Test your positional play #1

Its somewhat of an art form to be able to accurately analyse a chess position and to formulate the correct plan for its not always clear.  At the moment I am reading the truly excellent book authored by Robert Bellin and Pietro Ponzeto, 'Test your positional play' and I provide a little excerpt from this wonderful publication.

Here is a position with three plausible continuations. 

1. Occupation of the weak squares on c5 and e5, keeping control of the c-file and simplifying the position by exchanging heavy pieces

2. Creation of a passed pawn by inducing black to swap off a knight on c5 retaking with the pawn and keeping the heavy pieces on the board and the c-file closed

3. Doubling rooks on the c-file, preventing black from contesting control of the c-file and penetrating on the seventh rank with Rc7 and threatening Ne5

See if you can ascertain which is the correct plan.

My thanks go to the authors of the book 'Test your positional play', Robert Bellin and Pietro Ponzetto from which the game was taken. To the artists who made the original video animation which I have used to liven up what can be an otherwise dry subject.  To Riccardo De Amicis who provided the encouragement.  To the musicians for the audio and for the open source software community for their untiring devotion to making quality software available to everyone regardless of economic constraints. You are all truly awesome people -  kind regards MSK

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