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Getting Started: Essential Books for Chess Beginners

Those starting out in chess have much to learn before developing true competency. Fortunately, there exist numerous quality texts offering an accessible entry point while laying the groundwork for future improvement. Here are some top recommendations:

Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess
Authored by the legendary grandmaster himself, this book leverages a unique question-and-answer format to actively engage readers. Bobby Fischer masterfully covers fundamental tactics, ensuring newcomers build technical proficiency and sound logical thinking.

Chess for Dummies
True to the tried-and-tested Dummies formula, this book presents complex ideas in simple, easy-to-retain ways. Expert author James Eade methodically introduces foundational concepts, strategic frameworks, practical tips and more, seamlessly scaling readers’ knowledge.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Chess
Grandmaster Patrick Wolff helps readers comprehensively learn chess and bridge into intermediate skills. This book is richly illustrated with photos and over 400 chess board positions. With such deep insight into openings, tactics and general theory, it fast-tracks progression.

Logical Chess: Move by Move
Renowned author Irving Chernev unpacks 33 complete games, showcasing the logic underlying each move in an instructional format. This book ingrains strong fundamentals across strategy, planning and execution, preparing any beginner for competitive play.

Winning Chess Strategies for Kids
Jeff Coakley created this workbook-based series specifically for young chess enthusiasts aged 8-13. Comprising puzzles, exercises and games centered on key themes like defense tactics or checkmates, it empowers kids to accelerate their progress with fun activities.

Steps Method Chess Course
This structured program by Brunia and Van Wijgerden spans six training manuals and 20 specialized workbooks. Originally developed for European chess education, it massively speeds up learning via a skills-building curriculum. Budding players worldwide now leverage its methodology.

Additional recommendations like Pandolfini’s “Beginning Chess,” Chandler’s “How to Beat Your Dad at Chess” and Polgar’s progressive workbooks further bolster beginners’ journeys. With such wealth of instructional material available, new players have all the tools necessary to rise through the ranks.

Advanced Strategies for Established Players

While beginner books confer technical knowledge and basic strategy, advanced players demand texts delivering specialized insight. Mastering chess’ nuances requires principles and frameworks from games played at the highest levels. Some all-time classics of the genre include:

My 60 Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer
This book compiles annotations by Fischer himself across 60 career-defining matches. Beyond showcasing his creative genius, it offers unprecedented access into a champion’s decision-making, teaching advanced strategic thinking.

Think Like a Grandmaster by Alexander Kotov
Kotov reverse-engineers mastery itself, analyzing top-tier planning, positional judgment, tactical evaluation and more. Think Like a Grandmaster pushes experienced players to expand their mental frameworks for breakthrough improvement.

Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy by John Watson
Watson presents modern strategic ideas in digestible style, building readers’ understanding of imbalances, prophylaxis, space advantage and other advanced themes. Players keen to transition from classical to hypermodern chess must study this text.

Life and Games of Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal needs no introduction as the archetypal tactical genius. His autobiography complete with annotated games is hugely instructional about combinational play, attack methods and dynamic momentum. This one’s truly unforgettable.

Attacking Manual Volume 1 by Jacob Aagaard
Aagaard focuses purely on offensive play, helping experienced players master attack strategies, exploit weaknesses, create threats and finish powerfully. Exercises test readers’ attacking mettle through 400 instructive positions.

There are countless other illuminating books for established chess enthusiasts such as Silman’s Complete Endgame Course, Bronstein’s Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953 book, Averbakh’s Tactics for Advanced Players and more. Ultimately, tailoring one’s chess library to address specific developmental needs is key to levelling up.

Choose Books Aligned With Your Goals

In review, beginners should prioritize materials centered on chess basics, elementary tactics and foundational thinking. Intermediate players can build on initial knowledge with books integrating strategy fundamentals and positional nuances. Advanced students seeking expertise benefit most from texts examining high-level games, complex frameworks and niche play styles.

With the right books, chess players of all skill levels can enrich their understanding of the game, sharpen their skills and reach new competitive heights over time. Whether you are starting out on your chess journey or continuing a lifelong passion, feed your intrigue and development with these timeless reads. The rest depends on your dedication to apply these lessons over the board. I sincerely hope you find this “The Best Chess Books for Beginners and Advanced Players In 2024” article helpful.

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People have been interested in chess, a smart and strategic board game, for a very long time. What will happen when we add another person, though? When three people play chess together, things get more difficult. Let’s read below about “Triple Chess Game Analysis“.

