Middle Game Strategy

I would prefer e5, because it opens the diagonal for the bishop, and f5 weakens e6; it opens the diagonal on the black king, especially after Qxc4; finally it weakens e5...
but this is only positional, it misses tactical analyse...

Originally posted by ResigningSoon
Well, OK OK. Here's a new position that arose from a Nimzo.

Black to move.

[fen]r1b2rk1/ppp1qpp1/2n1p2p/8/1bpPN3/5NP1/PPQ1PPBP/R4RK1 b - - 0 11[/fen]

My question to you is: e5 or f5?

I'll post later what I chose and why.

i dunno resigning my friend, on the face of it, it seems that black still has to complete his development, the rooks remain undeveloped as does the light squared bishop. the d file looks most likely to open and as black has a dark squared bishop therefore one should make an attempt to gain the initiative on the dark squares, mmmm. the problem with a move like f5 is that it creates a hole on e5, which because of the pawn on d4, white could utilize for one of his knights, mmm, on the other hand, a move like f5 does chase away one of the knights from defending the dark squares, but where does the knight go? mmm, e5 on the other hand, does attack the dark squares and opens up the diagonal for light bishop, i dunno, i do not think i would choose either, but this is why im only 1600 and you guys are amazing! ok, im gonna go for f5, with f4 to follow, Bishop c8 - swapped off for one of those knights, queen and dark squared bishop will rule the kingside, happy days! is it not a cunning plan? gulp!

Here we are again:



First, I want to say that both e5, f5, and even b5 are good moves in this position. after 1...b5 2.a4 Ba6 3.Nc3 or a number of other moves we have black fighting to keep the pawn and white fighting to win it back. With correct play white should get his pawn back.

After 1...e5 2.Qxc4 exd4 3.Nxd4 Nxd4 4.Qxc4 Black has opened up the game for his bishop pair and is quite OK. During the game I was looking at 1...e5 2.d5 Na3 2.a3 Bd6 when I might lose the bishop pair to 3.Nxd6. Nothing is wrong with black's game here, but I like bishops.

So I went for 1...f5! My plan was to continue the fight for my extra pawn and play for e5 as well. Now if 2.Nc5 Bxc5 3.dxc5 Qxc5 I've given up the bishop pair, but I'm up two pawns. 2.Nh4 gives me two pieces for the rook. So we have 2.Nc3 or 2.Ned2.

2.Nc3 stops my e5 idea because of Nd5 so I would've continued 2...Bd7 and white can't take advantage of e5 yet because of 3.Ne5 Nxe5 4.dxe5 Qc5 or even the simpler 3...Nxd4 looks alright, but I'm still fighting to keep my bishop pair. So in this position my plan would've been to Play Rad8 and Bd6 and e5 or if he tries to go after the c-pawn then a6 and b5.

2.Ned2 is what my opponent played, going after c4 and bam! 2...e5 immediately. Still fighting for the center and c4, if 3.Qxc4+ then 3...Be6 4.d5 Na5 5.Queen move Bxd5 and 3.Nxc4 e4! followed by munching the d-pawn. I think white is doing best after 4.exd5 when 4...Bxd2 is pretty much forced if I want to grab the e-pawn. So I have to finally give up the bishops, (Qxc4+ is looming).

So those were my ideas(keep the bishops, fight for the center, and try to hold on to my pawn). I was being greedy, I figured if one of my ideas failed another would succeed. I think this is one of those positions where many many plans are viable. Any more ideas in this position are welcome, and I hope y'all see why I like the Nimzo so much.

Originally posted by ResigningSoon
Well, OK OK. Here's a new position that arose from a Nimzo.

Black to move.

[fen]r1b2rk1/ppp1qpp1/2n1p2p/8/1bpPN3/5NP1/PPQ1PPBP/R4RK1 b - - 0 11[/fen]

My question to you is: e5 or f5?

I'll post later what I chose and why.

The h-pawn move has already weakened Black's fortress, so without an attack launched and in process against White, personally I'd be leery of advancing the f-pawn -- particularly with White's Queen so active.

Advancing the e pawn -- if you must move a pawn -- at least frees up the Queen's bishop and lets you unite your rooks.

