Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted | The Sensei Speedrun | GM Naroditsky 

Danya: In the higher ratings I will not be explaining basic concepts in the opening or basic tactics Also Danya: Since the pawn captures diagonally, it's protecting F6

The opponent won't be forgetting this one for at least a decade.

Let's be honest. We all knew what was coming the moment Danya pointed out that the King was boxed in.

Imagine learning all that smith morra theory and then blundering mate in 1

one thing danya doesnt mention when analyzing with an engine is that if an engine shows an advantage you should look at how many lines maintain that advantage and if its exactly one move then its likely a very hard position to play unless the move is terribly obvious.

Marc Essermans book “Mayhem in the Morra” is hands down the best book I’ve bought off chessable. The tactics are insane!! Highly recommended.

Brutal checkmate. That's the kind of move I'd make🤣

There still hasn't been a single Morra game in the speedrun where Danya has been able to showcase the true power of the gambit. Most have just been really anticlimactic blunders by black.

I’ve been playing the morra for about 10 years now. Started playing it when I was around 15. Saw it on Kingscrusher’s ICC blitz RU-vid videos. Bought Mayhem in the Morra when I was 18. By far, and it’s not even close, my favorite chess book. The writing is engaging and hilarious. The lines are crazy. The romantic spirit seeps through every variation. Cannot recommend it highly enough. I’m 1800 USCF now and the Morra is still my weapon of choice against the Sicilian.

I had an 11 move win in the Morra against a 1950 in a classical OTB game this week. After I put the knight on d5, my opponent just collapsed. Psychologically such a strong opening.

Keep the videos coming Danya. I have watched every single speed run and instantly click every single speed run that is released. I fuckin love this series my Elo is only going up and I'm barely playing these days just watching your videos

You're my biggest inspiration as a chess player.

The opponent is probably like "WHY THE HELL DIDNT I TAKE THAT KNIGHT?!"

The guy wanted to play g5. Thought for about a minute about it, played it anyway and did not realize mate in 1. 1900s

Just wanted to say thanks for the speedrun series. I watched every single one over the course of some weeks. Started playing shortly after that. Been playing for 3 weeks now. Used to play occasionally against the windows computer and sometimes watch chess games as entertainment but had never played online or in real life. The strategical insight from watching the speedruns has ben amazing. I'm 1300 now online in 10 min games with something like 100 wins and 40 losses (started at lowest possible rating so required lots of games to climb). I think I can keep climbing quite a bit yet. I know it's low rating but still seems pretty fast progress. Have been doing TONS of chess puzzles as well since I started watching the speedruns. That's obviously key for improving quickly. I do feel like the strategical insight from your vidoes though has given me a big edge at this lower rating. I don't know any openings in depth but I almost always get an advantage out of the opening by just trying to adapt what I have learned from the speedruns. Usually play pirc, hyper/accel dragon as black and ruy lopez, c3 sicilian as white. Losses has been either blunders or running out of time because I am to slow in the opening and early middle game. Anyways keep up the great work. Chess is awesome. :)

Hey Danya, really enjoy these videos. I have recently climbed my blitz rating from about 800 to 1200 by playing the Smith Morra and Sicilian even with no prep and just my tactics. Thank you for being a legend

I'd really love to see a video about those 10-15 fundamental books in any chess library.

best chess channel ever,tnx daniel

I was disappointed by the short game but actually liked the analysis, this gambit is awesome.

thank you for this content

I think Daniel's explanations are fantastic in all his videos, I learn a lot with them. But I would like to see another kind of openings, for example Philidor, Caro Pirc, Reti... Thanks for your work!

My favourite teacher. Thank you

In my day.... Says a guy in his 20s, hahaha. Thanks for the videos, love what you are doing for chess. Keep up the good work!

Beautiful

Epic Mate!

Thank you

And like a magnet, the exact wrong move is made! Yeah, pressure induced! Gg, good lesson.

And it was in this position we start a completely new game

Bro danya went crazy he sacs a piece every game now. lol and he said on the beginning of the speedrun that hes gonna play solidly

Definelty get mayhem in the Morra. Genuinely the best chess book I’ve ever read.

Daniel “The Prophet” Naroditsky!!!

1900 hung mate in 1

You should put together a must have reading list for chess books. Could even turn it into a video for content.

These vids brought me from 1500 to 1900

I love that you talk about books first thing! But I prefer collecting sheet music!

I'm kind of proud of myself for seeing Be3 Nxd5! Not sure I would have spotted that in a real game, as I would probably have just played exd5 immediately as black. You are making me want to learn the Smith Morra, Danya! Great video as always, great shame the opponent blundered the mate, it could have led to interesting positions otherwise.

I'd recommend Mark's book. It's really in depth and amazing

thanks

After Na5 Esserman plays Bd5. After exchanging on b7, white can often throw the knight on d5 even after having put the bishop there. Amazing right?

crazy sacrifice had no idea u could do that

Funny.. In a position roughly @8:50, I would have semi-instinctively went for a 'hope-chess-variation' with Bf6, but looking at the position for ~30 seconds, I figured it would have been a very bad move :-)

