The Smith-Morra Gambit by Lawrence Trent

What do you do against the Sicilian Defence? Do you play a mainline, safe in the knowledge that despite being the most reliable way to gain an opening advantage, you could be condemned to spending years studying a huge body of opening theory, or do you choose an Anti-Sicilian, a way to sidestep the mainlines at the risk of allowing Black to have a sneaking chance to achieve equality? Product description: The Morra Gambit, characterised by the moves 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 is one of the least played, yet according to IM Trent most underrated Anti-Sicilians that White has at his disposal. By sacrificing a pawn, White aims to rapidly develop his pieces with the objective of delivering a swift knockout blow to the unprepared Black camp. Objectively speaking, Trent emphasises, if Black knows his stuff he has various ways to achieve a perfectly reasonable position. The beauty of this opening, Trent explains, lies in its practical ?over-theboard? potential. Black players will have trouble coping with unknown positions and being put on the back foot from the start. It should be of no surprise that around 50% of players with Black decide to decline the gambit, but even in this case Trent presents a host of tricky variations which allow White to play with venom and great attacking possibilities, not to mention a number of previously unseen theoretical novelties! Video runnig time: 5 h 25 min. Lawrence Trent is an International Master from England. He has represented England as a player and as a coach and has been a 3-time winner of the Porto San Giorgio International tournament, finishing ahead of many Grandmasters.