Loyalties shift, and new problems show up that no one saw coming. When you look at this type of game study through a different lens, you need to see three forces at work instead of just two that are at odds with each other.

The Enigmatic Realm of Three-Player Chess: Unveiling Strategies and Challenges

Variants and Challenges:

A lot of people like to play chess with three other people. For each type, the rules and board are different. The board for chess has 96 cells. A rule called “non-aggression” says that a better player can’t attack a player who is behind in their own home area. There is only one 8×8 board for all types of chess. The players move and the game ends in different ways for each type.

Three-player chess games are hard to study because it’s hard to guess who will partner with whom. To beat a good player, you can make short-term deals that can be broken during the game. This keeps the board interesting and new. When people look at a game, they need to consider more than just the current threats. They should also think about the future relationships and betrayals that could happen.

Key Strategies in Three-Player Chess:

• Early Alliances: People who see a threat will often work together to get rid of it. But it’s important to know why and when this union is taking place. For someone who made a deal at the wrong time, it could be easy to attack afterward.
• Maintaining Flexibility: Alliances can be helpful, but you should be careful not to get lied to and keep your choices open. The center squares let you move your pieces and keep them moving, so you can use them in different ways.
• Making the most of flaws: One way to win is to find the player who isn’t doing as well and use what’s wrong with them. This could mean giving up one strategy or moving places to get a big edge.
• Plan for the endgame: In three-player chess, the endgame is very hard to understand. You need to know a lot about how the pieces fit together and how the third player could step in at the last minute to figure out checkmates and possible king sacrifices.

Difficulties in Analysis

It’s hard to figure out how to run chess games with three people. When there are three players, traditional chess computers often make mistakes because they are better at games with two people. Because relationships change all the time and betrayals can happen at any time, it’s hard to say for sure what will happen next.

Case Study: A Look at a Joke Game

Let’s look at a made-up game of chess with three players to show how hard it is:

• Opening: White and Black work together for a short time to make Red work harder. Because of this, Red quickly makes a castle and starts adding pieces to keep them safe.
• Middlegame: In the main game, White and Black work together to attack Red. They give up a piece to make Red’s kingside weaker. Red knows he’s going to lose, so he asks Black to attack White in trade for a short break.
• Endgame: Now it’s your turn. Black gives up a strategy chance to get rid of White in order to keep the peace. Red sees a chance at the right time and gives up a rook to get a checkmate against Black.

To see how quickly things can change in three-player chess, look at this. At first, it looked like White and Black would win. But Red beat them because they changed their minds too fast and missed a chance.

Read Below: Chess School 4 The Manual Of Chess Endings

Conclusion: Triple Chess Game Analysis

Chess with three other people is the best way to see how well you can think about strategies. To understand games, you need to know more about how people join forces, how people abandon each other, and how the board’s rules are always changing. A standard chess set might not be the best way to learn these games. You can read and talk about them, though, to improve your chess skills and help you think more tactically, whether you play with two or three people. I hope you like reading “Triple Chess Game Analysis”.

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Sharpen Your Tactical Vision: The Foundation of Chess

A Foundational Course Conflicts in chess essentially center on struggles for dominion over resources and territory. Your greatest strength in this battle is your ability to spot and seize immediate opportunities for triumph. This is what you need to do to improve as a strategist:

• Embrace the Puzzle Frenzy: Getting in on the action fast is the key to discovering successful combinations in tactics puzzles. Prioritize quality above quantity in your daily routine. Hundreds more puzzles, categorized by topic and difficulty level, are available on sites like Chess.com and Lichess.
  
• Analyze Your Games: In chess, the number of possible moves is infinite. After each game, use a chess engine to analyze your play and identify strategic errors. Perhaps you can learn from your mistakes and not make the same ones again if you take the time to reflect on them.
  
• Play Slow Games: For beginners, it’s best to stick to games that run 30 minutes or more, however faster clocks might be helpful in some scenarios. Give careful consideration to all of the outcomes and choose one.

Beyond Tactics: Building Chess Fundamentals

Being a great player is important, but knowing the ins and outs of chess theory is equally critical. If you want to understand the idea better, try these steps:

• Master the Opening Principles: The opening is the most important move in the middlegame. Building a solid foundation requires mastery of center control, piece advancement, and castling the king. Mastering them will give you a leg up. Acquire as much knowledge as possible regarding a few of famous white and black holes.
  