Black's d-8 and e-8 are just screaming for a rook to be present --

just as f-5 is hungry to receive your bishop that can pin that knight against White's queen.

then you could deploy your king's bishop to c5, X-raying the king.

Nothing deep here about this analysis -- just for me more strategic, tactical, and defensive pluses with the e5 choice.

( (Examining the merits of the other choice: depending on White's playing style, an alternative could be to push that f-pawn so as to harass the e-knight, and then open your a8-h1 diagonal for your Queen's bishop, with a nexus of rook on the f-file joining in the future with your king's bishop re-positioned on c5. But I suspect you wanted to launch a faster attack, and that you went with the e-pawn here. Also, f5 would leave the e6 pawn as an unfortunate, enduring weakness infecting the rest of your center. ) )



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Meant to display the FEN after what was played:

Originally posted by Shamash
The h-pawn move has already weakened Black's fortress, so without an attack launched and in process against White, personally I'd be leery of advancing the f-pawn -- particularly with White's Queen so active.

Advancing the e pawn -- if you must move a pawn -- at least frees up the Queen's bishop and lets you unite your rooks.

Black's d-8 and e-8 ar ...[text shortened]... n as an unfortunate, enduring weakness infecting the rest of your center. ) )



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rather excellent thoughts, anyhow, Shamash, i cannot find Averbakh-Bebchuk (Moscow 1934), there is a reference to a game in 1964, is this the one that you meant? or is there another earlier game?

Yuri Averbakh's first big tournament was in 1938, when he won a Soviet junior championship at 15.

Yes, Robbie, Averbakh played Bebchuk in '64 (like the 64 squares on the board). The key moves occurred beginning with his 50th move, creating and exploiting a breakthrough. At move 50, Averbakh as White had the advantage of a dynamic position, Bebchuk had the static advantages of structure, including the only passed pawn on the board. Yet Averbakh won.

Of course, Averbakh was one of the greatest experts in history on the endgame. And this is ten years after he'd peaked, winning the Soviet Championship in Kiev in 1954. There he rattled off masterpieces of strategy such as his game against Ilivitsky's Gruenfeld, where White's dynamics exploit the Black king's structural weakness and launch their fireworks at move 24.



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Originally posted by Shamash
Yuri Averbakh's first big tournament was in 1938, when he won a Soviet junior championship at 15.

Yes, Robbie, Averbakh played Bebchuk in '64 (like the 64 squares on the board). The key moves occurred beginning with his 50th move, creating and exploiting a breakthrough. At move 50, Averbakh as White had the advantage of a dynamic position, Bebch ploit the Black king's structural weakness and launch their fireworks at move 24.



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Dada! here it is, the game, black just played 50...Kc6



51.e5! Otherwise Black simply plays Kd6 on the next move.
52. g5! There's no good way to stop the threat of f5-f6

Black to move:



Notice we both have light-square bishops, but black can claim an advantage due to having the better one.

I was quite confused in this position and couldn't decide whether 1...c5 to try to lock the pawns on the light squares but then he has 2.Bd4, 1...b5 to push the bishop from outside the pawn chain, 1...Rad8 to stay flexible and retain the other two possibilities, 1...Qf4 was an idea to blockade that pawn but 2.d4 looked strong then, 1...Qh4 just to hit the rook and make sure the bishop stays watching over the g2-square (so he can't double).

So, whaddya think? What would you do?

I played 1...Rad8 to stay flexible and he blundered a pawn with 2.Qg1.
Your black. Win the pawn(OK, so it might be pretty obvious. Question is: does he get an attack or no?).

Originally posted by ResigningSoon
Black to move:

[fen]r4rk1/1pp2ppp/p4q2/4p3/2B1P3/P1PP1P1b/1P3R1P/R2Q3K b - - 0 17[/fen]

Notice we both have light-square bishops, but black can claim an advantage due to having the better one.

I was quite confused in this position and couldn't decide whether 1...c5 to try to lock the pawns on the light squares but then he has 2.Bd4, 1...b5 to ...[text shortened]... . Win the pawn(OK, so it might be pretty obvious. Question is: does he get an attack or no?).

dude will you tell us your plan?

Tell me what you think 🙂