M Winther wrote on Fri, Apr 21, 2006 05:34 PM UTC:
Gary, the Berlin defense has never been declared dead. The only problem is that it's designed to achieve a draw, which was what Kramnik achieved. But black-players often want to play for a win. That's why Berlin was almost forgotten. If it's true that Berlin is such a good defense, then this is a fine example of how far chess science has advanced. An average player can study the Berlin defense and become practically invincible. Certainly, this is not good for chess.
Facts are that many chess commentators became worried during the Kramnik-Kasparov match. With the Berlin defense, they saw a return to drawish chess, and to openings that were certain draws, especially with the aid of modern databases. I haven't declared chess dead. I'm just saying that it's approaching a crisis.
Facts are that many chess commentators became worried during the Kramnik-Kasparov match. With the Berlin defense, they saw a return to drawish chess, and to openings that were certain draws, especially with the aid of modern databases. I haven't declared chess dead. I'm just saying that it's approaching a crisis.