ecocodes
Volume B · Semi-open games‹ B20B22 ›
a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8
Reference position · Black to move

B21 Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack

Also filed here: Bird Opening.

B21 holds 42 named lines from two openings, most of them (41) under Sicilian Defense. It leaves B20 (Sicilian Defense) with 2.f4. Material is no longer level at the end of 33 of its lines; the widest gap, two pawns in Black’s favour, comes in Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted. With 42 named lines it is the largest code of the 80 Sicilian Defense codes.

Score sheet
#WhiteBlack
1e4c5
2f4

Moves only B21 plays

Same as B20 up to 1...c5, then:

  1. 2.f4 The f-pawn advances two squares to f4, covering e5 and g5.

Lines filed under B21

All 42 share the start 1.e4 c5 and then split two ways at White’s move 2.

NameAfter the shared startPliesAt the end
Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack2.f43
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit2.d43
Sicilian Defense: Halasz Gambit2.d4 cxd4 3.f45Black +1
Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack, Toilet Variation2.f4 d5 3.Nc35
Sicilian Defense: Morphy Gambit2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf35Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit2.d4 cxd4 3.c35Black +1
Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit2.f4 d5 3.Nf3 dxe46Black +1
Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e66
Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack, Tal Gambit2.f4 d5 3.exd5 Nf66White +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc36Black +2
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Declined, Alapin Formation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 Nf66Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Declined, Center Formation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 e56Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Declined, Push Variation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 d36Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Declined, Scandinavian Formation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 d56Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Declined, Wing Formation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 Qa56Black +1
Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.d37
Sicilian Defense: Morphy Gambit, Andreaschek Gambit2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3 e5 4.c37Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Danish Variation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nf37Black +2
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Declined, Dubois Variation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 d3 4.c47Black +1
Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.Bb5 Bg78
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Fianchetto Defense2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 g68Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Coles Sicilian Gambit2.d4 cxd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qd1 Nf6 5.Bc49
Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.Bb5 Bg7 5.c3 Nf610
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Fianchetto Defense2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 g610Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Fianchetto Defense2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 d6 5.Nf3 g610Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Kan Formation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 e6 5.Nf3 a610Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Fianchetto Defense2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 g612Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Morphy Defense2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Bc512Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Paulsen Formation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 a612Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Pin Defense2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Bb412Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Scheveningen Formation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 e612Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Siberian Variation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Qc712Black +1
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Taimanov Formation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 e6 5.Bc4 a6 6.Nf3 Ne712Black +1
Sicilian Defense: McDonnell Attack2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.Bb5 Bg7 5.Bxc6 bxc6 6.O-O d6 7.d3 Nf614White castled
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Chicago Defense2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 d6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.O-O a614Black +1, White castled
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Classical Formation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 7.O-O Nf614Black +1, White castled
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Finegold Defense2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 e6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 7.O-O Be7 8.Qe2 Nf616Black +1, White castled
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Larsen Defense2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Qc7 7.Qe2 a6 8.O-O Bd616Black +1, White castled
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Morphy Defense Deferred2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 a6 7.O-O b5 8.Bb3 Bc516Black +1, White castled
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Siberian Variation, Siberian Trap2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Qc7 7.Qe2 Nf6 8.O-O Ng416Black +1, White castled
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Sozin Formation2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Bc4 e6 6.Nf3 d6 7.O-O a6 8.Qe2 b516Black +1, White castled
Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Chicago Defense2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Bc4 e6 6.Nf3 d6 7.O-O a6 8.Qe2 b5 9.Bb3 Ra718Black +1, White castled

The road to B21

  1. 1.e4B00 King’s Pawn Game
  2. 1...c5B20 Sicilian Defense
  3. 2.f4B21

The position after 2.f4

Black is to move and has 22 legal moves.

WhiteBlackMaterial (pawn units)3939Minor pieces developed00Moves spent on pawns21Pawns on d4, e4, d5, e510Squares attacked in the other half72not castlednot castled

Closest boards in other codes

CodeLineDiffers on
A02Bird Openingfour squares: e2, e4, c5, c7
B00King’s Pawn Gamefour squares: f2, f4, c5, c7
B10Caro-Kann Defensefour squares: f2, f4, c5, c6
B22Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variationfour squares: c2, f2, c3, f4
B23Sicilian Defense: Closedfour squares: b1, f2, c3, f4
B27Sicilian Defensefour squares: g1, f2, f3, f4
C30King’s Gambitfour squares: c5, e5, c7, e7

Where lines continue from here

One named line filed under other codes passes through the position after 2.f4. It belongs to C30.

Volume C

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