The problem:
https://www.chess.com/lessons/motoc-assad-1996-world-youth-festival-girls-under-12
the text: "Black has to come up with a useful and clear plan. This is easy to say but very difficult to do! Both sides enjoy solid positions. White has the choice of two plans: 1) he can seek central expansion with an eventual f2-f3 followed by e3-e4. 2) he can play for a minority attack (this seeks to create weak squares and pawns in Black's queenside pawn structure) with b2-b4-b5. Black's Knight on d6 eyes b5, c4, e4, and f5 and is clearly well-placed. However, an actual Black plan is still a bit of a mystery. What would you do with the second player's position?"
I tried almost every possible move before stumbling on the answer, which doesn't make any sense to me. The answer is g6, but is this not the grievous error of advancing a King's protective pawn, and at the same time, creating dreaded 'weak squares' around the black King?
Chess seems so full of contradictions, but clearly that's why my playing level has been stagnant for about a decade...
The problem:
https://www.chess.com/lessons/motoc-assad-1996-world-youth-festival-girls-under-12
the text: "Black has to come up with a useful and clear plan. This is easy to say but very difficult to do! Both sides enjoy solid positions. White has the choice of two plans: 1) he can seek central expansion with an eventual f2-f3 followed by e3-e4. 2) he can play for a minority attack (this seeks to create weak squares and pawns in Black's queenside pawn structure) with b2-b4-b5. Black's Knight on d6 eyes b5, c4, e4, and f5 and is clearly well-placed. However, an actual Black plan is still a bit of a mystery. What would you do with the second player's position?"
I tried almost every possible move before stumbling on the answer, which doesn't make any sense to me. The answer is g6, but is this not the grievous error of advancing a King's protective pawn, and at the same time, creating dreaded 'weak squares' around the black King?
Chess seems so full of contradictions, but clearly that's why my playing level has been stagnant for about a decade...