Ten years ago, when this position had already occurred many times in practice, a plan involving the advance of the h and g pawns did not enjoy great popularity. The preparatory move f2-f3 was justly considered a loss of time in comparison to the Keres Attack in the Scheveningen Variation. Accidental games which appeared in chess publications from time to time could only confirm the old well-known rule: if Black keeps his kingside pawns unmoved and his counterattack at the queenside is carried out with a sufficient energy his chances in the battle-to-come are no worse than those of his opponent. In addition to this, the Keres Attack regularly posed hard problems for Black, so the poor Cinderella seemed to be doomed to obscurity. However, in 1985 a group of young and ambitious British players – Short, Nunn, Chandler a.o. – studied subtle points of middlegame positions arising from this forgotten system and began to play it regularly. At first, they achieved good practical results, because even skilled 'Sicilians' underestimated White's attacking potential. Cinderella was transformed – although perhaps not so much as would be sufficient to make her a princess. Most of the system's few sparkles were discovered quite soon, and its current reputation is ordinary – no better and no worse than other lines. The basics of chess remained steadfast once again. White's crude pawn push is now met by crude methods as well. Black, enriched with some modern 'know-how', either tries to break through first with his own attack – energy and invention are required here – or adopts a well-timed pawn advance in the centre. The hundred illustrative games which are given below show all important points of this system and instructive errors occurring in it. With a good deal of confidence, one may predict that the English Attack will keep its place among fashion lines for quite some time to come. The middlegame situations which occur in it are sharp, complicated and tend to give a high value to every move. In order to win, one must take risks, thus allowing counter-chances to the opponent. This line offers a wide space for one's inventiveness and pressure approach. Most games tend to follow one of three main roads discussed in three respective chapters. The first line, the most related to the Keres Attack, deserves particular attention; it leads to the middlegame positions which may occur in other Sicilian systems as well, e.g. in the Rauzer Attack. The second line, the most risky of all, is closely related to the Keres Attack in its modern treatment. Black, in order to obtain counterplay as soon as possible, allows freedom of action to the powerful knight d4 and deliberately weakens his kingside by advancing the h pawn; the black king usually lingers in the centre. The third line is the most original of all. White pushes his kingside pawns, leaving his pieces in their initial positions. This is by no means recklessness: a deep understanding of middlegame secrets lies behind this plan, so the level of risks for both sides may be estimated quite precisely.
