GMs prefer the open Sicilian because it is the only way to fight for an advantage. By keeping the center closed, white allows black a free developmental game and equal control of the center. Without opening the center, white cedes both short and long term advantages, for a more solid position.
Not trying to change the subject, but Krammik had prepared his repertoire up to the 40th move, then he changed it. By sticking with his repertoire, he gave his opponent's an easy method to draw. By changing it, he makes his opponent's try to prepare against him every game.
Avoiding the open Sicilian has always been a problem - even if White players wanted to avoid the mountains of theory, or didn't like the resulting positions, there hasn't been a consistent alternative promising advantage for White. For example, the traditional Closed Sicilian with 2.Nc3 is just not that great and can't be made to give advantage at top level. Just because Spassky made something work for him doesn't mean anything on its own :-) Spassky had a ridiculously good score with the King's Gambit too. He was a law unto himself. Similarly the 2.c3 Sicilian is just not that promising for a White advantage when the lines are really explored. It works for Sveshnikov.
The really interesting development has been the rise of the 3.Bb5 systems. If this turns out not to be a quirk of fashion then it will really be revolutionary (and will prove to be another case of Sveshnikov being right in his "odd" opinions about openings). Sveshnikov calls 3.d4 a mistake, allowing Black to accomplish his opening plans.
Well, not everybody will agree with Svenshnikov that after 3.d4 black can equalize by playing the Löwenthal (3...cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5) and regarding the Alapin I quote from his wonderful book The complete c3 Sicilian: "Yes, objectively the plan with 2.Nf3 and 3.d4 is stronger".
People, you make it sound as if 1...c5 refutes 1 e4. White has a choice between the "mistake" 2 Nf3 and 3 d4 hoping for some tactical chances before losing the endgame and some moves like 2 Nc3, 2 c3, 3 Bb5, 2 or 3 f4, that do not promise much.
Now in the last World Championship Carlsen - Karjakin both did play 1 e4 and neither replied 1...c5. So by their play Carlsen and Karjakin disagreed with this. Both must have felt confident to deal with 1...c5 as white and both must have felt unsure about playing 1...c5 themselves as black.
Karjakin played c5 Sicilian in the last game of the match.
[Event "Carlsen - Karjakin World Championship"]
[Round "13.4"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Magnus Carlsen"]
[Black "Sergey Karjakin"]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.f3 e5 6.Nb3 Be7 7.c4
a5 8.Be3 a4 9.Nc1 O-O 10.Nc3 Qa5 11.Qd2 Na6 12.Be2 Nc5 13.O-O
Bd7 14.Rb1 Rfc8 15.b4 axb3 16.axb3 Qd8 17.Nd3 Ne6 18.Nb4 Bc6
19.Rfd1 h5 20.Bf1 h4 21.Qf2 Nd7 22.g3 Ra3 23.Bh3 Rca8 24.Nc2
R3a6 25.Nb4 Ra5 26.Nc2 b6 27.Rd2 Qc7 28.Rbd1 Bf8 29.gxh4 Nf4
30.Bxf4 exf4 31.Bxd7 Qxd7 32.Nb4 Ra3 33.Nxc6 Qxc6 34.Nb5 Rxb3
35.Nd4 Qxc4 36.Nxb3 Qxb3 37.Qe2 Be7 38.Kg2 Qe6 39.h5 Ra3
40.Rd3 Ra2 41.R3d2 Ra3 42.Rd3 Ra7 43.Rd5 Rc7 44.Qd2 Qf6 45.Rf5
Qh4 46.Rc1 Ra7 47.Qxf4 Ra2+ 48.Kh1 Qf2 49.Rc8+ Kh7 50.Qh6+ 1-0
Yes, but that was in the rapid tie break not in the classical. BTW the Carlsen 5 f3 is remarkable. Fischer used to call this a passive, non-developing move which leads to nothing.
@tpr, this should not come over as personal and rude but sometimes I have the impression that you stick too close in the past, a reincarnated Doc Tarrasch light who was very dogmatic.
I read many postings of yours and lots of them refer to the pre-computer era. Well, the Si friends have 3400 Elo (the TableBase is even the Good Lord himself), they beat every man into the meaninglessness and they reinvented chess completely new like the opening theory. The old masters never had the faintest suspicion how much air was above them.
Well, I do not say the masters were completely wrong. But they were also not always right, even the best.
@Sarg0n yes, everybody is a child of his time, you can guess my age...
Until we have 32 piece table bases we can still search for truth.
Yeah, I remember, those were the days :D When the computers were clowns and men the masters...
Hope you haven't taken it too personal. I appreciated some nice comments of yours on my games. Thank you! :)
No offence, my heroes are either dead or retired...
But back on topic what is your theoretical opinion on the open Sicilian?
Theoretical opinion need not be the same as practical opinion. I know you prefer the Bb5 lines.
