Tree path 6 levels King's Pawn Game › Sicilian Defense › Smith-Morra Gambit › Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit › Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted › Taimanov Formation
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game B00
- Sicilian Defense B20
- Smith-Morra Gambit B21
- Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit B21
- Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted B21
- Taimanov Formation B21 you are here
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Taimanov Formation
Overview
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Taimanov Formation is a gambit, classified under ECO code B21 within the Semi-Open Games family. As with all gambits, one side sacrifices material early — usually a pawn — in exchange for development, open lines, or initiative.
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 e6 5. Bc4 a6 6. Nf3 Ne7 to reach the canonical position.
It is a variation of Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, which itself descends from the root opening King's Pawn Game.
Step through the moves on the interactive board below, review the live Lichess statistics, or play this position against Stockfish at one of six difficulty levels.
- 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
45,577 games · White 44.7% / Draw 4.1% / Black 51.2%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| O-O | 24,080 | |
| Bg5 | 12,598 | |
| Qe2 | 3,152 | |
| Bf4 | 1,879 | |
| a4 | 1,017 | |
| e5 | 759 | |
| a3 | 628 | |
| Bb3 | 459 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:36:07
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