What would your plans be for black in this position?

Position arose from:
Queen's Gambit Declined: Cambridge Springs, Capablanca Variation


What are your medium- and long-term plans for black? Perhaps for white as well. Curious since the engine didn't like what I did. Posted it as an image on purpose. Don't put it in the engine. Purely positional, no immediate tactics available.

That's what I thought while in-game as well and sadly most of those ideas aren't liked by the engine. The f-pawn push is such a common theme in a Carlsbad structure and I did go for it. Bg4 is also not liked by the engine. Giving up the bishop pair to ruin that structure doesn't really benefit black at all since white wants to play on the queenside anyways and I don't think there's a way to really attack white's kingside. The engine prefers Qf3, Re8 or Rb8. It actually prefers playing on the queenside after that.

Really appreciate you guys from replying, makes me feel better for playing f5 in-game and getting a big fat "?" from the engine.

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/35608618013

My candidate moves are Bg4, Qf6 and f5.

I would probably go for f5 because I didn't exactly like White pushing e3-e4 at some point later on, but I have to be prepared that e5 will be a great outpost for the f3 knight or the other knight.

Me: g5!!

cambridge springs? what's up with the name of some of these openings?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Gambit_Declined,_Cambridge_Springs_Defense

I'd say this name is completely normal compared to the rat defence and those sorts of names.

Per Wikipedia: The name derives from a 1904 tournament in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, in which the defense was used several times.

haha, I beat you by a second

Lol, we both posted wikipedia at the same time.

Needless to say 1...Bg4 is a great move, and if the engine does not like it... well, it is it's own problem, not yours.

Another idea would be to put the bishop at e4 via Qf6 and Bf5, or insert Re8 first. I do not see how an eventual ...f5 could achieve something more than weakening e5. Black can well do without it.

Just curious how this position occured. Of course I would take Black anytime here.

Queen side pawn storm?

White has the better pawn structure, as the c-file is stronger than the e-file. The long term plan for white is to put rooks on the c-file, a knight on c5 and to advance a- and b-pawns to create a weakness on c6.
Black has the bishop's pair. Black will put a rook on e8 and a bishop on f5.
Black has the better chances, but it is about equal.

I'd say develop and attack on the kingside. I'd like a setup with ... Re8 and ... Qf6, before playing for Bg4. I don't feel white is threatening much, so why not build up first and get our pieces in the attack?

I'm kinda confused on why white played Na4 instead of b5, but black should probably go for typical carlsbad stuff like f5 f4 ig, maybe Bg4 to take because you still have your dark squared bishop so pretty sure black would be better there because white is just not gonna get Kh1 Rg1 in time, if he defends the knight with the queen, then maybe go Bh5-g6.

where game?

wdym where game? if u mean the position click the "First" button

#21
White played Na4 to install the knight as an outpost at c5.
...f5 would make sense if black could install a knight on e4, but the black knights are traded. So black should put his bishop on f5 controlling outpost square e4. Hence no ...f5.
...Bg4 is not the right plan IMHO.

f5 still makes heaps of sense coz u go f4 and do ur own minority attack, Na4 doesn't really make that much sense to me because it isn't an outpost coz just b6, I feel like b5 is much better just go through with the minority attack