Plans

I see this position a lot of times in OTB games. However, most books tell me that white has a strong kingside attack and leave it there. Since I don't know the general plan, I usually mess up at this point, blunder away a few pawns, and risk the game (if my middlegame or andgame is significantly better, I still win). Black usually plays a move like Nb4, b5 or (if he played c6 instead of c5) Nc5. After that, I've played 11.g4, 11.c4,11. Nf3, 11.Qf3 11.Qh5 and 11.0-0 before, but I don't have a clue which one is correct.

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date "2007.7.18"]
[Round ""]
[White "anthias"]
[Black "opponent"]
[TimeControl "-"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "oft "]

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Nbd2 c5 5.b3 Bd6 6.Bb2 Nc6 7.Bd3 O-O 8.Ne5 Bxe5 9.dxe5 Nd7 10.f4 *

I would castle first. Anyway from the position, looking at the 10...Nb4 line in particular, one way is
11.Nf3 (11.g4 here looks a bit weakening and premature)
Now 12.Nxd3 Qxd3 13...f6 (if 13...b6 then 14.Ng5 g6 is a bit uncomfortable for black) 14.O-O fxe5 15.Bxe5 (yes, give up the bishop because the white Knight is better at the e5 post) ...Nxe5 16Nxe5 b6 17.Rf3 Bb7 18.Rh3 h6 19.Rd1 and now you have play with c4 and Rg3.

Or 12.Nxd3 Qxd3 13...f5 14.O-O b6 15.c4 dxc4 16.bxc4 Qe7 17.Rfd1 pressuring the d file with an equal game.


An alternative plan is 11.Qh5:
11.Qh5 Nxd3 12.exd3 b6 13.g4 Bb7 14.O-O-O f6 15.exf6 Nxf6 16.Qh4 Qc7 17.Rhf1 d4 18.e4
Black, however, can play 12...Qa5. In that case 13.Qe2 b5 13.O-O Bb7 14.e4 is playable.

I think white does have a very strong attack. Castling kingside brings the rook into play, sacrificing the bishop on h7 is always a threat, a central pawn push with the f and e pawns will open the game up for whites dark squared bishop and whites rook if the f file is opened, the knight can take a few hops and join the kingside fray through nf3-ng5, attacking the valuable h7, or, if the e4 square becomes available, ne4- to either d6, f6, if it became open, or again ng5. Many possibilities, making them all work is the tough part.

castle first. then exploit weaknesses. a better move besides f4 may be Qh5 threatens mate but more importantly protects your pawn and forces the action. if f4 is played immedeatly then black has the check on Qh4 makes you move a pawn up and "loosen" your position. in that case you must castle queenside. if you are comftorable with attacking then by all means do so. but if not then maybe finding a more subtle opening against that would suit you better or even playing to get a better position then looking for something is usually easier. the masters say castle safley unless a weakness has arrived that you can exploit. if not develope quickly if still none then force some! create weaknesses and exploit them!

Qh5 looks to be a bad move. sry i was making the moves in my head when writing the post not looking at the board. but Qh5 puts in a threat to help weaken the kingside pawns.

As other people have said in the position above with black to move he plays Qh4+ and now white gets no attack, he has to play g3 and now among other thing no rook lift is possiable. The position is likely even but it is hard for me to see what whites plan is going to be.

what's an unused attack worth? maybe the centre is not locked but nevertheless pretty rigid, and I've already used tempi to get some pawns up. wouldn't want to waste them, so I would just leave my king in the center and push the kingside pawns.

edit: oh, it's black to move. in that case scrap everything I said, there's no time to attack. a kingdom for a tempo!

The same white position arises from many different black defences. I will try to put some of my OTB games on this thread as examples when I come back from vacation.