Tree path 6 levels King's Pawn Game › Sicilian Defense › Smith-Morra Gambit › Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit › Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted › Morphy Defense
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Morphy Defense
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Morphy Defense is a sacrificial opening line filed under ECO B21 in the Semi-Open Games group. The defining idea is the early concession of material to seize the initiative and unbalance the position.
The Semi-Open Games group covers semi-open games — replies to 1.e4 where Black declines the symmetrical 1…e5 in favour of an asymmetric pawn structure.
It begins with 12 plies and takes 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Bc5 to reach the canonical position.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- B21
- Group
- Semi-Open Games (B)
- Plies
- 12
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
98,955 games · White 51.3% / Draw 3.6% / Black 45.1%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| O-O | 78,564 | |
| Qe2 | 7,880 | |
| Bf4 | 5,064 | |
| Bg5 | 2,058 | |
| e5 | 1,955 | |
| a3 | 1,104 | |
| Be3 | 650 | |
| Nb5 | 611 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:35:51
Write a description
Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links).
Submissions are reviewed before publishing.