Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Deferred
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. c3
The Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Deferred is a chess opening classified as ECO B40, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. c3. It is a line of the Sicilian Defense. Black is to move.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 1,660 times by this move order. White won 51%, 4% were drawn and Black won 45%. The most popular continuation is 4… dxc3 (55% of games).
Engine evaluation: −0.14 (Stockfish, depth 55; best line 4… dxc3 5. Nxc3 Nc6 6. Be2 Nf6 7. O-O)
- ECO
- B40
- Moves
- 7 plies
- FEN
rnbqkbnr/pp1p1ppp/4p3/8/3pP3/2P2N2/PP3PPP/RNBQKB1R b KQkq - 0 4- PGN
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. c3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 107 | |
| 1500-1999 | 869 | |
| 2000+ | 684 | |
| All | 1,660 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 4… dxc3 | 911 (55%) | |
| 4… Nf6 | 175 (11%) | |
| 4… Nc6 | 170 (10%) | |
| 4… d3 | 149 (9%) | |
| 4… a6 | 145 (9%) | |
| 4… d5 | 77 (5%) | |
| 4… d6 | 16 (1%) | |
| 4… Ne7 | 3 (0%) |
Master games
480 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 35%, draw 10%, Black 55%). The strongest:
- GM Daniil Dubov (2710) – GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2770) 0-1 · Titled Arena Apr 3rd 2021 · 2021-04-03
- GM Daniil Dubov (2710) – GM Chithambaram VR. Aravindh (2641) 1/2-1/2 · Titled Arena Apr 3rd 2021 · 2021-04-03
- GM Daniil Dubov (2710) – GM Eric Hansen (2606) 1-0 · Titled Arena Apr 3rd 2021 · 2021-04-03
- GM Vadim Moiseenko (2517) – GM Evgeny Alekseev (2627) 0-1 · 71st ch-RUS HL 2018 · 2018-06-30
- GM Daniil Dubov (2710) – FM Peter Sadilek (2345) 1-0 · Titled Arena Apr 3rd 2021 · 2021-04-03
Search all games of the Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Deferred and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- habibi2026 (2572) – Alex_Muezersky (2652) 0-1 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
- IM AAlmeidaTX (2547) – IM cant_handle_h5 (2585) 0-1 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
- IM AAlmeidaTX (2548) – IM cant_handle_h5 (2583) 1-0 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4
More Sicilian Defense lines (all)
- Sicilian Defense (1. e4 c5) B20
- Sicilian Defense: Amazon Attack B20
- Sicilian Defense: Big Clamp Formation B20
- Sicilian Defense: Bowdler Attack B20
- Sicilian Defense: Brick Variation B20
- Sicilian Defense: Czerniak Attack B20
- Sicilian Defense: Czerniak Attack, Queen Fianchetto Variation B20
- Sicilian Defense: Euwe Attack, Prins Gambit B20
- Sicilian Defense: Gloria Variation B20
- Sicilian Defense: Grob Variation B20
- Sicilian Defense: Keres Variation B20
- Sicilian Defense: King David's Opening B20
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.