The move 1...c5 in response to 1. e4 is baffling to beginners. It does  nothing to aid the development of the minor pieces, fails to move out a  center pawn and is often followed by even more non-developing pawn moves.  Many must surely ask, "How is a defense that seems to flout all the  opening priciples so often adopted by super-strong players?" They're  right: Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Spassky, Tal and others have had the  Sicilian figure prominently in their repertoires. Levy an O'Connell do an  excellent job of outlining strategies for White and Black in this  wide-ranging opening (As far as I can tell, only the c3 Sicilian and the  odd gambits are ignored). For those rated 1400-1800, this is a good  introduction to the opening. For "A" players, this will provide  an excellent foundation for deeper research into the opening. Another fine  effort from David Levy.* Highly recommended. (*Excepting his, An Opening  Repertoire for the Attacking Player, co-authored with Raymond Keene, which  is a clinker -- see my review under that title.)

How to Play the Sicilian Defense (The Macmillan Chess Library) PDF

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