
| 15,87916K | ||
| 10,54911K | ||
| 7,5487,548 | ||
| 3,8483,848 | ||
| 3,8423,842 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.24 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. Bf4 e5 9. Ng5 exf4 10. Nxf7 Qd7 11. Nxh8 Ne5 12. Qb3 f3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for Black: Black scores 48% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2,466 | |
| 1400–1799 | 29K | |
| 1800–2199 | 115K | |
| 2200 and up | 50K | |
| Masters, over the board | 198 |
Master games
- Mosadeghpour, M. – Grigoryan, K.
- Pegg, R. M. – Robson, N.
- Berg, E. – Hillarp Persson, T.
- Senador, E. – Le Quang, L.
- Overton, D. J. – Muck, C.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Classical Formation (ECO B21, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 a6 7. O-O Nf6 (7 moves).
In 185,592 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.3%, Black 49.1% and 5.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. Qe2, in 42% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Classical Formation
8. Bf4 scores best for White: 53.6%, with White winning 50.3% and Black 43.1% of 16K games. The most played, 8. Qe2, scores 47.8% in 77K games, and 8. e5 scores lowest: 43.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8. Bf4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Classical Formation dipped to 0.006% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.0078% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0077% | 2,761 |
| 2017 | 0.008% | 4,397 |
| 2018 | 0.0082% | 6,414 |
| 2019 | 0.0077% | 9,633 |
| 2020 | 0.0075% | 22,061 |
| 2021 | 0.006% | 23,622 |
| 2022 | 0.0065% | 24,463 |
| 2023 | 0.0071% | 26,770 |
| 2024 | 0.0074% | 26,489 |
| 2025 | 0.0078% | 27,058 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0079% | 8,670 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Classical Formation (B21)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/sicilian-defense-smith-morra-gambit-accepted-classical-formation