Approve Given that the comments in my review hereabover have found solutions, I approve that this article should be given A-class, on the basis of this version.
Of course there is still room for improvement so I am not sure the article would do it to FA-class. For example the interesting comments made by Voorlandt on the Talk page of the article about the relativity of the advantage depending on the level of players. But as long as there is no source it is difficult to work further on that.
SyG (talk) 09:26, 19 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Comment Hereunder are my comments and proposals for improvements, based on the review of this version of the article.
in the Lead
- The link between the first sentence and the second one may not be clear for an outsider, because in the first sentence we talk about "advantage" and in the second one we talk about "more chances to win", without doing an explicit link between these two notions. After all, an "advantage" could also be "less chances to lose" ? Done
- I think I've tied these up, see what you think. Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- The expression "scoring between 53 and 56 percent overall" in the second sentence is unclear for an outsider, even if it is explained in later sections. It may be understood that White wins 53% of the games, which is not what is meant. Done
- note added to explain this Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- The word "theorists" may not be clear for an outsider. What is a theorist, especially regarding chess ? Done
- As mentioned below, in response to SunCreator, I intend to write an article on chess theory (i.e. opening, middlegame, endgame theory) and link to that.
- The expression "best play by both sides" may be worth a link to something (an article on Game theory ?) because for a non-game expert it may not be clear. Done
- Not sure what to link to; doesn't seem to be addressed in game theory. Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- There is some discussion of that at Endgame tablebase, but not enough in my opinion. Perhaps that could be a small article, or probably better a term. Bubba73 (talk), 02:49, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- I have added a link to the "perfect play" section of Solved game, so I consider this DONE. SyG (talk) 17:21, 18 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- In the sentence "the game should conclude in a win for White or a draw", why not adding a link to Draw (chess) ? Done
- I also created a chess term for "win" and linked to that. Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- There is an obvious typo in the sentence "a game of chess should conclude in a draw with best draw". I will correct that. Done
- The first sentence implies that White actually has an advantage, which is not proven by anyone. At first I thought that this was a problem and maybe the sentence should be phrased like "the probable advantage", but now I think it is not so bad because the third sentence clearly states that there is consensus on that. Done
- I take it this is OK, then. Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- The Lead does not reflect the last paragraph of the last section, in which it is hinted that moving first may not be an advantage. Done
in the section "First move statistics"
- Maybe the first paragraph would look better as a table.
- I don't know how to do this. Maybe someone else could do this? Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- I've added a table. I'm not sure if how it looks is appropriate. With/without border, what should be listed, to go at the beginning/middle or end of paragraph. All questions I don't have a clear answer to. SunCreator (talk) 11:33, 18 April 2008 (UTC).[reply]
- The use of signs +, = and - is not explained, nor is the way to reach a total percentage. Done
- The phrasing "More recently (in 2005)" is a bit redundant and heavy, the first two words would be sufficient. Done
- I do not understand the structure of the second paragraph. It looks like just a list of evidences, which is good but could read better with one or two sentences to add fluidity or insight. Done
- I added an explanatory sentence at the beginning of the paragraph.
in the section "Drawn with best play"
- I find the formulation "The classical view is that White's objective is to extend" a bit heavy because of the repetition of "is". Why not something like "In the classical view, White's objective is to extend" ? But as I am not a native English-speaker, please tell me if I am wrong. Done
- sentence rewritten Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- In the first sentence I would replace the verb "secure" by "reach", otherwise the reader may think that equality always remains once achieved. Done
- What assesses Weaver Adams as "prominent" ? Done
- Wrote reference explaining this. Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- In the second sentence of the second paragraph, I do not understand why the first letter of the quote is in upper case. Is it compliant with WP:MOS ? Done
- I think so. Look at these examples given (not addressing this exact point, admittedly) under Wikipedia:MOS#Quotation_marks:
- Correct: Arthur said, "The situation is deplorable."
- (The period is part of the quoted text.)
- Correct: Martha asked, "Are you coming?"
