Re: WCC 2012: Assessment
As I look back today on the quotes of Kramnik that are given above, I'm wondering about at least a couple of things.
In anyone's database stats for recent years, I imagine White is still scoring better than Black. Should Kramnik be taken seriously about Black easily equalizing in the opening in all (top?) tournaments nowadays (and should we really feel sorry for White in general, so long as interesting balanced positions can arise out of the opening still, perhaps if Black wishes)?
I have read just the opposite, though from an IM, in that she claimed Black openings were under pressure in general these days (circa 2007) in that White was often trying to either to blow Black away or else grind him down in dull positions where he had no winning chances. Has, circa 2012, the time for blowing Black away or else grinding him down (at least not so rarely) really gone by already, at least in top chess, as Kramnik alludes to?
I also have to wonder if a player like Karpov would trust his own judgement about evaluating a significant proportion of quiet positions a lot more than Houdini's. Speaking of players like Karpov, there's still room for [im]perfect technique to count, even in top chess, as Gelfand found out (albeit in the rapid phase of the match).
P.S. I edited my previous post slightly today, for clarification.
As I look back today on the quotes of Kramnik that are given above, I'm wondering about at least a couple of things.
In anyone's database stats for recent years, I imagine White is still scoring better than Black. Should Kramnik be taken seriously about Black easily equalizing in the opening in all (top?) tournaments nowadays (and should we really feel sorry for White in general, so long as interesting balanced positions can arise out of the opening still, perhaps if Black wishes)?
I have read just the opposite, though from an IM, in that she claimed Black openings were under pressure in general these days (circa 2007) in that White was often trying to either to blow Black away or else grind him down in dull positions where he had no winning chances. Has, circa 2012, the time for blowing Black away or else grinding him down (at least not so rarely) really gone by already, at least in top chess, as Kramnik alludes to?
I also have to wonder if a player like Karpov would trust his own judgement about evaluating a significant proportion of quiet positions a lot more than Houdini's. Speaking of players like Karpov, there's still room for [im]perfect technique to count, even in top chess, as Gelfand found out (albeit in the rapid phase of the match).
P.S. I edited my previous post slightly today, for clarification.
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