Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation, Novosibirsk Variation

The Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation, Novosibirsk Variation is a sharp and aggressive chess opening that often leads to imbalanced positions and exciting play.

The opening is characterized by an early pawn push to e5 by Black, which challenges White's central pawn on e4 and forces the knight on d4 to move. This variation is named after the Russian Grandmaster Evgeny Sveshnikov, who popularized it in the 1970s and 1980s. The opening is known for its double-edged nature, with both sides having chances for an advantage.

In this variation, Black sacrifices pawn structure for piece activity and counterplay. The pawn on d6 can become a weakness, but Black's active pieces can compensate for it. White often tries to exploit the weakened pawn structure by targeting the d6 and f6 pawns, while Black aims to create counterplay on the queenside with pawn breaks like b5 and a6.

The position after the opening moves is highly imbalanced, with both sides having their own trumps. White has a strong knight on d5 and a potential attack on the kingside, while Black has the two bishops and chances for counterplay on the queenside.

The opening has been played by many top-level players, including former World Champions Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. It remains a popular choice for players seeking a complex and challenging middlegame, with plenty of opportunities for both sides to outplay their opponent.