> Chess beauty now is less about flashy combinations and more about qualities of a position

No it's the opposite. Since the advent of strong computer programs it has become clear that there are tactical intricacies in lots of positions that have long been overlooked by everyone, including top players. Gambits that everyone thought should not be accepted because it would give away a too strong positional advantage turned out to be winnable by clever defence moves. End games that were thought to be draws turned out to be winnable by although sometimes it would take more than 100 moves. The bottom line is that the tactical part of chess is deeper than most people thought.