• Develop Your Endgame Technique:  The fight that decides the game usually happens in the last round. Arm yourself with some basic checkmating moves like king-queen or king-rook. Learn the ins and outs of endgame tactics, including triangulation and opposition.
  
• Enrich Your Chess Knowledge: Acquire the game’s fundamentals by perusing chess reference materials, including as books, videos, and the internet. Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlsen, two of the best chess players in the world, use comparable tactics. Analyzing their moves and thinking patterns will help you become a better chess player.

Increase Your Chess Rating Fast: Strategies to Make Practice Perfect

With that groundwork laid, let’s speak about using what you’ve learned:

• Play Opponents Slightly Stronger: Although challenging yourself is the surest path to improvement, you’ll feel better about yourself after defeating less formidable opponents. You can improve your odds of winning by taking on somewhat stronger opponents. Always look for enemies that are a little bit harder. By comparing your own losses to theirs, you can gain insight into their blunders.
  
• Analyze Your Opponent’s Play:  What you do pales in comparison to other matters. Take note of your opponent’s moves and plans. If you do this, your mind will be better prepared to be defensive and anticipate their maneuvers.
  
• Join a Chess Club or Community: Collect a circle of individuals who are as enthusiastic about chess as you are. Take part in contests, talk about games, and assess responsibilities. Taking a chess class with a group of people has several benefits, one of which is the opportunity to meet new people and hear alternative points of view.

Read More:- Sherlock’s Method: The Working Tool for the Club Player | Chess Essentials

Remember: The Journey, Not Just the Destination

If you want to improve your chess game, consider the following:

• Focus on the Process, Not Just the Rating: Rather, relax, take pleasure in the game, and study the rules to gradually enhance your chess skills. The rating will go up as a result.
• Take Breaks and Avoid Burnout: Because of the mental demands of chess, it is essential to take short rests periodically to prevent fatigue. Schedule breaks ahead of time to prevent burnout. If you want to come back to chess with more energy and passion, you need take a vacation from it.
• Celebrate Your Achievements:  It is important to acknowledge even small but noticeable progress. For you, how difficult was that particular problem? Did you manage to prevail over a higher-rated opponent? Your dedication and hard work are inspiring.

Conclusion

Improving one’s chess skills requires dedication, practice, and pleasure in the game. If you want to raise your chess rating and learn more about the game’s complexities and charm, try incorporating these changes into your practice regimen. Elevate your chess game by becoming an expert at pregame preparation. I hope you like reading “Increase Your Chess Rating Fast”.

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The idea of defeating a stronger player appealed to a “weakie” like me, so I devoured Superior Opponent in my early years. Unfortunately, I did not score upsets that often…

But over the years I learned a lot. Now that I have more experience, I’ll give you some of my own advice on beating players better than you.

Good psychology only goes so far.

I’m not going to insult your intelligence by telling you there is a formula to consistently beat players rated 500 points higher than you. Exception: anything goes if we’re talking about players rated under 1000.

The tips I’ll discuss can give you a slightly better chance against such opposition, but luck is your best friend here: hope the opponent underestimates you, miscalculates something, or has a bad game.

If you are a massive underdog, just play the best moves you can … for as long as you can … and don’t get too far behind on the clock. This last guideline is important: an experienced, higher-rated player will just keep the game going in your time pressure, shuffling pieces until you collapse.

For the rest of these tips, I’m going to assume you’re facing someone rated 1000+ and roughly 200 points higher than you. This is a steep hill, but not an impossible one: statistically you should score about 25% against such a player (one win and three losses in four games, or two draws and two losses).

For context, with a 300-point rating difference you’re expected to score 1 point out of 10.

Don’t change your playing style.

You have certain strengths as a chess player. Don’t abandon your strongest weapons based on who you’re paired against. If you’re an attacker, attack. If you’re a good endgame player, trade. If you know a certain opening well, play it — don’t be afraid of the opponent knowing it better than you do. Sidebar: targeting the weaknesses of a peer or an inferior opponent is often a good idea!

Believe in your ideas, and don’t try too hard.

It’s tempting to make “extra” efforts to beat stronger players, but I think the best you can do in this area is to make sure your concentration is as good as it can be for the game.

If you think you’ve found a good move or plan, and don’t see any flaws, go for it. Maybe you’re wrong and missed something, but don’t assume this is the case! That’s called “seeing ghosts.”

