I'd be very interested in seeing more on this, Craig -- on 2 c3 Qa5 and in particular 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 c3 Qa5, as well as 3 ...Qa5 against the Morra!

This is a little off the discussion so far, but I thought it may be worth noting...

Against the 2.c3 sicilian, some adventurous souls have been experimenting with 2...Qa5, the point of which is to prevent 3.d4. So, if people want a good way of declining the morra, surely 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 Qa5 could be considered? I never see this mentioned or talked about, and I wonder why, if 2...Qa5 is a valid response to 2.c3 (and to my knowledge there's no direct refutation of it, Csom seems to have had plenty of success with it). 

In my database (or, to be strictly accurate, chessbase's database  ), black is scoring over 50% in this line, and I quite like black's position...

Does have anything to say? I can try to get some concrete lines up if people wish, I've not read any recent sicilian/morra books so I don't know if it's been mentioned anywhere, but in my limited collection of sicilian books (the most recent of any relevance is Chandler's 2.c3 book) there is no mention of the position - if someone has read some material on it, maybe they could post it? If nothing is said though, and if there's any interest, I'll wade through relevant games and quickly try to create some sort of "main line" for people to examine.

Regards, 
Craig 

Indeed, but it has some beautiful variations in it - and as a young gambiteer that was good enough for me.  It was my favourite book for a long, long time!

I once won a very pretty game against one of the earlier Fritz programmes (5.32, I think) in the Morra - I'll see if I can root that out because I think that was in the ...g6 line - but obviously it was a few years back, as the prospect of my (a) playing the Morra and (b) beating one of the more recent additions to the Fritz family are remote!

Well, the old Flesch book on the Morra has a low opinion of the ...g6 defence (but then dear old Janos had most lines leading to a win for White in that gorgeously decadent book).  I seem to remember that the more recent Palkovi book is somewhat more balanced.  I will try to find my copy and root out some variations for you at some point.  Watch this space!

Craig, your sequence moves (16.-19.) is OK, but it seems somewhat short to me. As I see it, that in forum isn't for detailed analyses enough area, but then it be about risk, that our conclusions (feeling) will not be real. I'd disagre therewith, that "black should have no problem hanging on here". Black king is immured in the centre and white can intensify a pressure after 20.Rd4! etc. with advantage and nor other ways black in 17. move there're not better. 8)

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 a6 7.0–0 Nge7 8.Bg5 f6 9.Be3 Ng6 10.Bb3! b5 11.Nd4 Nxd4 12.Qxd4 Bb7 13.Rfd1 Be7 14.f4 Rc8 15.f5 exf5 16.exf5 Bc5 (the move nominated by Craig) 17.Qd2 Ne5  
·      [17...Ne7 18.Rac1 Nxf5 19.Bxc5 Rxc5 20.Nd5 Rxc1 21.Rxc1 Bc6 22.Re1+ Kf8 23.Rf1±;
·      17...Qe7 18.Re1 Ne5 19.Kh1 Qd6 20.Qe2 Bxe3 21.Qxe3 Qc5 22.Qg3 Kf8 23.Rad1 Re8 24.Nd5 a5 25.Qh4 Bxd5 26.Rxd5 Qb6 27.Qh5 Re7 28.Rc1 Nc6 (28...Nc4 29.Qd1±) 29.Qd1±] 
18.Bxc5 Rxc5 19.Qe3 Qb6 20.Rd4! Rc8 [20...Kf8 21.Rad1 Rc8 22.Kh1 etc.; 20...Rc7 21.Rad1 a5 22.a3 Kf8 23.Kh1±] 21.Rad1 Kf8 [21...b4 22.Nd5 Bxd5 23.Bxd5 a5 24.Kh1 g5 25.Bb3 Kf8 26.Qe4 Re8 27.Rd6±] 22.Kh1 a5 [22...b4 23.Ne4 d5 24.Ng5 fxg5 25.Qxe5±] 23.Qe2 a4 24.Bd5 Bc6 25.Ne4± 
Regards,
Rajmund

Where's problem in terms to the Bernhards intent?   He assume, that of mine initiate variant 10.Bb3 b5 11.Nd4 leds to 11...Nxd4 (trough a different move order) only to above-mentioned (in the same way strong) variant. It is true, but only in part. In my opinion the move 10.Nd4 (presentation Ben Hague, Bernard, MNb) isn't universal, Black has a possibility of equalization after 10...Bb4!? The similary idea of Black - after filling 10.Bb3! b5 - would but already have not such force (11.Nd4 Bb4 12.Nxc6 etc. see below).

a short recap:
1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 a6 7.0-0 Nge7 8.Bg5 f6 9.Be3 Ng6 10.Bb3!
 
