The Lasker-Pelikan with it awkward advance of the e-pawn and gaping hole at d5, did not achieve respectability easily. For many years it was considered positional suspect. Evgeny Sveshnikov is almost single-handedly responsible for taking the obscure Lasker Pelikan Sicilian and turning it into a major branch of the Sicilian Defense. For over 30 years he has passionately defended the Black side of the ungainly pawn structure, finding compensation for the hole at d5 in kingside attacks and dynamic piece play.
1.e4
c5
2.Nf3
Nc6
3.d4
cxd4
4.Nxd4
Nf6
5.Nc3
e5