Catalogue text:

Renowned opening theoreticians Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik explain in detail the positional and tactical possibilities for both White and Black in the 1...e5 English.

The 1...e5 variation of the English Opening, sometimes referred to as the reversed Sicilian, leads to a variety of stimulating positions. From wild tactical melees to slow positional battles, there are variations here to suit all styles. These opening lines provide the battleground for many top Grandmaster clashes, including those of Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand and others belonging to the world's elite. In this book, Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik explain in detail the positional and tactical possibilities for both White and Black. Using illustrative games, Raetsky and Chetverik outline the current fashions in both the main variations and the tricky sidelines. Whether approaching the line as Black or White, this book is crucial reading for those wishing to play this opening.

- Up-to-date coverage of a fascinating opening
- Written by leading openings experts
- An ideal battle manual for competitive players

Alexander Raetsky is a Russian International Master and an experienced competitor on the chess tournament circuit. He is also a skilled writer and has been a frequent contributor to the famous Russian magazine 64 and the internationally renowned publication New In Chess. His first book for Everyman, Meeting 1 e4, was very well received by the chess-playing public.
Maxim Chetverik, also from Russia, is an International Master and a renowned openings theoretician.


There is an old anecdote about the English Opening. In the Moscow Chess Club someone answered 1 c4 with I...e5 and was immediately reprimanded by former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik. Botvinnik carefully explained that White now .had a Sicilian with a tempo more...
So, was Botvinnik right? Can the opening simply be regarded as a Sicilian where White has an extra move? Well up to a point, but one should be wary of continuing this argument too far because then the Sicilian could just as well be explained as a reversed English Opening.
However, there is a certain logic in considering the position after 1 c4 e5 as a Reversed Sicilian. After all, the Sicilian has an excellent reputation for Black. So, surely the same setup, with a tempo more, must be really good? Well, of course the black players understand this and so they adapt their play accordingly. Thus, in the Sicilian Defence the main lines starting with 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 have one thing in common -White can start a promising attack. Nowadays, for example, the Rauzer set-up with Be3, f3, g4, h4 has become wildly popular. However, in the English the situation is reversed. White has an extra tempo and in more or less all critical variations this would very likely decisively change the evaluation of the position.
For example, a sharp line in the Sicilian Dragon starts 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 f3 0-0 8 Qd2 Nc6 9 0-0-0 d5 with interesting and complicated play. Now imagine the same line with reversed colours. Here Black would not have time to create this set-up as after 1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 g3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 Bg2 Be6 6 Nf3 Nc6 White can already consider 7 Ng5!? and also after 7 0-0 f6 White gets in quickly with 8 d4! with a strong position.
Nevertheless, a Reversed Dragon is a viable choice against the English and in Chapter 4 you can see the correct way for Black to handle this line.
The key to playing with the black pieces after 1 c4 e5 is to act with rather less optimism than when you are raring to go after 1 e4 c5. The best plans for Black avoid opening the position too early and concentrate on solid play. Thus Black will often find that he or she is playing a set-up which is considered as a rather tame way to meet the Sicilian with White. Such systems include lines which select from a mix of the following moves: Bc4, Bb5, f2-f4 or Nc3 and g3. All of these have black counterparts which are respectable ways to counter the English and all of them will be seen in this book.
Many of the structural features that arise are similar to those in the Sicilian but the spin on them is different. For example, it is currently popular for White to meet the Sicilian with a quick Bb5 and Bxc6 and then play rather aggressively. When playing against the English, Black can mirror this strategy but should then usually concentrate on solid rather than aggressive play. Another anti-Sicilian plan is some form of c2-c3 and d2-d4. On a good day, this can develop into a fiery attack. Playing against the English, Black can adopt systems with ...c7-c6 and ...d7-d5, but then it will normally be White who is trying to take the initiative in the centre and the whole tone of the struggle will be different.
We have now studied the English Opening with 1...e5 in some depth and concluded that it is a fascinating line. Every position seems complicated and every move seems to create new possibilities for even further complications. As joint authors for over fifteen years, we have now worked together on more than 20 articles and books. This has been one of our most interesting and enjoyable projects and we hope that our enthusiasm for these lines will be transferred to the reader.

Alexander Raetsky & Maxim Chetverik, Voronezh, August 2003.