Indecision

 Me and another player are so confused that we just keep moving our queens back and forth to see who's going to attack first. We merely called it quits and wanted you guys to play this out. What do you think should happen. 

Umm, no. You did not have a better position. In fact, I think you were lost.

Your pawns claim more space, but they are overextended and poorly defended. Your king is also dangerously exposed and has no where to hide from a crushing attack from black that should have ensued. My first order of business would be to build a kingside fianchetto and plan an attack there based on the moves you make in the meantime.

I think other way. White pawns are strong and good defence to nuild strong attack against black kingside. Moves like Bh3 with discovered check gives white hood time to build up strong attack. Another Idea is simply improve your alredy better position  with moves like Nf3, redying pawn push e5 and after dxe5 Nxe5, attacking Queen. Then white have good attack against black, and he/she has much more safer king. And if Black moves his Queen move Nb5 forces it back or wins a rook. White is much more comfrotable in this position. Black can't devlop his pieces easily, and Bh4 stops idea of Nf6. And even without that white bishop aren't in the h3, g5 forces it back with tempo.

My advice would be don't try to play the queens so early.  To get all of your pieces active and working for you, play each of your knights and bishops once to get them off the back rank and into the game.  Then get your queen off the back rank and think about castling.  Maybe castle queen side for white at this point as you have more protection there.  Typically you would castle king side if the pawns weren't over extended.  Try to do all this in a way that every piece is protected by another piece.  In other words, no pieces are hanging. 

For more information on this, google for basic chess opening help, or similar.  Or search the opening forum here.

You need to also think about how to arange your king side pawns so they protect eachother and how to keep you king protected. 

Same advice for black to get pieces into the game.  White has a lot of hanging pieces.  While moving each knight and remaining bishop once to get it off the back rank, I'd be looking for ways to get into position to pick off some of white's pieces before white can get them protected.  Make sure and tell your friend that :).  Black can castle king side.

I'd take black, myself. 

Paul 

Hmm... I have to disagree with kingfisher.

In positions with a lot more space, what determines whether the pawns are overextended is simply the opponent's ability to undermine them.

In this position, black is not positioned well enough to undermine white's pawns without weakening his own position too seriously in the process.

You were correct in your assessment that white has a nice advantage.

Black has real problems with bringing his pieces into play.

For example: he can't play 1...Nf6 because of 2.g5 Ng8 (forced) and 3.Bh3 and black will get smashed soon.

So how should the g8 knight enter the game? hmm... only e7 remains (Nh6 g5 is the same as before). but 1...e5 2.fxe5 just gives black too many structural advantages without helping black get out of the bind, and 1...e6 (which is one of the only reasonable moves for black in my opinion).

But notice this little factor in the position: black is not more developed than white! Actually, with the current pawn formation, white will be able to develop his pieces much faster than black.

usually in more equal positions where one side has more space, the other has better piece development (usually you don't get the extra space for free), and so the player with the space advantage should be more careful about possible breakthrous by his opponent, because the latter's pieces are positioned well enough to be able to exploit the dark side of space - the weaknesses the pawns leave in their wake, AND the pawns themselves, which may become weak.

However, in this position, black will take many moves before he can do anything against the white position. So, white has time to slowly build the position without fear.

Now, with this in mind, watch the 1...e6 move, it's only there to help develop black's pieces SOMEWHERE. But black does not really want to open the position since it is white who is better positioned to mobilize his forces here. White's weaknesses have little meaning, since black is not able to make use of them.

1...e6 2.Bb2 Nge7 3.Qf3. This way white just has a very large advantage.

What about trying to strike before white can mobilize his forces? problematic, since black is not developed himself:

1...e6 2.Bb2 exd5? 3.Nxd5 ..... I'm sorry, black is just close to lost here. On the edge. Very bad position.

with easy piece play (for white, black has none), he can easily maneuver all his pieces into play (Bh3). the white king will feel very comfortable anywhere it will be,..