8)[10.Nd4 Bb4! (10...Nxd4 11.Qxd4! (11.Bxd4?! Bd6!) ) 11.Rc1 (11.Bb3 Na5 12.f4 Nxb3 13.axb3 0-0 14.Qh5 Ne7 15.Rf3 Qe8 16.Qxe8 Rxe8 17.Ndb5 d5!?N (17...Rf8 18.Nc7 Rb8 19.Ba7± (Palkovi)) 18.Nc7 Bd7÷) 11...Na5=] 8)
 
10...b5 [10...Na5 11.Rc1 Nxb3 12.Qxb3 b5 13.Rfd1 Bb7 (13...Be7 14.Nd4 Qa5 15.Nd5 Bd8 16.a3 Qa4±) 14.Na4 Bxe4 15.Nb6 Bxf3 16.gxf3 d5 17.Rc6 Kf7 18.Rxe6 Kxe6 19.Rxd5+-]
 
11.Nd4  
A) [11...Nxd4 12.Qxd4! (better then 12.Bxd4) (12.Bxd4 Bd6!(Bernhard, MNb) 12...Bb7 (12...Ne5 13.f4! Ng4 14.Kh1 Nxe3 15.Qxe3 Be7 16.Rfd1 Qa5 17.Qg3 0-0 18.Nd5 Bc5 19.Rac1 b4 20.f5±) 13.Rfd1 Be7 (13...Ne5 14.Rac1 Rc8 15.Qa7 Bc6 16.Ne2 Ra8 17.Qd4 Be7 18.f4 Ng4 19.Qd3 Rc8 20.Bd4 Nh6 21.f5 exf5 22.Qg3 (22.exf5±) 22...Kf8 23.e5 Nf7 24.exf6 Bxf6 25.Bc5+ Kg8 26.Rd6 a5 27.Bxf7+ Kxf7 28.Qb3+ Ke8 29.Nc3 Be7 30.Re1 Be4 31.Bb6+-) 14.f4 Rc8 15.f5 exf5 16.exf5 Ne5 17.Re1 Bc5 18.Qd2 Qb6 19.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 20.Kh1 Kf8 21.Ne4 Bxe4 22.Rxe4 a5 23.Ree1±)  
B) 11...Bb7 12.Nxc6 Bxc6 13.f4 b4 (13...Qc7 14.Rc1 Bd6 15.Nd5 exd5 16.exd5 Nxf4 17.dxc6 dxc6 18.Qf3 Ng6 19.Rxc6 Ne5 20.Qh5+ g6 21.Qh4+-) 14.Nd5 exd5 [14...Qa5 15.Re1 Bc5 16.f5 Ne5 17.fxe6 dxe6 18.Qh5+ Kf8 19.Nf4 Bxe3+ 20.Rxe3 Bd7 21.Ng6+ Kg8 22.Nxe5 Qxe5 23.Qxe5 fxe5 24.Rd1+-] 15.exd5 Bb7 16.Re1+- 
C) 11...Bb4 12.Nxc6! (12.a4!?; 12.Rc1!?) 12...dxc6 13.Qh5 0-0 14.Rad1 Qe7 15.Ne2 Bd7 16.f4 Rfd8 17.e5 Bc5 18.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 19.Kh1 Kh8 (19...Nf8 20.Rc1 Qe7 21.exf6 Qxf6 22.f5±) 20.Ng3 f5 21.Rd6 Nxf4 22.Qf7±]
???
The move 10.Bb3 proves me as show the best, contributing (though with difficulties) to advantage white, while after move 10.Nd4 - I hope not. It correspond (mine) ED-theory, according hold true, that advantage white keeps one and only move.  
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If sometimes we fly too close to the sun, at least this shows we are spreading our wings!§!.  

It be uprising ugly (black?) heads? But on any new heads has White one sharp sword.   ;) 
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 a6 7. O-O Nge7 8.Bg5 f6 9. Be3 Ng6  10.Bb3 N! (10. Nd4 ?!(By Palkovi too. This move but isn't best.) 10... b5 (10... Na5 11. Rc1 Nxb3 12. Qxb3 b5 13. Rfd1 Bb7 (13... Be7 14. Nd4 Qa5 15. Nd5 Bd8 16. a3 Qa4 17.Qa2+/-) 14. Na4 Bxe4 15. Nb6 Bxf3 16. gxf3 d5 17. Rc6 Kf7 18. Rxe6 Kxe6 19. Rxd5 + -) 11. Nd4 Bb7 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. f4 b4 (13... Qc7 14. Rc1 Bd6 15. Nd5 exd5 16. exd5
Nxf4 17. dxc6 dxc6 18. Qf3 Ng6 19. Rxc6 Ne5 20. Qh5+ g6 21. Qh4 + -) 14. Nd5 exd5 (14... Qa5 15. Re1 Bc5 16. f5 ->) 15. exd5 Bb7 16. Re1+ - Morra lives !

In the line given by Ben Hague,
how can White improve on the game Zelic-Stohl,
which went 10...Nd4 11.Bd4 b5 12.Bb3 Bd6!.
This is the critical position. What is White best move now?
Bernhard