Not a Puzzle: What Would You Play in These 8 Positions?

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for chess players who would be interested in taking part in a small experiment about decision-making in chess.

You’ll be shown 8 middlegame positions taken from a real game, and for each one I’ll simply ask:

What move would you actually play here?

A very important point: these are not chess puzzles. There is no trick, no hidden “White to play and win,” and you’re not supposed to hunt for some exotic combination or brilliant move. Just analyse the position as you would in a real game and choose the move that feels best to you.

It’s not a test, and I’m not interested in whether you find the “correct” move. What matters is seeing how different players make their decisions, so all playing strengths are welcome.

It should take about 25–35 minutes.

The only real rule is to analyse the positions on your own — no engines, databases, internet searches, or help from other players.

If you’d like to participate, reply here or send me a private message and I’ll give you the details.

Once the experiment is finished, I’ll publish the voting results, and I’ll also reveal the real game the positions came from, so everyone can compare the group’s choices with what was actually played.

Thanks!

Id participate :)

White to play, What Move Would You Choose?

Bf4

Ra-e1

Thanks guys! Some more people there?

What about f4 and crashing through instantly by means of e4-e5?

Thanks for your vote Sargon, well noted! 3 more votes and we can go further with the next position

I propose 1. Bxa6 bxa6 2. Qf4 here, intending to put more pressure on the f6-knight with Qh4, Re1 and finally e4-e5.

Thanks a lot IM zwenna, much appreciated !