Hi there.
In this lecture, we see one of my favorite international monsters, my s-pen, his super strong.
And he's a great attacking player and he's a specialist in the Smith Munroe game against the Sicilian
defense.
This is his iconic game against the fang, really.
In 2011, the 112th U.S. Open.
So E4 from Aspen, Van Weenie plays the Sicilian defense and Aspen uses his Smith Morris gambit, which
he has very detailed preparation in.
So this is also an example of aggressive kind of attacking opening systems.
It's good if you have done your research, your legwork, your preparation, your groundwork in these
systems to help guarantee attacking potential.
So look for and really accepts the gambit.
We have 19 C3 nine C6 lines, F3, E6 and non Bishop C4 a6 White Castles ninth g seven.
So it seems in particular Grandmaster seem to adopt this set up against Essman and he plays actually
Bishop G5.
He doesn't mind provoking small weaknesses with Bishop G5 so f6 Bishop E3 you can see that it's slightly
weakened this diagonal.
We have 90 G6 now just to demonstrate there's another potential threat in this position of A4.
Let me just show you a silly move just to demonstrate a four.
So here you can see actually that if B5 Bishop B6 is dangerous, so just just be aware that sometimes
B6 is sensitive, it's just an insight into the position.
So G6 Bishop B3 is played.
And.
Here.
There was actually an interesting options Bishop Beefy, which is 95 straight away which would flatten
Bishop B6.
That's another way of saying this because it's covering E7 here.
So if he takes he takes C5, this is not working here, but it's it's insightful to show why it's not
working.
So 9/10 9/10.
The point is, in this position Black could play D6.
It's actually not working at all because we don't get this attacking piece that attacking ingredients
is totally removed from the equation, so there's far less attack potential.
So yeah, 95, although interesting, it just doesn't work.
So the bishop drops back.
We have B5 being played now.
If I E5 here, E4 is interesting nine times Bishop b6 this position, it should end up with actually
an advantage for white.
So even positionally with that clamping down, it should be okay for white.
For example, like this variation, we have a kind of bind over here which make things, you know,
worth it.
But anyway, so B5 try to do something about the binding stuff perhaps.
But here what is now effective in this position, which wasn't before for 100 points, what would you
play here?
So attacking ingredients guaranteed.
Okay, It's 95.
This is a bit of a slow move with the king in the center in a theoretical sense.
But the key thing is in practice, we need to make sure we've got this attacking Bishop So six now and
we've got that attacking weapon, that attacking ingredients.
So no time for Black to have played D6.
We have Bishop Be7 and now Knight takes e5, F takes e5.
If Knight takes E5 here Rookie one and in this position we can hold D6.
So we've got big threats like F4 if King the eight This is now unpleasant for black with that king in
the center, it's very unpleasant.
There's enough compensation for whites to play like this, for example, with Bishop B6 check.
And it gets vicious.
It gets nasty, massive advantage for white.
So F takes is played.
But now s been tries to open up the king of F4.
We have Queen f6 which is actually a mistake it seems in a technical sense.
It takes F4 which is hugely scary to open up the F4.
But rookie one bear with this f tanks, rook tanks e free jack Bishop e seven This position, it seems
black, might be able to actually live to tell the tale, especially if black is a supercomputer and
able to play all these defensive moves in a row, then sure, that's going to live to tell the tale.
It's a very dynamic treatment indeed, but it ends up to be an even position.
If we get this position, it's simplified and it's going to be even, you know, you could say, well,
maybe there's even still a slight edge for white, though, but okay, so Queen f6 Grandmaster makes
this move, which technically is a mistake.
AF takes E5, but why is it mistake?
Because the Queen seems to be acting as if it's an authority on the position, controlling key squares,
making things awkward.
And also, you know, there's a there's a threat potentially of Bishop takes D6 looking at H two so
Hans ESPN's efforts here comes at absolutely nothing he plays an absolutely beautiful iconic move for
the Smith moral gambit in general, which shows how dangerous gambits are.
Espin has talked about the notion of sacrifice, and that doesn't need to be material.
It could be pawn structure as well.
You sacrifice to try and get checkmate.
Checkmate ends the game so you can sacrifice all sorts of things.
You can probably, you know, sometimes in many situations, sacrifice your own king safety to get to
the opponent's king safety.
So the idea of reducing the opponent's king stake to try and make the opponent's king, everything else
can become subservient through sacrifice.