- Krakatoa (talk) 03:07, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- I agree. Bubba73 (talk), 03:15, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- allright then, DONE for me. SyG (talk) 17:46, 18 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- According to WP:ELLIPSES, I think the three dots in the quote of Watson should be in brackets, like [...] Done
- I don't see why. The guideline you cite says "An ellipsis does not normally need square brackets around it, since its function is usually obvious—especially if the guidelines above are followed. But square brackets may optionally be used for precision, to make it clear that the ellipsis is not itself quoted; this is usually only necessary if the quoted passage also uses three period in it to indicate a pause or suspension." The quoted passage doesn't use three periods in it, so square brackets are not necessary. Krakatoa (talk) 03:07, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- Right. The brackets are generally only used around an ellipsis if you use an ellipsis in a quote that already has one. Bubba73 (talk), 03:14, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- allright then, DONE for me. SyG (talk) 17:46, 18 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
in the section "White to Play and Win"
- According to WP:HEAD, the names of sections shall not include "special characters", although I am not sure the character " should be considered as special. Done
- I find it problematic to name the section with the title of a book, while this section talks about other things than the book. Done
- I have removed the quotation marks, so the title now is not just an allusion to the book. I think the title is a good one to tersely capure the concept -- especially since I reference Berliner saying that he is a disciple of Adams. Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- The player Horowitz shall be refered to by his full name (i.e. including surname), in order to be consistent with all the others and to avoid any REDIRECT link. Done
- I have slightly changed the link in order to avoid any REDIRECT. SyG (talk) 17:46, 18 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- Hans Berliner should be presented as "a former World [...]" and not "the former World [...]". Done
- Jeremy Silman should be presented as "International Master" and not "IM", in order to be consistent with all the others. Done
- I think I've addressed this. The first International Master I cited, I used "International Master," for the next one I used IM and then just an unwikified "IM" thereafter.
- OK, not a big deal anyway, DONE for me. SyG (talk) 17:46, 18 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- Randy Bauer and Taylor Kingston are quoted but their credibility is not explained. Why are they authoritative ? It seems Randy Bauer is not even an IM ? Done
- I removed the text references to Bauer and Kingston (though they're still mentioned as references). They're respected reviewers, I think, but I don't know what (if anything) their titles are. I don't think either is an IM. As I say, I would dearly love to get hold of the Watson review, in which case I would probably just quote him and forget about Bauer and Kingston altogether. Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- There is an undue space before the 26th reference. I will correct that. Done
in the section "Modern perspectives"
- There are undue spaces in "1. e4" and "1. d4" in the quotation of Kaufman. Done
- Originally, I quoted him as he wrote it (same thing with others who wrote "1 e4" and such). For the sake of consistency, I've changed this sort of thing to "1.e4" and "1.d4" with a parenthetical note added to the reference "(notation form changed)." Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
others
- Are there no players/experts who have argued that Black may have an advantage ? Done
- Rowson has a chapter on Black's advantages. I am inclined to add subsections to the article on "The nature of White's advantage(s)" and "The nature of Black's advantage(s)."
- I think the new sections you added are great to present Black's points. DONE for me. SyG (talk) 17:46, 18 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- Shall we speak about players who have better statistics with black than with White (maybe Morozevich ?, although I have not checked his statistics) ?
- Perhaps, if you know of such players. I've never heard of any GMs who consistently score better with Black than with White. I would think that there would probably have to be some significant number of such players, not just one, to make it worth writing about. Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- I happened upon a thread at chessgames.com talking about Morozevich's excellent results with Black. On this page malthrope writes, "Just looking quickly over his stats here on CG.com we get... Database of 969 games with Moro winning 410 times... Wins with White 220 (53.66%) Wins with Black 190 (46.34%)" I haven't checked the math, but if malthrope is right even Morozevich does better with White than Black (I'm assuming that the 969 games are split roughly evenly between the two colors). Krakatoa (talk) 05:07, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- Shall we speak about those openings like the exchange variation of the French defence where it is sometimes felt that Black has a kind of advantage even if the position is symetric, precisely because White has to move first ? Done
- I've added sections on "Reversed openings" and "Symmetrical openings" and the problems those pose for White, and specifically discuss the Exchange French. Krakatoa (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- There is no section "See also". It is not compulsory to have some, but I find they add some value. Done
All in all I am really impressed by this article. It is factual, precise and well-referenced on a subject that is really not easy. At the end of this review I would like to propose it to GA-class at least. For A-class, let's wait until the end of this review :)
SyG (talk) 20:01, 12 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
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