It's ridiculous to say you get the same attacking chances and lead in development with the mainline Sicilian as the Morra.

Anyone who says that knows neither the mainlines Sicilians nor the Morra.

My 2 cents.

As far as anti-sicilians go 2.c3 is probably the best, up there with the Bb5+ stuff.

Some good reading material on the line:

Starting Out: The c3 Sicilian by John Emms

Play the 2.c3 Sicilian by Harley and Rozentalis

Chess Explained: c3 Sicilian by Sam Collins

I think it's a good choice for white players who want decent positions but don't have the millenia of study-time required to play the open sicilians.

Even though 2. c3 isn't the mainline, it's still quite popular, so sicilian players would be prepared for that. It's just too "good" to be used as a surprise weapon to take someone away from their comfort zone. People will expect it. I'm a sicilian player, and 2. c3 is like the second most popular move after the mainline!

You need something gambity or strange, like a wing gambit, or maybe 2...b3.

I've started walking down the very same path. Ditching the Morra for the c3.  All things being said about what is good, what is good enough or what isn't are fine...but if you are at a rating level that warrants a shift to grown-up openings, haven't you figured out that all the openings are (at this level you are probably at) is a way to survive into the middle-game with at least an equal position?

Surely you don't expect to trap a strong club player or expert every single time just because he didn't book up a suprise weapon? Seriously ... you guys ought to give the strong players out here a little more respect :)

Morra-Smith all the way.

I wish people would stop dissuading people from playing the Morra. We Black players like the free pawn.

Milan Matulovic

Do you Black players also like the 10% record you have vs me when I venture the Morra?

And game I just played using the morra smith. Giving that half of you probably aren't up to this level, perhaps it's not such a bad opening ;)

Bf4 and Bd3 is wrong though, RR. In that game, 5.Nf3 and then if 5...Bb4, 6.Qd4! is strong.

 Challenge issued & accepted :)

But im only 2000 not 2200 like you ( CC ratings )... But I'll improve!

Ya, I'm not telling you to criticise, only to inform :)

I know pretty much everything about the Morra there is to know, I think.

I even have my own novelty that I played and won with against a 2200-2300 player here a month or so ago :D

Sorry - I  wasn't clear - I appreciate you informing me!

If that is true, would you help me learn it through and through? I really enjoy playing it :D. I've been looking at the games of Milan Matulovic and they have been instructive, but 1 to 1 would be even better!

Why not try the Wing Attack, 2. b4?

RR - could do, not sure how that would work here :)

Wing gambit is poo :p

Lol yeah, It seems like the only difference is that white gets the c file for possible use and maybe one extra piece out but the c file doesn't have much to do with a kingside attack though it may prevent black from using it so it does seem the same as the open. Although I don't think it's a good choice for white, it is very trappy I saw a line that was very natural something that I would play if I didn't know the lines and it leads to a forced loss so it at least needs study just in case someone tries it.

It's true that very few players seem to know how to handle the black side of Morra but when you play someone who knows the theory, you're really going to want your pawn back....

As far as anti-Sicilians go, the Alapin is the one that I hate to see.

I looked at the theory behind the S-M awhile back and it seems to be yet another unsound gambit.

If I played 1.e4 I would think that the 2.c3 Sicilian would be my best bet, but I'd probably need to buy a book on it.

Maybe I can just "wing" my way through the open Sicilian. Can't be too hard.

Unsound is too harsh in my opinion.  Like the King's Gambit, it's ineffectual if black knows the theory and lethal if he doesn't.  Few people seem to know the theory which is why many players report phenomenal results when they play it.  As soon as you start regularly encountering an early e6/a6, the Smith-Morra loses much of it's appeal....