In position 1 I usually play something like Re1 followed by Be3 followed by Qd2.  My goal is to try for a bishop sacrifice....  However, black has usually played h6 by now which I think makes the sac more viable.  Without a pawn move by black, and if Bh6 were played by white, then black could simply ignore the bishop I suppose.  Maybe I need to look at it harder.

In position 2 it seems incredibly obvious to me (probably because I'm dead wrong). I see e4 followed by e5 followed by f4.  Make a dark squared pawn chain that black can only fight with his pawns.  Also try to maintain the pin of the b pawn and keep the light squared bishop locked up.

I imagine it playing out 1.e4, Kd8 (or Ke7....  Kd6 is pointless and bad) 2. e5, Bd7 3.f4,

What do you guys think?  I'm not very good at this.

"I considered your plan - attack with g4 and g5. I really don´t like it. 1.g4 Bc8 and what? 2.g5 Nfd7 attacking white pawn on g5 and now? 3.f4? Evaluate position. Name just one white piece which is attacking. I can´t see how can white break in black kingś fotress. What is next plan? And black has many options. eg. 3...Nc5 with exchanging, 3... c6 - center pawn break, 3... f6 - devastating whites advanced pawns and white kings shleter."

No, you do not play 2. g5 on 1. ... Bc8. There are several different plans available. White would simply develop with Be3 and be happy that the g-pawn is actually prohbiting black from doing anything useful because they have absolutely no space and there isn't a clear plan for them to.

I would also consider 2. Kh1 with the idea of playing Rg1 and conducting attacks along the g and h files.

I considered your plan - attack with g4 and g5. I really don´t like it. 1.g4 Bc8 and what? 2.g5 Nfd7 attacking white pawn on g5 and now? 3.f4? Evaluate position. Name just one white piece which is attacking. I can´t see how can white break in black kingś fotress. What is next plan? And black has many options. eg. 3...Nc5 with exchanging, 3... c6 - center pawn break, 3... f6 - devastating whites advanced pawns and white kings shleter.

In position 2 white has a large advantage.  Blacks king is cut off from the queenside majority, white completely owns the center, and at the moment black has to untangle his pieces to activate his rook and bishop.  I would actually consider giving up the open file at some point here and playing moves like Rb1 e4, Bf1 Kd3. I think a possible continuation for white would be e4 Ke7 Bf1 Bd7 Rb1 b6 Bb5 BxB RxB where I think white has a much better center, more active rook, and can easily place his king on either flank.

I agree with the plan being g4 in the first position. The is that Black's position is very cramped and White's pawn structure and space advantage dictate play on the Kingside. With g4, White forces Black to make a decision: Retreat the bishop to c8 and wait to use the piece until later (d7 is not good because it gets more in the way of blacks pieces) or to g6 where f4 must be answered with h6, creating weaknesses to attack with moves like g5 or they can trade the light squared bishop on d3 and give White a superior position due to all of the open diagonals at the Black King.

in position 1, as white I would aim to exchange off blacks light square bishop and discourage black from playing c6 or c5 with the long term aim of passing the d pawn and/or pressuring the d6 pawn with the knights.  Blacks queenside development is slow so a trade of his active kingside pieces might give white attacking chances there.  I would look at candidate moves for white such as h3, Nb4, and Re1.

Re1 feels a little slow to me and doesn't maintain the initiative as I would like, for instance Re1 Na6 Be3 Bxd3 Qxd3 Nc5 and black seems to be about equal to me.

h3 Nbd7 g4 Bg6 just seems too weakening to whites kingside

So my choice would be Nb4 with the idea of playing Nb4-c2 and Bd3 to swap off the bishops and bring the knight around to d4.  So play might follow Nb4 Nbd7 Nc2 Re8 Bd3 BxB QxB Ne5 Qd2 or something. 

I guess it seems kinda vague to me. 

