silverwolfwsc
♡ 66 ( +1 | -1 ) Analysis?Anyone care to analyze my latest game? I dont think i did too awful bad against him. He is a much stronger player than I am.
anaxagoras
♡ 204 ( +1 | -1 ) AnalysisWell, here you go. My apologies for the unenlightening nature of what I have to say, but I did my best. Your play was quite good for your ability level. Work on overcoming any reoccuring mental blocks that weaken your game, e.g. waiting too long to castle. It seems that you would also benefit from instruction in how to gain from a space advantage (good books on this anyone?). Most players know what to do with a development advantage, but a space advantage requires a different approach (see my comment on your about your seventh move).
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5
Though it is sound here, it might be better for White to wait a few more moves, as e5 gives up the pressure on Black's d5 pawn.
4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bb5 a6 6. Bxc6+ bxc6
A consistent plan, and a good start. Now that Black's pawns are doubled, his bishops should be restricted by keeping a semi-closed center with 7. c3.
7. Be3 cxd4 8. Nxd4 c5
Although it is correct to try to occupy the points d4 and e5 with pieces after the pawns are removed, it is not expedient here because d4 is not a strong point for white; c5 removes White's knight from d4 with ease.
9. Nf3 Qc7 10. c3 Ne7 11. Nbd2? Ng6 12. Qe2? Nxe5
Black removes the e5 pawn with a gain of material. 11. 0-0! Ng6 12. Re1 Nxe5? 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. Bxc5 Would have held the material and eliminated Black's kingside castling opportunity. In any case, even 12. 0-0 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. Nf3 would have at least gained some initiative for the pawn.
White does well to exchange queens and castle, despite the isolation of his e-pawn.
...19. Ke7!?
Black advances his king into the center in prepration for (obviously) an endgame, owing to his center pawn majority and material advantage, yet 0-0 would have been safer and still afforded Black an advantage.
olympio
♡ 16 ( +1 | -1 ) mistake11. Nbd2 is probably your biggest mistake.. this was where you should have castled.. though you were already in trouble after playing 7. Be3..
olympio
♡ 10 ( +1 | -1 ) biggestas in first major mistake.. i personally would find the first mistake the most helpful..
anaxagoras
♡ 18 ( +1 | -1 ) Then we're in agreement here. 7 Be3 allowed Black to break in the center, and gain at least equality: =/+ I see that to be more of a strategic error, while 11 Nbd2 was a tactical error.
gambitnut
♡ 36 ( +1 | -1 ) I think 4. Nf3 and 5. Bb5 were slight mistakes. White should do everything possible to keep the two cramping pawns in the center so I think 4. c3 is better to be able to recapture with another pawn. All 5. Bb5 did was give up the two bishops and bring another black pawn toward the center so black could remove one of white's center pawns and open the center up for the two bishops.
Trying to maintain control over d4 is a good idea, but giving up the light-squared bishop to do it is too high a price to pay. This bishop is an excellent attacking piece when posted on d3 and if Black tries to drive away the bishop from d3 by playing ...c4, he shuts down his own play against d4. Further, as the game continuation shows, Black gains extra attacking resources against d4. 5. c3 is a better try to maintain central control. After 5. c3, the b1-knight can be deployed to c3 if a pawn exchange should occur on d4. If Black maintains the central tension and pressures e5 instead (usually by playing ...f6), White may be able to engineer a minor piece exchange on e5 and then develop the b1-knight to f3 via d2. If all else fails, White can simply develop the b1-knight to c2 via a3 where it would support d4. One idea behind 3. e5 and 4. Nf3 is to take advantage of the fact that Black's development is rather slow. White hopes that the e5-pawn will cramp Black's game just long enough for him to develop rapidly and launch an attack. Thus, if White is looking for a more dynamic idea, 5. Bd3 cxd4 6. O-O is a decent try.
5... a6 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 7. Be3
The point behind this move is usually to help support a piece at d4, but here the idea simply doesn't work since Black can always drive away a piece on d4 thanks to his extra c-pawn. The bishop on e3 also blocks the e-file, so future moves like Re1 and Qe2 are not necessarily as effective. 7. c3 is again a better way to support d4 when Black solves the problem of how to develop his c8-bishop by 7... a5 and 8... Ba6.
7... cxd4 8. Nxd4 c5 9. Nf3
9. Nb3 Qc7 10. f4 Rb8 is also quite unpleasant for White.
9... Qc7 10. c3
Stopping ...d4, but the bishop is not especially well placed on e3 to begin with (it probably belongs on f4 to defend e5 or back on c1 to defend b2 against ...Rb8. It is Black that now has a strong pawn center, so White needs to be looking for ways to dismantle Black's center. 10. O-O and 11. c4 is probably a better plan.
10... Ne7 11. Nbd2
Where's the knight going? On b3, the pressure against c5 is tolerable, so Black need not concede the d4 square by playing ...c4. It's not necessary to prepare a c4-advance since Black will not voluntarily ruin his pawn structure by ...dxc4 without other compensating factors (such as securing a won endgame as occurs later on). 11. O-O to implement a more effective version of the defensive idea you later adopted or 11. c4 to try to apply some sort of pressure to Black's center.
11... Ng6 12. Qe2
Good idea, but the implementation is ineffective. If White had played 11. O-O, he would now have 12. Re1 which would prevent 12... Nxe5. If 11 O-O Ng6, 12. Re1 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. Bxc5 and the Black queen must retreat due to the discovered rook attack. Here, there is no potential discovered attack on a Black queen at e5 since Black can simply trade queens.
12... Nxe5 13. Bf4
Well, White is down a pawn, but at least he could have sorted out the development problems associated with the d2-knight by 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. O-O, intending 15. Nf3. The bishop on f4 is also undefended and therefore is vulnerable to tactics.
13... Nxf3+
13... Nd3+ 14. Qxd3 Qxf4 15. O-O Bd6 intending ...Bb7 and things are starting to look very unpleasant for White. Black has the two bishops pointed at the kingside, a strong mobile center, and White's knights are not playing particularly active roles.
14. Qxf3 Bd6
Slowly working his way into a pawn-up endgame.
15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. c4
Too little too late, but White is a pawn down with no compensation in any case.
16... Qe5+ 17. Qe3 Qxe3+ 18. fxe3
With an inferior endgame for White.
18... Bb7 19. O-O Ke7 20. Rac1 Rac8 21. Rfd1
White could have tried 21. cxd5 exd5 22. e4 which at least attempts to disrupt Black's central pawn structure. White's prospects are not good in any case.
21... Rhd8
Now Black's has consolidated his position and brought his pieces to good squares. White is probably just lost here.
22. Nb3 dxc4
Voluntarily breaking up his nice pawn structure and giving back the pawn, but Black is simply trading down to a winning pawn endgame anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter all that much.
silverwolfwsc
♡ 16 ( +1 | -1 ) Thanks to everyone!for the analysis. It really does help to read what you have to say as i go over the games again. I appreciate the time it takes you to look over it.