But here there's actually a really great sacrifice to exploit the king in the center.
So for 200 points, what do you think that move is?
Okay.
It's actually it's Bishop G.
Five.
It takes escape squares of the king and it frets rookie one as well, pinning the queen.
So there's no time for Bishop takes these things because we just pinned the queen.
So we have Bishop E seven of Queen.
Thanks, G five.
There's a really neat point here that actually these pawns have an Achilles heel.
They're not looking at dance squares.
We have Queen E one check.
Bouncy Rhodes of attack comes mind snooker, bouncing off E one to get a five.
And then we can mate with Queen C seven If King E a bishop F seven is checkmate.
So yes, that would be unwise if Bishop takes D six actually even stronger than rookie one.
Actually, Rookie one would be a mistake here.
Yeah.
We got to pay attention to the details.
Stronger than rookie one rookie one's a mistake actually because Bishop e4 so disposition does actually.
You know, Bishop C five check and then queen size E four.
So Bishop E four is nasty there and black still looking at H two.
So forget that.
In fact, there's Bishop of Southern Czech and this works very well.
Bishop H.
G6 Czech Bishop.
Stubborn Czech.
Bishop.
B Free Czech.
Queen H five.
Czech.
Bishop F seven.
Czech.
Queen H six.
Czech.
Bishop D.
Five.
Czech.
Queen since she's seven.
Yeah.
So that works much better on Bishop 26 because you're wondering so.
Okay, we have Bishop E seven being played by Winnie and here Bishop F seven shank now D tanks, E,
seven shank, nine six, and now Queen D two.
So this supports the bishop and supports Queen A five.
Jack, this bouncy road of a tank.
We have King C eight Rook, AC one check 90 C6 rook f one.
So looking at D7 now Queen A five and now another glorious move Bishop for letting f7 go because the
key idea is Queen D six this battery on the dark squares we do have Queen thanks F seven if Queen F
six we're just taking on D7 and means so Queen thanks.
F seven.
Queen D six.
We have King D eight and now crashing through here.
What you think won't place.
Okay.
Route 66.
We have Bishop tanks, Queen St C6 looking at eight.
And the game actually ended here if.
If queen size for the simple case we have Queen 27 to checkmate.
We're not taking the rook if Rook C eight Bishop G five check and then we end up picking C eight up.
If Queen F five.
Yeah, we're taking on eight.
Queen STS h8 rook up.
No problem.
If Rook seven.
Bishop G five Czech King and Queen eight is checkmate.
So yes, the Smith Board game.
I do have a course on the Smith Moore gambit with many Essman attacking games.
So gambits do facilitate quite often attacking chess.
The notion of sacrifice for the initiative.
The initiative when you get to call all the shots where sometimes the opponent's king is, is precarious
as well.
Ideally, the initiative combined with King safety issues, is particularly dangerous for king attackers.
So yeah, we see this stunning demonstration that the Smith Monroe gambit, by sacrificing a pawn in
the opening, you know, is a kind of gambit which perhaps didn't get as much attention in the romantic
era of chess as the King's Gambit.
All the evidence came in.
But one point about the King's game, it's almost by default that you're playing out in the second move.
So that's very convenient to get to the Evans game.
It is a few moves to get to, but the Sicilian defense didn't have a great reputation.
For for many years.
So it wasn't so frequently he played.
So things like the Smith Ball game that weren't so researched as now.
But yes, when I did the research with the Smith Gambit course, I found, you know, White usually
has more than enough compensation for at least the quality or better in most of the systems that Black
can put up.
So, yes, it's a very, very interesting attacking weapon against the Sicilian defense, the Smith
Monroe gambit.
And Essman has, you know, mayhem in the mirror.
He's actually created a nice book as well and courses on it.
So but you can also check my Smith moral course.
But he's he's the guy, the international master who's a very attacking, dynamic tactical player which
you can see, you know the power of gambits like this absolutely wonderful that you're preparing your
attacks for future games with concrete opening theory and ideas in very, very exciting positions.
Okay.
And with modern engines, we can get more of an objective verdict on such dynamic things and positions.
We can get a much better verdict than ever before.
Okay, So I hope you enjoyed this one.
And maybe check out my Smith Tomorrow course or ESPN's courses.
So the Smith Boro game is a great one for the Gambit here.
Interested in attacking the King?
Okay, that's a much.