Innhold:

• Foreword by Larry Christiansen 4
• Foreword by Loek van Wely 5
• Key to Symbols used 6
• Preface by the Author 7
• Introduction – The Much Maligned Morra 11

• Morra Methodology 29

• Morra Accepted

  • 1 Siberian Wilderness 31
  • 2 The Scheveningens 57
  • 3 The Scheveningens II 77
  • 4 Into the Deep 97
  • 5 The King in the Windy City – the Chicago Defense 121
  • 6 Slaying the Dragon 139
  • 7 The Professional’s Choice – ¤ge[00]7 155
  • 8 Early Bishop Out – ¤ge[00]7 Reloaded? 183
  • 9 Taylor’s Temple of Doom 203
  • 10 Finegold’s Final Frontier 233
  • 11 Searching the Stars for a Refutation 245
• Morra Declined
  • 12 Potpourri 253
  • 13 Crushing 3...d3 with the Morra-Maroczy: squeeze, squeeze, destroy! 271
  • 14 The Noxious 3...¤f6 283
  • Appendix – Supplemental Games 313
  • Endnotes 345
  • Works Cited 348
  • Game Index 350
  • Variation Index 353
  • Transpositions 359

FORORD av GM Loek van Wely

The first time I met Marc was at the Foxwoods Open in 2009. Friends had warned me about him. After the game, which I won, it became clear to me that Marc is a passionate lover of chess who likely dedicates more time to analyzing the game than many top GMs.

Our rematch took place at the 2011 US Open in Orlando. Marc played the Morra Gambit! What !#%?@?$!%! I had just recently visited Boston, where Marc resides. There I played some blitz games in Harvard Square versus his friend, Jorge Sammour-Hasbun, who also used this “weapon”. When Marc ventured 1.e4 c5 2.d4, I thought, “Is he serious? Are we going to play coffeehouse today?” Now I know the answer, and the answer is yes! I got crushed in an impressive way, leaving me both groggy and completely mad, forcing me to consider the Morra seriously for the first time in my life. After the tournament, Marc and I had a thematic blitz match to test our ideas.

I must admit, life still isn’t easy against the Morra. I am sure that in this book, Marc will provide you with many interesting ideas and analysis. I am also convinced that you will have some enjoyable attacking games, at the cost of only one pawn!
Grandmaster Loek van Wely, Winner of countless tournaments and former top 10 player