Smash the Sicilian with the Smith-Morra Gambit SN_required false Recently I was faced with

Recently I was faced with the situation of playing White against Vladimir Malakhov in a very important game at the 2012 European Championship

Noted for his fighting spirit and unusual opening novelties

and his own articles on chess strategy and theory

With that in mind

but it also has a defining character in many other open games

Smash the Sicilian with the Smith-Morra Gambit SN_required false Recently I was faced withWhat to do against the Sicilian? 1. e4 c5 2. d4! Is a great attacking weapon against the popular Sicilian Defense. On his second move, White sacrifices a pawn for rapid development and good attacking opportunities. And if Black doesn't know his way around, he can easily fall into one of the many insidious opening traps! In any case, you will pose concrete problems for your opponent right from the start and put him under pressure move after move. Let