[chessmind] Dennis Monokroussos: Classical vs. Rapid: Out with the old and in with the new?

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Posted by Dennis Monokroussos:
Classical vs. Rapid: Out with the old and in with the new?
http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1206156565.shtml


   Some, like GMs Alexander Grischuk and Vladislav Tkachiev, have
   subscribed to that point of view for years, but most have taken the
   balanced view that both forms have their place. In the latest issue of
   [1]Chess Today, however, GM Alex Baburin seems to moving into the
   Grischuk & Tkachiev camp:

     The more I watch this tournament in Nice, the more I tend to agree
     with Grischuk & Co that classical chess is dead and that the way
     forward is rapid chess, blitz and, well, blindfold chess! Every day
     there are lots of interesting games played in the Amber tournament.
     Sure, there are mistakes, but sometimes they make games more
     entertaining and the shorter time control certainly encourages
     daring chess â like Ivanchuk's 14.Qxe6+!! idea from round 4. Would
     he have played it in a game with a longer time control? Maybe not â
     the shock value of this move is greatly enhanced in rapid chess.

   I think this is a good argument (or rather, an enthymeme) for keeping
   rapid games around, but it's a bad argument for the Grischuk position
   unless it's only the values of blitz/rapid/blindfold that are
   relevant. But why think that? Deep ideas will be lost - does anyone
   think Kasparov's double rook sac against Topalov or Shirov's ...Bh3
   would occur in G/30? Endgame play will deteriorate as well, as will
   principled attempts to refute moves like Ivanchuk's Qxe6. Excitement
   is good, but so is depth.

   Readers?

References

   1. http://www.chesstoday.net/