This is understandable in chess. there’s a lot going on…
Castling is fine. It gets your king into safety and brings your rook into play.
And you know you want to castle, but (as you say) your Nb8 and Bc8 have some choices…
**Glee SiXSwordS
White supports the d-pawn, expecting c5xd4 before long…
He also threatens:
9. dxc5 Bxc5
10. Bxh7+ Kxh7
11. Qxd5 Nxd5
12. Bxc5
Let’s say my next move is b6 either way…
If I move b6 instead of castling (7. …b6) and you follow: 8.Be3 (I can’t see any immediate reason for you to choose either Qd1-e2 or Rf1-e1 over the B move) I think I have a better position than if I did castle. (?)
…I started to look at the game as it stands, but there is a lot going on and I will have to look at it more later. Last night, I thought it would help to move the game along a little faster to go ahead and castle if you did.
This morning when I posted I wondered if I shouldn’t develop more before castling. Now I’m wondering if castling is a weak move here. (?!)
As for the threat posed by your move Be3, at first glance, it looks like the N protects h7, but I’m guessing that having the piece so far away from the center makes it too weak to be a valuable guard. (??) …or is it that losing the h pawn when I’ve castled is ugly?
Castling by Black was the ‘book’ move!
If you had played 7. … b7-b6, you still need to castle soon.
In the meantime, I have the chance to later play either Bd3-b5+ or Qd1-a4+. Since these are both checks, they could be very strong - a big part of chess is cutting down on your opponent’s tactical opportunities.
In the variation I gave (9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Bxh7+ Kxh7 11. Qxd5 Nxd5 12. Bxc5 ), your knight does defend h7. But I still win a pawn!
In words, what I’m doing is:
Sorry all for the spurs and hypotheticals; a request has been made in the commentary thread for player commentary to remain in this thread.
I know this is dragging on, but if I do end up a pawn down I will resign or take back a move, although I don’t think any one move will help.
…and all of this assumes that I don’t move either b7-b6 or Nb8-d7? (Otherwise you’d exchange a B for a pawn, right?)
As for taking with the K after the B+ on h7, the idea is that the N is better on d5? (FWIW, I think I misread the notation this AM.)
You carry on with comments here - it’s your game!
I gave the variation as a threat.
That means it will happen unless you do something to stop it (like b7-b6 or Nb8-d7).
It doesn’t matter much which way you take back on h7. I suggested the King, because it left the Knight free to take back on d5.
(Just to cheer everyone up, these sort of variations are what strong players spot quickly. :eek: )
I don’t like the b Knight moving to d7 because it has nowhere to go from there. It reinforces the c pawn, but altogether it seems to do more at c6.
The Q is not really in a stable place, so having the B on the a8-h1 diagonal may eventually be a benefit, plus I have to cover the threat mentioned before.
**Glee SiXSwordS
Fair enough. The choice between d7 and c6 for the Nb8 is subtle. Both are good squares (d7 good defensive, c6 more attacking), but it depends how the game goes which one turns out better.
**Glee SiXSwordS
Since Black has chosen not to play c5xd4 (which after the reply c3xd4 would let White’s Nb1 out to c3, White tries another plan.
I’ve been thinking about where the Q should go since I moved her there. Of all the possibilities I’ve seen throughout the intervening positions, the one I’ve considered the most seriously is Qd5-d8. It looks ugly having all of my Q-side pieces on their marks, but I want to avoid the dancing queen phenomenon, especially if I have a lot of developing left to do.
It feels like retro-development, but is there any other viable option? (I’d be better off moving the Q to i5 than to h5, right? 
)
I do know there is no i5
Sometimes it is best to get the Queen out of the centre, especially with all the pieces still on the board. So d8 loses a little time, but keeps the Q out of harm’s way.
h5 is a riskier square, but more active. (This is the dilemma I mentioned earlier about most likely-looking moves having both good and bad points.)
Reading the mind of the brainy hunk playing White (
), you determine that he is planning to reply as follows:
A general question about trading Qs. My feeling is that I’m better trading Qs when playing a superior opponent. Assuming they are better with each of the pieces, the Q is the most deadly and I am more likely to sustain damage from my opponent’s than I am to inflict damage with my own.
I suspect that that is a personal choice, but I wonder if there is a general truth to it.
Moving the Q back seems overly cautious, but I’m hesitant to move the Q to h5 because it seems overly aggressive. It almost seems like moving your N to e5 is letting me off the hook. I did not foresee it, that’s for sure.
Having misread the previous move, I’m not usually thinking about speeding up, but if I move 9. …Qd5-h5 does …10. Nf3-e5 QxQ …11.RxQ seem to be a fair continuation?
I think it depends on the stronger player’s style. Many love to attack and would indeed use their Queen very well.
I’ve always been a fan of using endgames to outplay opponents. Less tactical calculation, more ‘book’ knowledge (this means endings that have been deeply analysed, some even to mate) and it’s harder for inexperienced players to work out a plan because there are often no imminent threats.
The Queen shouldn’t stay in the centre when all the pieces are on the board. 2. …d7-d5 was a good plan, which stopped me establishing a big pawn centre. The price was that you spent a little time on your Queeen moving again - well worth it.
Your suggested continuation is fine and moves things along. 
**Glee SiXSwordS
Just an update… I had a computer crash at home and I can’t spend too much time looking at this at work except to say that glee got his R to d1 and put a guard on d5 so I won’t be posting a N there any time soon and he advanced his N to e5.
At first tally, I’d say I’m floating only through the grace of my water wings.
My first instinct is to move 11. … Nb8-d7.
I hate to admit it for as slow as this game is proceeding, but I don’t want to rush in. The d-file will clear out really quickly and white could move Bd3-e4 at any moment, clearing the d-file for the R and attacking a8 at the same time.
Did you … touch that piece?!
In a game with takebacks, quel differance? 
The first piece I “touched” was your d4 pawn, which would (theoretically) oblige me to take, no?
If you keep touching it you’ll grow hair on your pawns.
I heard an anecdote where White had a hand hovering near his Queen.
Black hissed “You touched that!”
White hissed back “No, I didn’t!”
After the referee was called, witnesses established that the Queen had not been touched.
White then triumphantly moved another piece.
And lost quickly.
Afterwards Black explained that the Queen move was the only move to save the game…
In a club or tournament game, yes. The rule is “touch move, touch take”.