Ruy Lopez Breyer Middle game plans

Hi, I have recently been studying the Ruy Lopez Breyer and have been getting good positions out of the opening. However, when I reach the middlegame, I sometimes do not know what the various plans are. Does anyone know the middle game plans for black in this variation of the Ruy Lopez?

Another champion of the Breyer was Lajos Portisch ... 

Karpov also played the black side about a dozen times in his career and never lost with it . 

Yes, I know about going c5 and and Re8 and delaying the tension or removing the tension with cxd4 and exd4. I was just wondering about various plans in the Breyer after you reach those positions. I will take a look at some of these player's games.

Does anyone know of any modern chess players who play Breyer?

Magnus Carlsen ?!

ok, I will study Carlsen's Breyer games as well.

It's useful to be aware of the common pawn structures that can unfold on the queenside and center depending on what each side does... I'm not good enough to summarize it all for you though, sorry

If you're going to play over a lot of games, perhaps categorize them by similar pawn structures.

Sometimes black has to absorb an attack on the kingside, then gets the better endgame / queenside play.

Well, afaik Black does NOT go c5 too early - the idea is to be able to answer the typical pawn thrust d4-d5 from White with c7-c6, nibbling away at the White centre.

Not super early. But IIRC it depends on what white does. In other ruys too, I think an a4 is commonly met with c5 and then you can push to c4 and now at some point Nc5-Nd3 may be the idea.

If white goes for the a2, b3. c4, d5 chain, then yeah, you want to challenge it with c6, b5, Nb6 formation. This is the one where you can sometimes sacrifice on d5.

But sure, if black's c4-b5-a6 is against white's a2-b2-c3 then black may not be able to generate anything on the queenside and will be stuck with almost never ending pressure against his king.

Oh, I see you were commenting on the OP.

Yeah, don't automatically play c5 in this variation.

Strange to me to mix b3 with a4.

Glad you posted it though, so now I've seen it at least once 

Please let me know if there is any problem with the variations which I just showed involving an early c5.

With the Queens Gambit Declined Tartakower, the Breyer was part of the soviet GM repetoire of the 1970's. So can look at the games of pratically any star Soviet GM of that time, plus players like Gligorich.

re: a4 being critical, I don't have my database handy, but I think that's opposite. 14.a4 transposes into the usual lines where c5 is fine.

In order to try to take advantage of the early c5, I think 14.d5 is correct. An engine may show 0.00 or something, but strategically it's much harder for black with no clear way to make progress on the queenside. But with a4, there will eventually be open lines / weaknesses to base your play around.

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In contrast, as I said before, if white keeps his pawn on a2 and pushes d5, then black challenges the a2-d5 chain with c6, b5, Nb6 formation. After an early c5 though, this is not possible.

That's why 11...Bb7 is the normal move.

Please tell me if you see any problem with my variation which seems to get an equal position quite easily against 14.d5!?

Also if you find some other variation which you think may cause trouble for black that would be helpful as well.