Balance Out Your Chess (Part 3: To Attack or Not to Attack?)

"To attack or not to attack"-an adaptation of the famous quote from Shakepeare's Hamlet. 

The image of Art of Attack in Chess by Vukovic is one of the best and most classic books on the subject of whether or not to attack in chess. Pick up a copy if you have not already.

Part 1 of this Series:

http://www.chess.com/blog/CraiggoryC/balance-out-your-chess

Part 2 of this Series:

http://www.chess.com/blog/CraiggoryC/balance-out-your-chess-part-2-middlegame-tactics-planning-and-quotsimple-positionsquot

Below are puzzles where you are told it's a good time to attack, and then puzzles where a more positional move is more in order. After that, will follow puzzles that have no prompts, so you have to figure out whether you should attack or not. Good luck!

It's Time to Attack; how?

To Not Attack; Find the Best Positional Move

Many chessplayers are mystified when it comes to positional chess. Many players are great attackers/tacticians but when no tactical possibilities are available, they become lost and play badly. Positional chess is just making your pieces more powerful, or creating a weakness in your opponent's position. Just because you play positional moves does not exclude you from attacking later. Below are two puzzles of when it's not quite the right time to attack and you must play positionally (later in the game Alekhine actually finished off the game with a nice attack).