If black works for a queenside breakthrough with 1...a6 and 2...b5, then 1...a6 2.Bh3 b5?(probably a mistake) 3.Qe2, black is again close to lost here, and an immediate attempts to create open lines: 3...bxc4 4.bxc4 is just a huge advantage to white again.

This, actually, this is the worst position for black out of all the ones I've taken into account.

However, that said, in the given position, black is not lost (I'm not saying he is or isn't... just that it's above my level to tell), he's just in a very uncomfortable position, and somewhat inferior. 

He just needs to develop his pieces as best as he can, find a home for his king, and then continue on with his counterplay.

Just Na6 , o-o-o, Nc7, e6 Nge7 etc.

White is better, but There is still so much to be played.

Other interesting black tries are g6, followed by Bg7 and Na6-b4, but they are suspect... with only two pieces, nothing can be achieved, and black has nothing else at work in the time being:

1...g6 2.Bh3 Bb7 3.Bb2 Na6 4.Qe2 white can just ignore black, whose only developed pieces will never threaten anything serious.

Actually, if black tries 4...Nb4 here (which I think is a serious error), my favourite is actually o-o-o!, recognizing that black has no more pieces to bring into play for quite a few moves, EVEN with pawn breaks and sacrifices. My estimation of that position is that I'd expect to win this as white, or at least make black suffer like he never thought possible:)

Once again, every way I try to look at it, black seems to be in a bit of trouble.

His counterplay is way off and way too slow.

 In principle, black should try to avoid such a position unless he gets there with some counterplay possibilities more readily available (that usually means with better piece development...)

As for white, all he has to do is develop his pieces and prepare strong pawn breaks when he has improved his pieces' location. His position is excellent.

As for white's weaknesses: an important concept in positional chess is that weaknesses are only relavent if they can be exploited. To me it seems, even after verifying it with analysis, that black's counterplay against these potential weaknesses takes too many moves to achieve, rendering the weaknesses unimportant.

Grolich, I enjoyed your analysis.  Very enlightening.

I was thinking the same thing about black maybe playing g6, Bg7.  I tried it against Fritz and quickly found that things weren’t so easy :).

In Fritz shootout, Rybka engine, 9 ply, white was tactically ahead most of the time, decreasing to near neutral at a couple points and ending in a draw, which seems pretty consistent with your thoughts that white has it better but not clear who's won.

Also, on your point about more mobility for white, and my concern that white has hanging pieces (specifically on f4, c3, a1), white can play Bb2 and Qf3 to develop those two pieces and solve all the hanging piece problems.

OK, I changed my mind, I'd take white :). 

Without looking at other responses...

I don't know how, but black has lost 3 moves and it shows.  I count 5 for black and 8 for white.  That's 3 lost moves for black - that's HUGE. I note the following:

1. White has more space
2. Both sides are under-developed
   
3. White's d pawn is powerful, choking black's QB and QN 
4. The Black QB is wretched.
5. Black's KB can come alive if fianchettoed.
   
6. Black's Q is misplaced
7. h4 is a target for black's Q
8. White's K will eventually be totally exposed. This can make it very hard for white to make progress if the board opens up.
   
9. White's unsupported advanced pawns tend to be weak.
10. White has 2 bad bishops
    

So for black, I'd play for bringing the KB to life g6 and Bg7.  Then the goal will be to castle ASAP.  This will solidify the white K's disadvantage.  Then, e6 (white can't take it without activating the black QB and moving black's Q to a better square) and Ne7 then O-O.  Now black can start tearing the center open.  Is there time?  I don't know but the die is cast.   Black must do something before white develops.

In fact, if white develops things suck for black.  I'd re-consider the move order and play e6 first which is good for Black regardless.  Now the N can develop to e7 and the B can still be fianchettoed.  Black can consider f5 after g6 and Bg7.