Morra

 

The Morra Gambit arises after the moves 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3. It received a rush of popularity after the book “Mayhem in the Morra” by Marc Esserman came out in 2012. Here is what I think about the Morra, put into two tenets:

Accepting the Morra Gambit without knowledge is very dangerous for Black.
There are many sharp lines and the white players are normally well prepared specialists.

Accepting the Morra Gambit equipped with knowledge, however, will grant you a slight advantage.
After all, White sacrifices a pawn for just one tempo and Black’s position has no weakness. Hence, we can conclude insufficient compensation.

I my view, you should punish incorrect chess, wherever you meet it, given you have the resources and a principled approach to chess. I dealt with the problem in a very concrete way and detected the following soft spots of the opening. With my 3 modules you are capable to make life miserable for the Morra bully and force him to look for a more decent alternative.

8..Bb7

                                                                                                        Module 1: 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 a6 7.0-0 b5 8.Bb3 Bb7 =+

Morra Nge7

                                                                                                        Module 2: 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 a6 7.0-0 Nge7 =+

Morra Bb4 2

                                                                                                        Module 3: 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Bb4 7.0-0 Nge7 =+

 

1 module: EUR 20

Full package: EUR 40

Now, you can start to look forward to your next Morra encounter!

For more information see posts 55 – 57.