Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted
Chess opening · ECO B21 · 6 half-moves
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3
The Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted is reached after 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3. It is White's move in the position shown.
It branches from the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit with 2… cxd4 3. c3 dxc3.
How often it is played
The Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted and its variations appeared in 0.23% of games — 6,830 of 3,000,000 rated games sampled from Lichess in September 2026. That makes it number 171 of the openings listed here.
Results
White won 51%, 3.4% were drawn and Black won 45%. These are games between players of every strength and time control, so they say how the opening does in practice rather than how sound it is.
What the engine thinks
Stockfish, at depth 18, evaluates the position at -0.35 — a small edge for Black. Positive numbers favour White; see reading the evaluation bar.
Similar openings
The most-played alternatives — what else could have been chosen around the move where this opening begins.
| Opening | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian | 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 | 2.1% |
| Sicilian Defense: French Variation | 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 | 1.3% |
| Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations | 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 | 1.2% |
Main continuations
| Variation | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Paulsen Formation | 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 a6 | 0.02% |
| Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Fianchetto Defense | 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 g6 | 0.01% |
| Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Scheveningen Formation | 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 e6 | 0.01% |
| Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Pin Defense | 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Bb4 | 0.01% |
| Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Kan Formation | 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 e6 5. Nf3 a6 | 0.01% |
| Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation | 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nf3 | 0.01% |
| Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Classical Formation | 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bc4 a6 7. O-O Nf6 | 0.00% |
| Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Siberian Variation | 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Qc7 | 0.00% |
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