Calculate until the evaluation is clear.

The most common chess evaluation symbols, for moves and positions. Image: lichess.org

If you’re a good calculator, this is not a problem. For others, like me, calculation is not our strong suit.

Don’t go crazy trying to see everything till the end, unless mate or a decisive material balance is at stake. Otherwise, just use the Chess Informant classification that I discussed previously.

Don’t offer draws to higher-rated players.

I’m not one of those coaches who says you should always “play till bare kings!” There are a number of situations in which offering or accepting a draw makes sense, or when aiming for a more drawish position is a good idea.

However, there is almost never a good reason to offer a draw to a higher-rated player. There are two rather obvious reasons for this:

If you have the advantage, you shouldn’t be offering a draw! Doing so communicates fear and increases the confidence of your opponent, who might be on the ropes. If you’re really afraid of messing up when better against a higher-rated, you can play solidly and safely, avoiding risk. Just strike a confident pose at the board while doing so!

If you are worse — or even equal — your opponent won’t accept your draw offer. Moreover, it again shows weakness. Whether your opponent is torturing you or merely shuffling pieces back and forth, just keep finding the best moves you can while not showing any frustration. Imagine you are at a picnic on a warm summer day!

Wait for the higher-rated player to offer the draw (or, if you’re playing against a peer, the player with the superior position has the “right” to make the peace offering). Only when you’re playing against a lower-rated player can you offer a draw in an inferior position.

Experienced players: are there any other general tips I didn’t mention? Leave a comment!

The post How to Defeat a Superior Opponent! Advice for New Chess Players, Part 2 appeared first on Chess Essentials.

At club level, an unprepared black player can quickly find themselves in serious danger. White aims for a menacing setup like this:

Of course, black needs to survive long enough to face even this!

Traps

The Smith-Morra Gambit player hopes their adversary will fall into a nasty trap, and there are many. For example:

Or this one:

Many black players look to turn the tables on white with the so-called Siberian Trap:

To avoid accidents, many black players decline the gambit or give back the pawn immediately.

I’m not one of them. If I knew all my opponents would play the Smith-Morra, I would always answer 1.e4 with 1…c5. If the line is so great for white, why do top players not use it?

The Recipe

In the traps above, black has problems on e5 and b5, and uncoordinated pieces. Knowing what you’re up against makes it far easier to deal with!

There are many viable setups for black, but I defend the Smith-Morra with the line 2…cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6! Don’t rush that …Nf6 move.

Let’s see some examples.

Early Games

Debut by Transposition

According to the MegaBase, Dutch master Lodewijk Prins first reached the position after 6…a6 against Savielly Tartawkower in 1950, but couldn’t recover after his pieces got tangled early on. The game started as an O’Kelly Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6).

Battle of Titans

Fischer and Kortschnoj drew in Buenos Aires 1960, also after transposing from an O’Kelly.

San Antonio 1972

The Tournament Announcement for San Antonio 1972. Source: Chess Life and Review, October 1972

The Church’s Fried Chicken International, held in San Antonio, Texas in 1972 remains one of the strongest events ever held in the United States. Lajos Portisch, former World Champion Tigran V. Petrosian, and future World Champion Anatoly Karpov tied for first place with 10.5 points out of 15.

American master Ken Smith (the “Smith” in “Smith-Morra”) tried the gambit several times, but without success against such chess heavyweights.

Let’s take a look at two of those games. Both were played in the second half of the tournament when black could have expected the Smith-Morra Gambit.

Round 9 vs. Evans

We saw this American legend play a model game before. He does again here:

Evans also played in Buenos Aires 1960, so he would have known the Fischer—Kortschnoj game above.

Round 13 vs. Mecking

The future World #3 emulated the Kortschnoj/Evans treatment and then collected material.

The bottom line on facing the Smith-Morra Gambit

If you play the Sicilian you should be happy to face the Smith-Morra, or any Anti-Sicilian for that matter. Playable though they may be, Anti-Sicilians are inferior to the Open Sicilian,

Don’t use the common excuse “white knows their pet line better than I will.” Study! Learn how to deal with the annoying sidelines your opponent can throw at you, and thank them for not challenging you in the most critical way.

I don’t have a perfect record against the Smith-Morra Gambit, but I score better than 50%. Anytime you can say that with one of your black openings, that is a big success.

