The Modern Morra Gambit: A Dynamic Weapon Against the Sicilian [Paperback]

Hannes Langrock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2007

Attack the Sicilian Defense aggressively with the Morra Gambit. Starting with 1 e4 c5 2 d4 cxd4 3 c3, it is well suited for players striving for tactical and uncompromising play, as White’s better development often leads to a dangerous initiative. Further, traditional Sicilian players may be taken by surprise and removed from their main line repertoire. If you take the time to The positions that arise are extremely difficult to play, especially if the defender is not familiar with them. One mistake by Black frequently means the end of the game. The theoretical material is divided into eleven chapters. • Chapters 1-10 deal with the Morra Gambit accepted and all begin with the starting position after 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 • Chapter 11 investigates the Morra Gambit declined • An appendix discusses the pros and cons of delaying the pawn sacrifice • Every stem game is introduced by a heading Studying the Morra Gambit, will bring excellent practical results.

Product Details

• Paperback: 334 pages
• Publisher: Russell Enterprises (March 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888690321
• ISBN-13: 978-1888690323
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,697,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A thorough treatment of a controversial opening, November 5, 2007

By 

Frederick, chess master (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Modern Morra Gambit: A Dynamic Weapon Against the Sicilian (Paperback)

The pawn sacrifice 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 against the Sicilian Defense is known as the Morra Gambit after the Frenchman who advocated it several decades ago, or (usually in the U.S.) as the Smith-Morra Gambit, referring to the late Ken Smith, a Senior Master who was a staunch advocate of the gambit, but scored 0-3 with it at the San Antonio 1972 international chess tournament. The gambit is usually ridiculed by grandmasters, but has many advocates among lesser players. White gets some play for a pawn, though probably not quite enough if Black knows what he is doing. If he doesn't (and many amateurs won't), White has excellent chances to score a swashbuckling tactical victory.

Langrock's book is far and away the best book ever written on the gambit. It is also the most objective: Langrock, although an advocate of the gambit, tries hard to be even-handed in his assessments. Unlike some other authors, he admits when a line is good for Black. For example, Langrock admits that Black has scored a staggering 12.5 out of 13 games after 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 7.0-0?! (his assessment; he recommends 7.Bg5 Nf6 8.Bxf6) Nf6 8.Qe2 Bg4! 9.Rd1 e6 10.Bf4 Qb8! 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Be7. He also admits that some lines that other analysts have pronounced weak, such as the fianchetto variation with an early ...g6, and the "Chicago Variation" with ...a6, ...b5, and ...Ra7-d7, are sufficient for equality with best play. He even acknowledges that 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 e5, which has been almost universally condemned, may be playable. Langrock also has a great deal of original analysis.

The only serious problem with the book is its organization. Langrock buries two important lines (the aforementioned 6...a6, which he calls "the notorious 6...a6!?") and the Finegold Defense (with ...d6, ...e6, ...Nf6, ...a6, and ...Nbd7) on pages 278 and 248 of Chapter 10, entitled "Sidelines," where they are very difficult to find. This is a very odd placement, since Langrock calls the Finegold Defense "very important" and, as noted above, admits that Black has scored 12.5-.5 in what has been considered the main line of "the notorious 6...a6!?" Notorious, indeed. The Finegold Defense was the subject of a well-reviewed book by Bob Ciaffone and International Master Finegold (one of the highest-rated IM's in the world), while Grandmaster Joe Gallagher recommends 6...a6 in his popular book "Beating the Anti-Sicilians."

Despite this flaw, anyone interested in playing the Morra Gambit should certainly get this book. Devotees of the Sicilian may also want to get it to see what their gambit-playing opponents will be reading. Anyone who gets this book should also read the reviews by IM's John Donaldson, Jeremy Silman, and John Watson, available on the Internet, all of which further the theoretical discussion.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good review of a very popular opening, July 11, 2007

By 

M. H. Smith "chessmansmith" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Modern Morra Gambit: A Dynamic Weapon Against the Sicilian (Paperback)

I was not planning to reveiw this book. however, when I saw the other reveiwer give it only 1 star I had to chime in to remedy this travesty.

The book, contents, diagrams, text, explainations, and game examples are all excellent. This is the most up-to-date work on this opening.

I share the other reveiwers frustration with some of the format - the font used and the layout do not "flow" as nice as some chess books. but the content and learning value is otherwise quite good.

I have played the Morra gambit for several years in both OTB and Internet play with results that are generally way beyond my rating level. (I make up for it with poor results in other openings :) that bring my rating back down to earth.

My practical results have been excellent. Most players, especially below the expert level consistently fall into well known traps.

But I digress - if you are looking for a good up-to-date book on the Morra grab a copy of this work, spend a few hours to get boned up, and then go trash someone !

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I'm not an artist, I'm a butcher!", December 12, 2007

By 

"Franky" "chess nut" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Modern Morra Gambit: A Dynamic Weapon Against the Sicilian (Paperback)

What's not to like about this book? Coverage? Both broad and deep. Currency? With the exception of e-sources, this is the state of the art for the Morra. Bias? The author admits he is a fan of the gambit, but that only serves to enhance my impression that he did his absolute best to be even handed. I detected none of the "get rich quick" mentality that can easily be found in too many other opening books. In short, if you want a violent, exciting and sound way to take most Sicilian "robots" waaaay out of their comfort zone you simply could not do better than this definitive tome. Leave your opponents to complain about the aesthetics of your choice, you merely pile up the points with one brutal attack after another. Is that a chain saw I hear in the background?