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Solve for black: Diagram 9.1- going through positional observation, black notices white’s doubled c pawns, a typical structure in the Nimzo-Indian opening. The goal becomes to see if it’s possible to take advantage of the potential weakness, and it’s therefore not surprising that one of the main lines for black includes the plan of b6-Ba6-Na5-rc8 and at a later point cxd exposing the c4 weakness.Challenge: in the proposed plan, black centers his whole game on the potentially weak c pawns. Does this plan involve positional concessions?

Solve for white: Diagram 8.7- clearly, black’s long pawn chain restricts white’s knight and bishop; however, white hasn’t said his final word yet in this position.Challenge: how can white guarantee breaking black’s pawn chain?

Solve for white: Diagram 8.4- a typical closed position. Notice that as a result of this observation we can immediately make the observation that all the bishops are bad, for both sides. Challenge: it’s white to play, and having noticed that the opponent’s bishops are bad he sees something he forgot to check in the threats analysis- does black have a freeing maneuver for his dark square bishop by playing a5, creating pressure and opening a dark square diagonal? Having made the observation above that black’s bishops are bad, one of the goals will therefore be to prevent them from improving. So, should white try to prepare for a5?

Solve for black: Diagram 8.2- this is a typical case of a position being practically open for one side, and closed to the other. Note that the open diagonals white has can’t be used by black’s bishops; of course the diagonals lead from white’s camp to black’s, and therefore theoretically they are open for both sides. We, however, approach open diagonals from a practical perspective, determined by the use possibilities available to both sides.The observation in this position therefore is that white’s bishops are much better than black’s low global quality bishops. This observation is a direct result of the first observation regarding the pawn structure. Challenge: does black have a plan to open diagonals for his bishops in the given position?

Solve for white: Diagram 8.1- a classic case of an open position; the position is open on both color diagonals, and it contains open and semi- open files. This observation explains why all the pieces here have good global quality. Challenge: is there a realistic goal white can identify as a result of the observation we’ve made? Can this goal be achieved?

Diagram 7.1- In this position the observation based on the four criteria survey is that white has a significant advantage in space and quality of pieces (based on the more active locations of the king and the rook). In the next chapters we will learn how to make other types of observations and how to put our observations to practical use. Challenge: is there a concrete way for white to use his advantages to create progress?

Hello friends and students, Diagram 6.5.2- white’s d2 pawn is backward on an open file and looks weak. Pushing d4! …Bd6 and c5 kicks the bishop back while improving the pawn structure.Challenge: can black refute this sequence by taking en-passant exd3 once d4 is played?

Solve for Black: Diagram 8.12- observation shows that since the chain d5-e4 is both short and starts far up the board, it can be contacted easily by white’s c pawn and therefore possibly get broken.Challenge: can the immediate c4 be regarded as a threat? Calculate the arising variation, and if it indeed makes black’s position worse suggest a solution for black to prepare for c4.

Solve for white: Diagram 8.11- black’s knight is very restricted by the f6-d4 pawn chain, and on top of this it is partially dominated by white’s bishop.Challenge: can black’s knight break free? Since it’s white to play, and the goal was already identified based on our observation, try to find ideas for white to keep black’s piece bad while creating progress. What is the evaluation of this position?

Solve for white: Diagram 8.6- the long pawn chain g2- d5 not only gives white a significant space advantage, but also the head pawn enables the important c6 outpost for the white knight. Notice that the benefit of having the chain is mainly the sustainability of the c6 outpost. If black tries to fight against the d5 pawn with ideas like e6, after an exchange white still has a pawn on d5 and the outpost remains. Challenge: should white play Nc6 immediately? If so, is it good for black to then take on c3?

Hello students, Here is position 5.4 from "The process of decision making in chess- vol 2": Good luck! Diagram 5.4- black is under a double threat- the fork on Qxc6, and Qg8 queening. Black finds a saving intermezzo move, …Ra1+! drawing: Kf2 (or e2) …Ra2+ and after the king moves the rook and queen exchange with a theoretical draw.Challenge: is it still a draw if after the rook captures the queen (…Ra1+, Kf2 …Ra2+, Kf3 …Rxg2) white didn’t take back on g2 but played h8=Q+?