I admit it does weaken the dark squares alot, but it's just a possibility and his f5 bishop becomes horrible. But I only said it was interesting, I have no idea if it would actually work. Maybe black could just retreat his f6 knight after I pushed g4 and f5 and take control of the dark squares. However white could instead play h4 (not f4) threatening h5 and that way maybe the dark squares aren't quite as weak. But the more positional plan could easily be much better.

And it's not like after g4 Bg6 f4 h6 f5 needs to be played, it could be preapred when the dark squares are under better control or white can even omit the move (though that takes some point out of the plan)

That's what I thought too nerv (I'm one of those people who hate those who only look for kingside attacks) but with the g4 plan white's attacking chances increase. If black's f5 bishop is traded for my knight, my bishop is suddenly eyeing the kingside and he loses a defender. Of course his kingside isn't weakened but it can be provoked eventually by just an example) Bc2 Qd3 battery with Bg5, threaening Qxh7 mate after Bxf6, which forces a big weakness, g6. if black gets his bishop entombed with g4 Bg6 f4 h6 f5 black's bishop is blocked and as long as black doesn't get central counterplay white can slowly build up his forces around h4 and g5 (after getting his heavy pieces on the g file maybe) and the attack would suddenly become very strong. But of course this requires preparation by the pieces. So at least it fights to get rid of black's light squared bishop instead of being just a big kingside fling.

And there are no weaknesses in black kingside pawn structure.

elubas, this plan is interesting, but too crude. And there is no reason to attack king. White has almost no pieces on kingside and on the other hand, almost all black pieces are protecting black king.

Another interesting, more brutal plan is g4!? and if ...Bxd3 Bxd3 white has his bishop aiming at the king (black's cramped position probably can't exploit the kingside weakenss white made) and if ...Bg6 f4 threatening f5. After ...h6 white might play f5 anyway to shut it in and by then white has more mobility for a kingside attack. Not sure if this works though.

In the second position white has an advantage becouse of his active pieces and good bishop. But this advantage can quickly disappear. eg. after 1.d5, yes 1... e5?? 2. Bh3+ gives a won endgame. But 1...Kd6 works nicely. For example: 1.d5 Kd6, 2.dxe6 Bxd6!, 3.Bxb7? Rb8 and 4...Rb2+ with clear advantage for black. I see no point in 1.a4 - black want to create a free pawn and it will be strog. It seems logical to centralise white king and try to use the majority on the kingside, but this is probably too slow and black can activate his pieces with Rb8, b6(b5), Bb7 and with rook occupy the c file. Black can try to exchange all pieces and qeenside majority will be an advantage. Iĺl be thinking.

For position 1, I notice the knight on d3 isn't very good and it's quite hard to improve (f3 may be a better square, but is it really worth all that time for a slightly better square?). So a possible plan might start with Bf4, simply developing, but intending an eventual b4 and c5, with attack on d6. EIther the d6 pawn goes (opening up both c5 and e5 for the knight) or white plays cxd6 (maybe after getting some rooks on the c file, as white can open this at any moment and he wants black to take) with a weakness on d6 attackable with Nb5. To prepare this white might want to play Bf3 to defend d5 and take the e file to get ready to occupy e5. Further prepartion with Ne4 (after Bf3 and Re1) might be necessary.

Generally in this type of position (with the pawn at d5 and open e file) I would look for a way to attack on the kingside, but because of the strength of black's f5 bishop (so if there was a bishop on d3 he would always have the option of trading off this potential attacker) and the knight on d3 an immediate kingside attack is unlikely.

in position 1 i like Qb3 threatening Qb7 attacking Ra8. black could reply2...Bb8, but loses tempo.

In the first position... I should play Be3 since Bg5 with pin is not strong bec. of the dark bishop in e7.  My plan is to put the bishop to d4 , guarding the e5 and c5 square that possibly the black knight can be a good outpost.

Other moves are quiet good but I choose  Be3 bec. of my own analysis with the position^^.

For the second position. I should play e4 then push again e5! and finaly F4 to gain space since black officials are not active. And from the pawn structure with h2, g3, f4, e5, I will attack in the queenside knowing this pawn structure is in favor in attacking that side of the board.

