Destroy the sicilian?

Originally posted by Northern Lad
I'm less likely to now I know you're a c3 player. Not that I fear it at all, just that if I'm going to have the Sicilian in my repetoire, I need to play mostly against open Sicilians to decide which Sicilian is right for me.

This is why 2.d4 makes perfect sense to me.

After 1...c5 isn't the open Sicilian exactly what black is playing for & most comfortable with?

Originally posted by Squelchbelch
This is why 2.d4 makes perfect sense to me.

After 1...c5 isn't the open Sicilian exactly what black is playing for & most comfortable with?

That's probably right, but I'm used to that sort of thing having once gone nearly ten years being prepared to play the Marshall Attack and no one allowing me. By the way, I certainly have no fear of the Morra - used to play it myself on occasion till a strong Soviet GM demonstrated the error of my ways!

Originally posted by Northern Lad
That's probably right, but I'm used to that sort of thing having once gone nearly ten years being prepared to play the Marshall Attack and no one allowing me. By the way, I certainly have no fear of the Morra - used to play it myself on occasion till a strong Soviet GM demonstrated the error of my ways!

The Morra is worth re-investigating.
Look up some games by Mladen Zelic or other specialists.

Even the "refutation" 4...Nc6, 5.Nf3...d6, 6.Bc4...a6! is unclear after 7.Bg5...Nf6, 8.Bxf6 which cripples black pawn structure & gives reasonable long term chances for white.

Originally posted by Squelchbelch
The Morra is worth re-investigating.
Look up some games by Mladen Zelic or other specialists.

Even the "refutation" 4...Nc6, 5.Nf3...d6, 6.Bc4...a6! is unclear after 7.Bg5...Nf6, 8.Bxf6 which cripples black pawn structure & gives reasonable long term chances for white.

what about 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 Nf6 ?

Originally posted by Korch
what about 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 Nf6 ?

I meant a refutation to the accepted gambit.

The Evans Defence 6...a6 line is the one pretty much all the GM's play against it on the rare occaisions it appears in top-flight games.
7.0-0?! looks rational but is the slight mistake in the line I quoted above, when white can't get any real attacking chances with anything like decent play by black.
7.Bg5! is the key to keeping things active.