Hello chess friends! Position 5.1 from The process of decision making in chess Volume 2, goals and plans. It's white's turn. Provide an assessment of the position, and prove with a variation involving what you find as best moves for both sides.

Solve for white: Diagram 8.10- black has a nice space advantage due to his dark square pawn chains. The problem is, however, that this also severely reduces the global quality of his bishop.Challenge: does the fact that black’s bishop is bad and the d5 knight is so beautifully placed mean that white has a real advantage (that can be used to create further progress)?

Hello friends, Position 6.2.1, solve for white:

Hello chess students, Position 5.3 from the book, white's turn. This is an example of a somewhat more complex, hybrid threat. In this position, black would like to use the fact that white’s king is in the center. He needs to open the center, which is possible with f6-e5. But to benefit from the open center, he needs his king to move away and the rooks to participate; Therefore the steps are f6, 0-0-0, and then e5. The combination sequence includes both immediate and long term threats: f6 is a preparation for a tactic, 0-0-0 qualifies as a “dangerous piece setup”, and e5 is pressure. Challenge: is there a way for white to prevent the dangerous sequence in advance?

Hello chess students, Position 5.2 from the book, white's turn. Find a plan for white that guarantees opening the kingside position, minding the move order and black's responses. Provide the plan in detail with your variations of what you think is the best play by both sides. For more free resources, visit our YouTube channel.

Solve for white, find possible resistance for black: Diagram 8.8- black’s queen is very active, white’s passed pawn is attacked forcing the white rook to keep a defensive and rather passive position. The opposite colored bishops can be a clue to a possible draw… a closer look shows us that the pawn structure on the kingside favors white in pawn endings, since white is the one who can create an outside passed pawn (on the h file). Therefore, it would benefit white to simplify the position. Also, white has a problem to solve- the A file pawn requires constant piece protection; can he achieve these two goals based on his observation? Yes he can. Qb4! Forces black to exchange queens, and thus creating a b4-a5 pawn chain, making a5 an outside protected passed pawn. Challenge: having achieved all of his goals, did white secure a win in this opposite colored bishops and rooks endgame? Envision white’s plan to create progress and try to think of a maximum resistance plan for black.

Solve for black: Diagram 8.5- believe it or not, this is actually a real position played by reasonably strong players (Malloni, 2261 – Bruned, 2035) from an open tournament in 2002. In this position, a key observation is the super-closed, tightly sealed pawn structure. Usually the knights can find their way through a maze of pawns, but this is a rare case where the e8 knight can never successfully become active. Therefore, it has a low global quality. Challenge: since the bad black knight has no “normal” means of breaking out of his prison cell, should black go for the only option left to activate it (and with it maybe the rook on f8 as well) and move the c7 pawn out of the way? If yes, does it give black any real survival chances? If no, is there another plan to get any activity for black?

Hi! I'm a new member of the club. I just started reading "The Process of Decision Making in Chess." I love it! I have a question about tension. In the opening chapter of the book, Philip defines tension thusly: “Tension- a sub-criterion of pressure, any move by the opponent that creates pressure and a mutual possibility to capture. This move not only puts pressure on the opponent's material, but now also what moved to create this pressure is also under pressure.” In my own words, I think that means: if the opponent can make a move that threatens to capture one of your pieces, but before they do you could capture it, then that's "tension." My interpretation seems to be confirmed by the following diagram in his book: The move c5, which would threaten to capture d4, but which white could capture with dxc5, seems to confirm my interpretation of the definition of "tension." However, in the next diagram, Philip notes that there are no moves that black could make that would create "tension.": But don't the moves d3, and f6 create tension? Why are d3 and f6 listed as pressure, but not tension? Thanks for any help you can provide!

Here is position 2.3 from volume 2- Goals and Plans , enjoy: Diagram 2.3- factors that black can attack: g5 pawn (with h6), knight (with Rf8 or Rd6), queen (with Qe3, Qe5, Qa3, Be1, f4; we also must be aware of options that are currently impractical since that can possibly change), king (with Bb6, Qc5, Qe3). We can continue similarly to other pawns and the opponent’s rooks. Challenge: it’s clear that black is under threat of Nxe8. Can you find the solution to this position using your findings of the attackable factors?