Just my opinion.. thanks for this article WIM energia^^

sryy for my english...

position 1:

    c1-g5 to get bishop free for the next dev. default of this move traps blk kn between Q they would dev rook f8-g8,

likewise I'd follow with f1-g1 to get control of open file they would go with e7-e8, I'd follow with e2-f3 crampling their bishop, I end up with more mobility, have more possiblities.

Position 2.

           this is a bit more tricker. with no time to waste I would try to control the center e2- e4, if they follow f7-f5 I'd push the pawn e5 therefore cramping dev of their bishop by forcing them to think about the possible pawn on slot they wouldn't dev the 2 pawn majority on the, however if followed by a8-b8 freeing pawn, I'd f2-f4 dev my pawn wall giving a formiable fortress.

Its tempting to d4-d5 but i think that give dev time for black and you should stay back from that. this my take on this.. thanks

In position 1 1. b3 (consolidating c4 in case of an attack at the base of the pawn chain by a6-b5). I don't see b4 being quite as good because white's center is actually pretty solid and attacking d6 would only give some space for black's bishop. 2. Bb2 as I don't see that much future for the white bishop on the c1-h6 diagonal (Bf4-g3 is a possibility, but isn't the bishop quicker developed and more usefull on b2?). 3. Re1 is the best I've come up with, it isn't probably the strongest move, but hey, rook on open file, can't be that bad ^^.

In position 2 1.a4 must be answered by black because of the incoming, mindblowing pin on b7, either by 1...a6 or ...a5, thus making b6-Bb7 a little less solide for black. After that 2. Ke3 centralizes the king preparing for some king-side pawn action. 2... Rb8 (kind of forced for black) can be answered by 3. Rb1, keeping black's pieces as passive as possible.

This is what I would play.

In the first position white has a space advantage. He should be avoiding exchanges. Some ideoas for white:

1.  White could use his black square bishop on the long diagonal and push pawns on the qeenside. But imediate 1. b4? doesn´t work becouse of 1...a5!. So white must to prepare this - eg. 1.a3 a5, 2.b3 Nd7, 3. Bb2 - protecting rook, then b4. But unfortunately black can play 3...Nc5! with exchanges.

2. the idea of transfering knight c3, b5, d4 and attack bishop.

 a) 1.Nb5 Nd7, 2.Nd4 Bg6, 3. Nf4 - with idea to play h4 to force h6 and to ruin blacks pawn structure on the kingside Nxg6 fxg6 and getting knight on e6. Unfortunately white lacks 1 tempo to do this becouse of 3...Ne5 - protecting g6.

b) 1.Nb5 Nd7, 2.Nd4 Bg6, 3. f4 (so e5 is protected) h6, but again unfortunately white can´t play 4.b4 becouse of 4...a5! and blacks knight will settle on c5 or be exchanged.

My choice is 1.Nb5 Nd7, 2.Nd4 Bg6, 3. f4 h6, 4. Nf2 (to avoid exchanges and protect e4) Nc5, 5.Bf3 (to protect e4 again) then protect e4 three times and try to prepare b4. I don´t like 4.f5 - this pawn will be weak and there is a nice spot for black knight on e5.

a4 would be logicial move. d5 would bring open game and remove all pressure on blacks mobility. Black could simple play kd6 and stop white bishop diagonal and forces us to exchange dxe6 and Bxe6

Hmmm - interesting positions. For the first, I'm divided between two possibilities: the first being development, playing Be3/f4, and the other playing b4, hoping to break with c5 at some point and create a strong centre. I also like Nb5, preparing to land on d4.

As for the second, I'm also divided between advancing the kingside pawn majority, which seems like the logical way to win the ending, and keeping black's pieces in passivity by a4 Rb8 ; a5 preventing black from using the his own pawn majority as white could then take en passant (after say b5) leaving black with a weak isolated pawn, where the bishop would also be able to control b5 to prevent it advancing further. This way is certainly more in keeping with my own style - stifling counterplay before carrying out my own plans, but it looks like I've encountered my perennial problem when trying to formulate a plan - I just can't decide!