Depends on the situation in which I am. In blitz or bullet games I prefer the Smith-Morra gambit because it is quite sharp and you get a rapid development. In slower situations I prefer a slower set up and I just play the main-line
Sicilian Defence (1 e4 c5), then Mainline or Anti?
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Is the Smith-Morra gambit the Morra gambit? Burgess calls the Morra gambit, "...a club players favourite. It is lively and speculative. There are myriad pitfalls if Black is unprepared."
The Morra gambit:
My Blitz rating improved greatly after playing the King's Gambit as White. Is the Morra gambit in a similar vein?
Apr 3, 2017
0
#4
The Morra is a closer relative of the Goring Gambit and black can also transpose into a c3 sicilian
SuirenBoid wrote:
yes Yigor, I think everyone gets that
Not me, Yigor kindly answered my question. Thanks again, Yigor.
Mostly only Americans call it the Smith-Morra. I think Ken Smith lobbied hard to attach his name to it. IMO a little vain. I think he wrote a foreword in a book justifying it.... I mean, what if I was to try and get an opening named after me - or something like a strategy that implied the compulsion to move was a losing proposition ?
Apr 3, 2017
0
#9
the open variation (the mainline) is more fun to play as both sides. (especially the nadjorf.) play whatever suits you, start by playing the open if you don't like then play the closed variation. the alapin is good but it's better to play the closed in my opinion.
The C3 Sicilian is the King's pawn cousin of the London 
Ziggy_Zugzwang wrote:
The C3 Sicilian is the King's pawn cousin of the London
How? Many attacking players have tried the c3 Sicilian. Including Deep Blue, who beat Kasparov with it. There are very sharp lines such as 1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nf5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bc4 Nb6 6. Bb3 c4 7. Bc2, and the ending after 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. dxc5 with a good deal of theory.
Opening stereotypes are almost always oversimplifications and often just not true.
Many Anti-Sicilians you can play:
-c3 Sicilian, where you can choose after Nf6 whether to play the normal d4 and c3xd4 lines, to play the gambits with d4 and Bc4, or to play Nf3 and Bc4 before d4. And on d5 you can play for the dxc5 endgames or play with Nbd2 and Bc4, or just normal IQP development. Another option is to play a delayed c3 Sicilian with 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. h3 (Nxe4?? Qa4+ 1-0)
-2. Nc3, and on Nc6 you could play the Grand Prix with f4, or the Tiviakov Grand Prix which I've played a few times with Bb5, intending Bxc6. I kind of like this line. Problem I've always had is when opponents play 2...e6, although against this you can play the Closed Sicilian. 2...d6 you have a choice between the Closed, 3. f4 with an "improved" Grand Prix, or 3. Bb5+ again, and all have advantages. 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. a4 is an idea.
-2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+, and the way I like to play this line if black plays Bd7 (very strong players will prefer Nd7, and against this you can play 4. 0-0 a6 5. Bd3 with idea c3-Bc2 etc) 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. b3!? Nc6 10. Bb2 and for this you can look up Étienne Bacrot vs Anish Giri from a few years ago, memorize that game, look at annotations that have been done of it, and then you will understand how to play. Of course you can also play 3. Bb5 against 2...Nc6, which is the Rossolimo, and a very respected opening which Caruana, Rublevsky, and many others have liked.
-Even within the "Open Sicilian" there are ways to go into offbeat lines, like the Prins Variation with 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. f3!? with idea to play c4. This is also a perfectly playable line and it was even used by Carlsen in the last playoff game vs Karjakin. Carlsen only needed a draw, so it is telling that this is the choice of the world's best player when he is trying to minimize losing chances for his opponent.
Don't ever feel you have to play the Open Sicilian. There are many GMs out there who prefer to play Bb5 or specialize in c3 or Nc3 lines.
Any move is good if you have the chance to undo it I suppose.
Smith-Morra gambit is the way to go for blitz or regular time controls! If you study the theory white is doomed always regardless if he accepts or not.
Of course this is my opinion and I am no one in the chess world, but check Esserman's book.
s
dpnorman wrote:
Ziggy_Zugzwang wrote:
The C3 Sicilian is the King's pawn cousin of the London
How? Many attacking players have tried the c3 Sicilian. Including Deep Blue, who beat Kasparov with it. There are very sharp lines such as 1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nf5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bc4 Nb6 6. Bb3 c4 7. Bc2, and the ending after 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. dxc5 with a good deal of theory.
Opening stereotypes are almost always oversimplifications and often just not true.
I never make generalisations...
The opening stats in explorer after 1e4 c5 are 34/33/34. Compared to other Sicilians, quite telling.
Apr 3, 2017
0
#17
I've had some luck as White with the c3 (Alapin) Sicilian and have been studying the Closed Sicilian, which often grabs a lot of K-side space early: 1 e4 c5 2 Nc3, then often 3 g3 4 Bg2 5 d3 6 f4. I've been unlucky with it so far (offline) but it was a favorite of Spassky's and seems to offer a lot of attacking chances. Opening Explorer only gives 27% wins for White and 42% wins for Black after f4, but it's almost the exact opposite, 41-43% White wins and around 28% Black wins after 1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 Nf3. So maybe I'll hold back those pawns and see what I can do with pieces!