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When I was struggling to learn chess, I didn’t really feel what these meant. Now, I hope others will be a bit less confused!

This is a short post, and I’m not giving any positions here: but use these guidelines the next time you study a chess position — I think you’ll have an “A Ha!” moment.

Of course, I’m only talking about human evaluation during a chess game! I only care about what the computer says in ICCF games.

White/Black has a decisive advantage

An unstoppable attack; too much extra material without compensation; an opponent with hopelessly bad pieces; or an endgame edge so big the win is straightforward.

White/Black has a large advantage

This is the most important category!

I would define it as any of the above, but to a lesser degree — a dangerous attack that isn’t clearly winning; an extra pawn or exchange with the opponent having some form of compensation; awkward but not hopeless pieces; or a solid endgame edge that still requires decent technique.

Two or three of these smaller edges together can be considered a decisive advantage. This is what I believe is meant by the so-called “accumulation of advantages.”

This category is much closer to decisive advantage than to small advantage! When you get your opponent here, your advantage will likely grow if you simply suppress any counterplay.

White/Black has a small advantage

A lead in development, space (more central presence, control of an open file), pawn structure (lack of pawn weaknesses, or less than the opponent has), or piece placement (in the center or near the “action zone”). Two or three of these together can add up to a large advantage.

The position is equal

The chances are balanced, and if both sides play well, a draw is the likely result. Be careful: this doesn’t necessarily mean the position is dry or boring! Usually, you need to play actively. Simply shuffling your pieces around and waiting is usually a recipe for disaster.

The position is unclear

You can think a position is unclear or “I don’t know what’s going on,” but this isn’t helpful. Decide on one of the categories above, and also decide if you will play for a win or a draw.

Good luck in your chess evaluations!

The post Chess Position Evaluation: Who is better, and by how much? appeared first on Chess Essentials.

As a struggling 1000-rated player in 1997, chess was hard. I was weak at tactics and calculation, and simply not talented. I didn’t have any coaching, so it was on me to find a way to improve my game. 1…e5 and the Sicilian, which I tried to play because they were popular, did not fit me at all.

The Eiffel Tower lit up during a summer evening. Photo: Andre Harding

What I did have was oodles of determination to grind my opponents down slowly, especially in rook endings. For this, the French fit me very well! It was my main defense to 1.e4 until 2008.

If you like more excitement in your games, take heart: the French Defense can provide that, too.

We reach the starting position after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5:

Black threatens the e4-pawn and counterattacks in the center.

White has four good replies. From most to least complex: 3.Nc3, 3.Nd2, 3.e5, and 3.exd5.

However, I suggest we look at things based on the center type we get. There are three main options: (1) Black can exchange pawns on e4; (2) White can lock the center with e4-e5; and (3) White can exchange pawns on d5.

Today we’ll look at the first of these. In later posts we’ll examine the other options.

Black exchanges pawns on e4

After both 3.Nc3 or 3.Nd2, black can exchange on e4. After 3…dxe4 4.Nxe4 we get this:

Now black has two main options. In the Rubinstein Variation with 4…Nd7

A typical line is the following:

Black has dissolved white’s center and found good posts for his pieces. The goal is to gradually neutralize white’s play and equalize. White has more aggressive attempts, too, so be prepared.

Even more solid (but passive) is the Fort Knox Variation with 4…Bd7, which I played for many years:

Play might continue something like this:

Black wants to play an ultra-solid game, but this is really passive and it’s hard to create counterplay. Still, if you’ve been struggling mightily with other openings, this can keep you in the game for awhile.

Another popular line

There is also the Burn Variation with 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4:

A typical line is:

Black has more potential counterplay with the kings castled on opposite sides, but runs a greater risk of facing a strong attack. Note that black can’t force the Burn Variation because white can choose 4.e5 instead of 4.Bg5. That line will be discussed in the next part where we examine lines with an early e4-e5 by white.

In all lines with an Exchange on e4, black wants to develop solidly and tries to avoid dangerous attacks or sacrifices. However, this allows white to dictate the pace of the game, which is fine if you’re a defensive or counter-attacking player.

In Part 2a, we start our survey of lines where white advances e4-e5.

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Which chess endgames for beginners, exactly?

The Ladder Mate uses rooks and/or queens.

The must-know chess endgames for beginners include three mates: the Ladder Mate (two rooks), King and Queen vs. King, and King and Rook vs. King mates.

