After Bxf6 gxf6, Black's position looks damaged: doubled f-pawns and a king with no comfortable home. Yet this is the Classical Sicilian, the oldest way to play the Sicilian and a choice of World Champions such as Botvinnik, Spassky and Kramnik. The reason is a paradox at the heart of the Richter-Rauzer. Once the queens leave the board, the broken structure stops being a weakness and becomes a strength. A structure, not a repertoire After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6, White usually plays Qd2, 0-0-0 and Bxf6. Black gets the bishop pair, the half-open g-file and a central pawn mass ready for ...e5 or ...d5. White aims to open the position with f4-f5 or f4-e5 before Black’s bishops come alive. Black counters with ...a6, ...b5-b4 and the rook on the c-file, always looking for the right moment to trade queens.