A lot of possibilities (open and nonopen) are introduced in Starting Out: The Sicilian, GM John Emms.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627122350/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen123.pdf
Suggestions can be found in:
A Simple Chess Opening Repertoire for White by Sam Collins
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/A_Simple_Chess_Opening_Repertoire_for_White.pdf
My First Chess Opening Repertoire for White by Vincent Moret
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/9033.pdf
Chris Baker's A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire
http://www.theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/more-nco-gambits-and-repertoires
John Emms's Attacking with 1.e4
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627003909/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen29.pdf
http://www.theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/one-book-repertoires-online-bargain
Kaufman's original repertoire book, The Chess Advantage in Black and White
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626223458/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen62.pdf
http://www.theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/in-the-beginning-there-was-theory
Sam Collins's An Attacking Repertoire for White
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627122005/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen66.pdf
Chess Openings for White, Explained by Alburt, Dzindzichashvili & Perelshteyn (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627032909/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen89.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626210017/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen132.pdf
http://www.theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/good...good...good...disastrous
The King's Indian attack - Move by Move by GM Neil McDonald (2014)
Starting Out: King's Indian Attack by John Emms (2005)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627034051/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen81.pdf
The Complete c3 Sicilian by Evgeny Sveshnikov (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626234618/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen141.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/944.pdf
How to Beat the Sicilian Defence by Gawain Jones (2011)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626195254/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen147.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/6085.pdf
Starting Out: Closed Sicilian by Richard Palliser (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626175558/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen87.pdf
The Grand Prix Attack by Evgeny Sveshnikov (2013)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626232217/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen171.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/979.pdf
Mayhem in the Morra by Marc Esserman (2012) https://web.archive.org/web/20140627043409/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen160.pdf
The Rossolimo Sicilian by Victor Bologan
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626195254/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen147.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/952.pdf
Rossolimo and Friends by Alexei Kornev (2015)
http://gainesvillechesstraining.com/?page_id=393
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/7501.pdf
The Modern Anti-Sicilian: 1.e4 c5 2.a3 by Sergei Soloviov (2014)
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/7393.pdf
A Chess Opening Repertoire for Blitz and Rapid by Evgeny and Vladimir Sveshnikov
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/9020.pdf
Coming soon:
Playing 1.e4 - Sicilian & French by John Shaw
If you decide to go for the open Sicilian, you could look in:
Taming the Sicilian by Nigel Davies (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627033203/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen46.pdf
Experts vs. the Sicilian edited by Jacob Aagaard & John Shaw (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626225408/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen71.pdf
http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/Expertsvsthesicilian-excerpt.pdf
Seven Ways to Smash the Sicilian by Yuri Lapshun & Nick Conticello (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627015506/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen126.pdf
Dismantling the Sicilian by Jesus de la Villa (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627002658/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen129.pdf
Sicilian Attacks by Yuri Yakovich (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627063241/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen145.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/946.pdf
Slay the Sicilian by Timothy Taylor (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627043409/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen160.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/7080.pdf
Steamrolling the Sicilian by Sergey Kasparov (2013)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627101148/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen174.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/987.pdf
MODERNIZED: The Open Sicilian written by IM Zhanibek Amanov and FM Kostya Kavutskiy (2015)
http://claudiamunoz.com/index.php/en/chess-book-reviews/5430-my-book-review-modernized-the-open-sicilian
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/7500.pdf
Grandmaster Repertoire - 1.e4 vs The Sicilian I by Parimarjan Negi
http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/Negi_1e4_vs_the_Sicilian_One-excerpt.pdf
Grandmaster Repertoire - 1.e4 vs The Sicilian II by Parimarjan Negi
http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/GrandmasterRepertoire1e4vsSicilianII-excerpt.pdf
Grandmaster Repertoire - 1.e4 vs The Sicilian III by Parimarjan Negi
http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/1e4vsSicilianIII-excerpt.pdf
Neil McDonald's Starting Out 1.e4
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627032909/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen89.pdf
http://www.theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/opening-books-en-masse-part-3
Mal_Smith wrote:
Anti-Sicilian Systems avoid 2 Nf3 and/or 3 d4.
Which do you prefer Main Line or Anti? If Anti, which Anti, and why?
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On the rare occasion that I started a game with 1.e4. I would play 1.e4c5 2.Nc3. The Closed Sicilian. For several reasons.
1. Because the typical Sicilian player with the Black pieces is looking for a tactical fight. The Closed Sicilian if you know what you are doing and steer the game into the right variations the game can be very positional. As far as transpositions to other openings, that will remain a trade secret.
Main Line Sicilian:
Anti-Sicilian Systems avoid 2 Nf3 and/or 3 d4.
Which do you prefer Main Line or Anti? If Anti, which Anti, and why?