Don’t waste time learning the two bishops’ mate or the bishop and knight mate until you’re well over 1000. They happen too rarely to justify studying them. Other endgames are even rarer.

The other chess endgame to learn is King and Pawn vs. King. Know how to win when possible, and how to draw. Fortunately, I’m going to help you out.

The Key Winning Position

This position is winning for white no matter whose turn it is, unless this setup occurs on the edge of the board. That’s because white’s king can gain control of the queening square (here, e8) and escort his pawn to the end of the board.

First, with white to move.

Now, with black to move.

Getting there

Let’s start with this position:

To win, white needs to control the squares in front of the pawn with the king. Whenever white can’t control the pawn’s next square, the game will be a draw.

First, let’s see poor play from white that leads to a draw.

We have arrived at this position:

Don’t confuse it with The Key Winning Position! in that case, with the white king ahead of the pawn, the first player wins no matter whose turn it is. This position with the pawn in front is a draw no matter who moves first! Black to move would simply play …Ke8-e7. With white to play:

The winning method

As in most endgames, lead with your king. Do not advance the pawn until necessary. When is it necessary? The moment your king can’t make further progress on his own:

Notice that white controls the e4, e5, and e6 squares with the king. That’s why 5…Kd6-d5 would not work for black; white would just push the pawn and the king when given the chance.

The Weaker Defense

A Better Defense

Black should play the king to e7, but it doesn’t make a difference.

Chess endgames for beginners: conclusion

Endgame books show a variety of basic mates, but beginners only need to know three basic mates. Other than that, players should know some basics about the King and Pawn vs. King endgame: commit The Key Winning Position to memory and remember to lead with the king!

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At club level, an unprepared black player can quickly find themselves in serious danger. White aims for a menacing setup like this:

Of course, black needs to survive long enough to face even this!

Traps

The Smith-Morra Gambit player hopes their adversary will fall into a nasty trap, and there are many. For example:

Or this one:

Many black players look to turn the tables on white with the so-called Siberian Trap:

To avoid accidents, many black players decline the gambit or give back the pawn immediately.

I’m not one of them. If I knew all my opponents would play the Smith-Morra, I would always answer 1.e4 with 1…c5. If the line is so great for white, why do top players not use it?

The Recipe

In the traps above, black has problems on e5 and b5, and uncoordinated pieces. Knowing what you’re up against makes it far easier to deal with!

There are many viable setups for black, but I defend the Smith-Morra with the line 2…cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6! Don’t rush that …Nf6 move.

Let’s see some examples.

Early Games

Debut by Transposition

According to the MegaBase, Dutch master Lodewijk Prins first reached the position after 6…a6 against Savielly Tartawkower in 1950, but couldn’t recover after his pieces got tangled early on. The game started as an O’Kelly Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6).

Battle of Titans

Fischer and Kortschnoj drew in Buenos Aires 1960, also after transposing from an O’Kelly.

San Antonio 1972: No Respect for the Smith-Morra

The Tournament Announcement for San Antonio 1972. Source: Chess Life and Review, October 1972

The Church’s Fried Chicken International, held in San Antonio, Texas in 1972 remains one of the strongest events ever held in the United States. Lajos Portisch, former World Champion Tigran V. Petrosian, and future World Champion Anatoly Karpov tied for first place with 10.5 points out of 15.

American master Ken Smith (the “Smith” in “Smith-Morra”) tried the gambit several times, but without success against such chess heavyweights.

Let’s take a look at two of those games. Both were played in the second half of the tournament when black could have expected the Smith-Morra Gambit.

Round 9 vs. Evans

We saw this American legend play a model game before. He does again here:

Evans also played in Buenos Aires 1960, so he would have known the Fischer—Kortschnoj game above.

Round 13 vs. Mecking

The future World #3 emulated the Kortschnoj/Evans treatment and then collected material.

The Bottom Line on the Smith-Morra

If you play the Sicilian you should be happy to face the Smith-Morra, or any Anti-Sicilian for that matter. Playable though they may be, Anti-Sicilians are inferior to the Open Sicilian,

Don’t use the common excuse “white knows their pet line better than I will.” Study! Learn how to deal with the annoying sidelines your opponent can throw at you, and thank them for not challenging you in the most critical way.

I don’t have a perfect record against the Smith-Morra Gambit, but I score better than 50%. Anytime you can say that with one of your black openings, that is a big success.

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