Smith-Morra Gambit Declined, Alapin Formation

After 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3, Black leaves the c3-pawn alone and counterattacks e4 with 3...Nf6. Accepting with 3...dxc3 hands White the lead in development and open lines the gambit is meant to produce. The knight move instead drives the e-pawn forward and lets Black meet both the Smith-Morra and the Alapin (2. c3) with a single body of preparation. The answer 4. e5, chosen in roughly four games out of five, is followed by 4...Nd5, and after 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. cxd4 the position matches the Alapin line 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nf3 Nc6. White has an advanced e-pawn and a d4-pawn, while Black targets that center with the knights and later pawn breaks, much as in an Alekhine-type structure.

White's other tries, 4. cxd4 and 4. Bd3, are far less common. Of the two, 4. Bd3 holds up better for White in the database, and 4. cxd4 scores poorly. Overall Black scores slightly better than White in online play, and the engine regards the position as roughly balanced.