Nothing really sticks out tactically (forcing moves) here. White's King position is solid, so that's not the source.

Are there any vulnerable pieces? If anything looks out of place, it's the Rc7, who is VERY short of squares. In fact, he can't move without being taken.

27. ...Ke8 28. Ba3

Hey, he has to get something for that rook.

28 . ...Kd8 29. Bxc5 Kxc7

Black is a pawn up.

I didn´t see this immediately, but I think white´s rook on c7 can be trapped.

The way to do it is 27....Ke8 followed by 28.....Kd8.

Best for white is probably 28. Rxe7+ Kxe7, and black emerges the exchange and a pawn ahead, which should be enough to win.

... gave up on that train of thought, had a look at the kingside pawns instead ...

click for larger view

Probably no mating attack, and no forced sequence of checks/captures either. So we look for targets like unprotected pieces.

The Nc3 is loose, and it would be nice if we could open up the bishop's diagonal. But that doesn't appear likely or forcible.

The rook on c7 has no moves, but how to attack it? Using the Nc5 just lets it get away. Maybe if we unpinned the other knight, say 27...Ke8. Ah-ha! The rook is stuck, and White's passively placed pieces cannot come to the rescue in time to do anything significant about 28...Kd8.

So 27...Ke8 followed by 28...Kd8 should win at-least the exchange after white plays something like 28.Ba3 and 29.Bxc5

The white rook is the obvious target. But how to attack it? I think it's the prosaic

27...Ke8

with the threat of 28...Kd8 and 29...Kxc7. I don't see anyway to rescue the rook, so I think white will have to take one of the black minor pieces in exchange. Probably something like...

28 gxf4 Kd8 29 fxe5 Bxe5 30 Rxe7 Kxe7 31 Bxh6

Perhaps the lyric "Small and white, clean and bright. You look happy to meet me." might be amusingly appropriate as the menacing Black King strolls over to capture the helpless White Rook.

It's more often the case that a Rook is menacing a King, but in this instance their roles are reversed.

And it can be a difficult plan to face, as he rains down repeated threats and pieces on your king.

But he struggles in quieter positions when there isn't a mate threat in the offing. And this is one of those positions that I think he wouldn't get. Today, the white king is perfectly safe and there are no mates to come for some time. But the thing we ought to spot is the stalemated white rook on c7.

This poor animated lump of masonry is stuck. Every square that it might move to is covered by a black piece. If black could get an attack on the rook it would not be able to wriggle out. But we need to be quick, as white has an escape plan. If left alone, he plays Ba3-Bxc5 and either Rb7 or Rd7 to free his rook.

Which of the black pieces can attack the rook? All of them have jobs to do protecting the rook's escape squares except the bishop and king. The bishop can't jump through the pinned Ne7 and even if we could move that knight it would allow Rxc6. So it has to be the king, and the route has to be Ke8-Kd8-Kxc7. It doesn't win the rook outright, since black gets a chance to grab the Nc5, but it does win the exchange.

It strikes me that good players have a variety of plans that they can choose from in any given position. And as we increase in experience, we add more plans that we feel successful in playing. For example, these plans might include:

1. Attack the enemy king
2. Exchange down into a won endgame.
3. Exploit a trapped enemy piece.
4. Create a passed pawn.
5. Grab more space.
6. Build a fortress.
7. Play with (or against) an IQP.
8. Double or triple heavy pieces on an open file.
9. Create and occupy a knight outpost.
10. Build pressure against an enemy backward pawn.

... and so on.

To use a very over-used simile, it's like having a toolbox full of plans. Sure you could try to fix every problem simply by using a hammer (ie attack the enemy king). And if that doesn't work, get a bigger hammer. But for a more sophisticated approach, you need to know when to switch to a spanner or a screwdriver.

Right now, the pedants may argue that every successful game ought to end in mate, so a mating plan is all you need. Yes, but how do you get to the positions where a mating attack is possible? That's when you need a little bit of variety and a plan B.

Incidentally, this also explains why James Bond is more effective than the A Team. For any given problem, the A Team has only one way of dealing with it. Hannibal will dress up in disguise, BA will say "FOOL!!" a lot, and they will eventually get locked in a garage full of tools where they will construct a tank out of bits that the bad guys just happen to leave around. As you do.

James Bond, on the other hand, will adopt a physical and muscular approach (in the Sean Connery days), dazzle the enemy with beige safari suits (Roger Moore), prick them with splinters from his wooden acting (George Lazenby), wobble his chin gruffly (Timothy Dalton), sing ABBA songs (Pierce Brosnan) or run parkour in his speedos (Daniel "do I look like I give a damn?" Craig).

That also explains why Scoobydoo has never, and will never, win the Nobel prize for literature.

The white rook doesn't have free squares to move. Therefore, attack it with 27... Ke8:

A) 28.Ba3 Kd8 29.Bxc5 Kxc7 30.Ba3 fxg3 31.hxg3 Bg5 - + [R+P vs B].