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

Bxa6 to try to get a favorable endgame targeting the two isolated a-pawns

@AetherMaster101Chess said ^

Bxa6 to try to get a favorable endgame targeting the two isolated a-pawns

Thanks AetherMaster!

Just one more please !

I'll go with Bxa6 bxa6 and f4 with the idea of e5-f5

@Chesslayer12 said ^

I'll go with Bxa6 bxa6 and f4 with the idea of e5-f5

Thanks a lot Chesslayer12 !

I would have played f4, I share @Sarg0n 's opinion.
h4, a3 or Rfe1 are tempting too. The idea for white, for me, is to create an attack on kingside, by using the strong pawns, combined to the Q+B battery, to destroy Black's fianchetto. The main risk is a pawn wave with counterplay on the Queenside, because black can develop Qa5 or to find a way to exploit the b pawn. Other option, with Rfe1, is to push the e pawn, with the renfort of the f4 pawn, and to make pressure on the f6 knight. h4 can permise me to attack the black kingside without too much weakening my own castling, or to push the h pawn to h6, as a poisoned pawn, to trap or move Black's bishop. But it can be more risky than f4, and it can happen after a f4.

@CSKA_Moscou said ^

I would have played f4, I share @Sarg0n 's opinion.
h4, a3 or Rfe1 are tempting too. The idea for white, for me, is to create an attack on kingside, by using the strong pawns, combined to the Q+B battery, to destroy Black's fianchetto. The main risk is a pawn wave with counterplay on the Queenside, because black can develop Qa5 or to find a way to exploit the b pawn. Other option, with Rfe1, is to...

Thanks @CSKA_Moscou for your extremely well argued and well presented reply!

I think that 1.Bc4 deserves attention, preventing counterplay based on c5-c4, b7-b5 and b5-b4 or Na6-c5, while also planning 2.f4 h6 3.Bxf6 Bxf6 4.e5 dxe5 5.f4, or maybe 2.Rae1 first. If Black plays 1...Nc7, I have 2.a4 a6 3.a5, and 2...b6 with an idea 3...a6, 4...b5 looks a bit slow, even Qd2-f4 could sometimes be good.