Now what?

I know I am supposed to have a plan, but I not. What idea would drive your decision making at this point?


I have a strong center. I feel like I should be attacking the kingside, other than that no clue. Is there something concrete here or is it just nebulous?

@Eladar

Gosh, yes, I dream of obtaining such positions with White, an embarrassment of options. With control of the center, good development, and more space, several ideas present themselves.

I would probably play a preliminary h3 to prevent the Black KN from coming to g4, then carry on with a K-side attack starting with Nf4 and e5 driving the Black KN away from the defence. Then start looking at B and N sacs against the Black K-side pawns.

Alternatively, one could build pressure in the center with Ra1c1 and Rf1d1, and see what develops on the Q-side.

@eladar said
I know I am supposed to have a plan, but I not. What idea would drive your decision making at this point?
[fen]rn1q1rk1/2pb1pp1/p3pn1p/bp6/3PP3/3BBN2/PPQ1NPPP/R4RK1 w - - 4 14[/fen]

I have a strong center. I feel like I should be attacking the kingside, other than that no clue. Is there something concrete here or is it just nebulous?

JMHO - Blacks backward pawn on c7 gives you an opportunity to double your rooks on the c file, and turn it into a big weakness. This will tie down many of blacks pieces defending the queen side. You can then begin pressing an attack on the kingside. Black will be hard pressed to defend against attacks on both wings.

@moonbus

After dropping the queen to c1, I think bishop sac would be nice. I found my queen behind the white bishop rather useless.

@mchill

Where would you envision placing your queen if doubled rooks on the c file?

@Eladar

Ne5 looks good, stop the knight from getting to c6, blacks position is all gummed up. The best move for black is probably Bc8 to give the knight a square and reroute the bishop to b7. Which is a pretty sad plan. Maybe b4 with the idea of Bb5? Looks ugly, but maybe it's better.

White also needs to get those rooks in the game, I wouldn't think about a plan yet. Just keep restricting your opponent and bettering your own pieces, a shot will come up at some point.

@KnightStalker47

I have noticed that inexperienced players start attacking way too soon. Put rooks on good files, I will try to remember that.

@eladar said
@mchill

Where would you envision placing your queen if doubled rooks on the c file?

I'd start with something like a3, b4 booting blacks Bishop to b6, this opens the door to Qd2 threatening Bxh6 gxh6, Qxh6, and after e5 or Ng5, things will get ugly for black in a hurry. While black responds to this, white should have the opportunity to double those rooks on the c file. I may be missing something in the position here, but this will keep black busy responding to white's threats on both sides of the board. Having been on the receiving end of these nasty double attacks a few times, I can testify it will take some strong moves to counter them. 🙂

@mchill

See that is why I suck. Too direct without attempting to manipulate the board.

That and all too often narrow board vision. Oh yeah playing moves by feel instead of calculations does not help either.

@eladar said
@mchill

See that is why I suck. Too direct without attempting to manipulate the board.

That and all too often narrow board vision. Oh yeah playing moves by feel instead of calculations does not help either.

Eladar - You don't suck. Much of chess is pattern recognition, and you haven't had the chance to learn much of it yet. Just get on the path we spoke of in the PM when you can, and you'll improve.

Good things sometimes take time.

@mchill

I do suck but not nearly as bad as I used to. At least at this point I can give the correct algebraic notation most of the time. I can see pieces move in my head. When I first started playing I could do neither.

@eladar said
@mchill

I do suck but not nearly as bad as I used to. At least at this point I can give the correct algebraic notation most of the time. I can see pieces move in my head. When I first started playing I could do neither.

Ah, yes, chess requires (and fosters) visualization skills. Absolutely essential. But don't be misled into thinking that this necessarily involves calculations. What GMs are often visualizing is less a matter of long sequences of moves forwards, as a desirable outcome and then they think backwards how to get there. A desirable outcome is, of course, seldom checkmate. In the early stages of a game, "desirable outcomes" are much more modest (things such as getting control of the centre, dominating a file or a diagonal, obtaining the bishop pair, etc.). It comes with practise.


Get beat by better and better players and observe how they beat you; that's how one improves.

@moonbus

That is the trick is it not, knowing what you did wrong and howyour opponenr took advantage of it.

As for GM's they have very many positions memorized. For them patterns on the board, the entire board, are simply like mutiplication facts. They do not have to work out the position just like not having to calculate that 5 times 6 makes 30. But still at times some calculation is required, they just have a much better idea of what they are calculating for and they get much more accurate understanding of how their opponent would reply.

I hope this is not from a current game 😠

@ketchuplover said
I hope this is not from a current game 😠

Screw off ass wipe. It is not.