Accurate moves by white, but as you pointed out d6 is the move for black. It's uncomfortable for black, but after d6 black unwinds because the d5 knight is now under threat because black can clog the e file with Ne5 at the right time (obviously black doesn't mind losing a pawn if a piece was won in the meantime). Black just needs to keep his cool and not panic which is true of many black opening schemes. As a NM who has played both sides of the Morra for 30+ years I can attest to the value of Esserman's book. I would recommend this book not just for those who want to play either side of the Morra, but to anyone wanting a better understanding of how positional play and initiative are related. The Morra exemplifies the famous Fischer quote "tactics flow from strong positions". And that's the challenge for black - avoiding a fatal compromising of the position while muting the white initiative. Objectively I don't think the Morra is sound (and Esserman underestimates some of the black set ups), but you need to be a stout defender to prove that. Everybody loves to gambit a pawn and attack, but players need to work on their defensive skills as well. Sometimes it pays to play like Iron Tigran. It still is one of my blitz favorites though.

danya's videos have replaced my chess library

Wow today I learned I play around the level of a 1900 (blunder M1 out of the opening)

Hey Danya, I was wondering if you've ever seen/tried a new game that came out called "Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate." It's based on chess rules but with some significant twists and is gaining some traction in the twitch sphere. I'm really interested in seeing how a GM would approach it.

The prophet has arrived

why this feels that I have seen this video many times although is new

Seems like the 3 or 4 am game is always the most instructive lol

The last few moves were similar to Radjabov vs. Anand World Blitz Championship 2006

I wanted to laugh at this 1900, but then rememberd I blundered the 8 move caro kann smothered mate when I was 1900 myself

🐐🐐

Danya "the python" Naroditsky

The white pawn on d6 is thematic for the Halloween Gambit for which also a pony is sacrificed. But in this gambit black is slower to develop with this c5 nonsense. The biggest difference is the other knight gets saced so in the Halloween game Nb5 and Nc7 is a common threat.

Daniel, I just purchases the mayhem book you recommend. What are the 15 books you recommend?

I was feeling terrible after blundering a mate in a level endgame - just trapped my king and snuffed it. Watching someone 500 points better do this makes me feel slightly better.

On the subject of books, games collection books are good. I started playing 7 or 8 months ago. I got stuck around 800 then read my 60 memorable games. After I read that book I went from 800 to now being 1300. This is on lichess I'm actually 1100 over the board I think. I don't play much over the board because of anxiety but when I have played I drew against an 1800 at my club. I've never played tournaments or anything though so not amazing but I will say getting past 1000 was mostly down to me reading my 60 memorable games

Newbie note to future mediocre me… do not accept the Morra😆 I want to echo the suggestion of a minimal chess library video. I’d also love to see a more in-depth look at analyzing one’s own games (not assuming any “chess partner” or money/luck for solid coaching, etc.). That’d be such a valuable chess-for-life skill! I’ve already looked at several videos about it and am, well, less than impressed. The GM Danya take would be so valuable.

How does a 1900 think for a minute and miss smothered mate in 1? Guess thats just what playing Danya does to you.

In the line played, on lichess opening explorer, after h6 Bh4, g5 is the most played move! Average rating 2146!! Then Nf6 checkmate is played only 8 out of 17 times!!! Average rating of players that did not play Nf6 checkmate is about 2200!!!

thank you mr editor for the time you put into putting these vids up for us youtube plebs

Mayhem in the Morra doesn't cover 8...Bb7 but Esserman plays rook E1 in response, saving Nd5 for later where that rook eyes the king.

I feel tempted to laugh about this

woohooo!

at 20:52 for example, why is d6 strong for black? i cant see how it aids development in any way. is it just to prevent white from pushing d6 in the event of takes twice on d5, opening up that possibility of taking the knight?

1900 blunders mate in 1. Wow.

Danya, would you be able to try a delayed alapin (1.e4 2.Nf3 3.c3) sometime?

for a 1900 with plenty of time, this is just shocking

how is it possible that I play people have this rating and they never blunder like this...:) great series though, thank you very much

The most difficult thing in Morra is to keep the initiative. As soon as black gets to trade and block in his position white knows he runs out of ideas and has to go into end game. Usually a pawn down. For black I recommend to play accelerated dragon against Morra. There you have a late middlegame at around move 6

I’m rated about 1100, do you have any book recommendations for me? Great videos, you rock

well at least we know his opponent doesn't cheat! 🧐

He says you don't need more than 10 or 15 books as if it's normal to get that many books about chess lol

Gambit accepted, and the video is exactly 22 minutes long. uh oh!

all books are online for free if you do your research

I honestly don’t get how a 1900 can blunder a mate in 1 like this… maybe got nervous knowing he’s playing The Sensei himself?

1900 just blundered mate in 1... wow

How can someone watch you in live? I just never see it..

Surprising to see a 1900 rated player miss that with ample thinking time tbh.

I dare you to call a bar during candidates and ask for Ben oni

Maybe online chess ratings are sometimes massively inflated?? How can a player of that "caliber" miss a simple 1 move mating threat??

Managed to trash WIM with Smith-Morra gambit and ended up literally handing her over the queen for free. :(

Would it be possible to play 10+0? Love your speedrun and explanation i just find the 15 min to be too long…

9:03

Why not other openings besides scotch and smith morra? If you have salty Keynesian managers tell them to go away and that they are not needed.

At 8:54, the Prophet strikes again! 😱9:30

Polska Gurom!

Danya not only have you increased my chess rating but also my ladies rating. My ladies rating was 1000 before watching your videos now im 1300 SCORE!

7/10 id see that mate in a bullet game let alone rapid. pretty embarrassing for 1900

gold tokens

Please d4 We want d4

Can you play the game 1.f3 2.e5 3.g4?🙂

first?

Stop putting such 1 move blunder games dude, theyre such mood killers

You know speedrun means fast right? Not over 3 months lmao