The Philosophy of the Reverse Sicilian, Part One
“Chess is a war over the board. The object is to crush the opponent’s mind.” – Bobby Fischer.
Keeping in mind, the hypermodern style, White begins the fight for the centre by staking a claim to the d5-square from the wing. This is, ladies and gentleman, the English Opening. Super Grandmasters like Kramnik, Topalov, and Ivanchuk have used it with stunning success. The Reversed Sicilian (classified ECO Codes A20 to A29) is a diverse category of defence, introduced by the response 1...e5. Black can (may) delay playing ...e5, for example 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 e5 whereupon even though ...e5 has been delayed, once it is played the defence is classified as a Reverse Sicilian.
Much of this article draws inspiration from this book and the games of GM Topalov
1.c4 is objectively a weaker move than 1.e4 or 1.d4, but it is by far the trickiest option for White to open with. With so many transpositions, different setups and move orders, White has plenty of options to turn the game into the desired setup. A really dynamic gameplan. Black has many choices after 1.c4, but the Reverse Sicilian (1…e5) is by far the most principled (sought after) move.
After 1...e5, White has Black's position in the Sicilian but with an extra tempo. This is often called the Reversed Sicilian, though others call it the King's English. Bruce Leverett, in the English chapter in MCO-14, states, "It is natural to treat the English as a Sicilian reversed, but the results are often surprising—main lines in the Sicilian Defense correspond to obscure side variations in the English, and vice versa."
The Reverse Sicilian of the English Opening has some recognized lines as follows:
English, Sicilian reversed
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6
English, closed system
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7
English, closed, Taimanov variation
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. e3 d6 6. Nge2 Nh6
English, closed, Hort variation
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. e3 d6 6. Nge2 Be6
English, closed, 5.Rb1
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Rb1
English, closed, 5.Rb1 Taimanov variation
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Rb1 Nh6
English, closed system (without ...d6)
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3
Snapshot from the book as exhibit 1 
Snapshot from the book as exhibit 2
P.S. : Part 2 of this article will be published in a few days, studded with a few classy master games in the Reverse Sicilian flavour of the English Opening. On demand, I will (hopefully) annotate the games with some kibitzing and alternate lines this time.
Before closing the first installment of this article, let's have a glimpse of a gem of a game, played between Magnus Carlsen (White) and Veselin Topalov (Black). This game is a perfect example of one making their own luck. Carlsen's brilliant eye for tactics and the vigor in which he played gave Topolav plenty of room to go wrong.
