fling wrote on 01/30/12 at 10:29:22:


OK, very slightly worse if you prefer....

Of course, it's a question of degree, but is someone going to make the argument that with Black Kramnik has played the Russian Defense as successfully as he once played the Sicilian? 

Just want to point out that Qe2 or some other White choice may be drawish, but the opening as a whole may not be. The French Exchange may be drawish, but the French as a whole isn't. 

Although, ironically, I just consider the Petroff slightly worse for Black...

Only once that I can remember; I won the endgame where I made a few mistakes. It was against some 2200 in the ICC 3-minute pool. I do not think many players who face the Petroff want to play 5. Qe2 unless they for some reason desperately need a draw. Even in that case, if Black plays with intent and/or is a bit higher rated, then a draw is definitely not a sure result. 5. Qe2 reminds me of an Exchange French without queens, which should not be too critical; there have been some recent games in the Exchange French at IM/GM level and most of those games were not draws.

Petroff is actually not too drawish; the positions that arise can actually become quite unbalanced. Strangely in my recent online games I either lose quite badly to an attack, or win with an attack of my own, or positionally in a middlegame with two pieces or some endgame, with very few draws. The most popular variation White chooses, 5. Nc3, can lead to Najdorf-like attacking positions for both sides with opposite-side castling, whilst there are a few lines where all the pieces remain on the board until move 20 or so, and Black attacks with ...f5 and ...Rf6. In the sounder Petroff positions, at least Black remains positionally sound. The Petroff actually seems a bit sharper than the Breyer to me, which sounds paradoxical, although both are generally fairly solid openings.

Perhaps because if more people play main lines, one must know them with more detail. I have to do the opposite, and learn sidelines such as 2. c3, 3. Bb5, etc. Sicilians in detail because most people play those instead of the main lines.

I play the Najdorf and Petroff, and to me it seems like the Petroff and Berlin are even more difficult to play against than the Najdorf. Breyer is probably about as difficult to play against the Najdorf. But I could see why Petroff and Berlin can deter players from playing 1. e4.

I suppose it depends on how players feel about the lines avoiding the Berlin, but they seem fine to me even compared with those of the Breyer.

I do not see a true reason to change from Berlin to Breyer, since I find the Berlin is actually doing much better than previous years. I see more GMs play it now, and more 1. e4 players trying their best to avoid the Berlin.