Unlock Your Genius - January 2009 (Problems)

by dlwyatt, Ohio, Saturday, January 31, 2009, 22:21 (5919 days ago)
edited by dlwyatt, Saturday, January 31, 2009, 22:26

Time for another one! This time a middlegame position, which I hope will result in more people getting involved and posting their ideas. :)

Here's my initial take on it:

Black's up a pawn, plus has two pawn islands to white's three. His knights have nice central outposts which White will have a hard time dislodging anytime soon (f3 is difficult due to the weak pawn it leaves on e3). His Bishop is currently rather passive, particularly due to the pawn on f5 restricting it.

Against this, White has two bishops, both of which are placed on nice, open diagonals. His Knight isn't doing much yet on e2, but has several squares available to hop to (f4-d5, d4, or perhaps c3). The open d5-g8 and a1-g7 diagonals may provide him with some play against Black's kingside. White's king doesn't have any problems for the moment, though Black may try to attack the light squares around it at some point, if Black's bishop, knights and queen can coordinate later on.

All considered, I think I slightly prefer Black here. White's small advantage in bishop activity doesn't seem to be enough to justify Black's extra pawn and healthier structure. As Black here, I'd be looking to activate the d7 bishop in some way. The way that most appeals to me personally is to play Rab8 and b5, producing some play along the a6-f1 diagonal and the open b-file. I could also see someone preferring to keep Black's pawn structure intact for now, and instead playing Rae8 and Bc6 to centralize.

Beyond activating the bishop and getting the rook off a8, I don't see a lot for Black to do here yet. It will depend on how White plays over the next few moves; the game is approaching the point where both sides' pieces are placed, and a small tactical shot may lead to a stronger positional advantage, one way or the other.