8.Bxc6+ Qxc6 Apparently this is dubious but I'm damned if I know why. I spent some time on this move; computer analysis afterward said bxc6 was better.
A typical French pawn structure where you'd normally see c5 and f6 breaks. bxc6 is better because after cxd4 you can again play c5 and undermine e5. So, 6.Bb5 was rather dubious.
Not a bad game apart from a blunder. Having the threat in mind, Qa6 or Qc7 would have been better instead of Qb5.
Just some random comments:
I didn't notice the trapped queen either, when I quickly went through the game.
Interesting about 22...h6 being considered dubious by a program. Programs like to advance their f-pawns, I noticed, so I wonder if it was looking at something like 22...f6 or 22...f5, which sort of takes advantage of the pinned pawn at d4 while providing a different escape square for your bishop.
Winning the exchange should win the game, so I wouldn't complain about that! Just don't make any mistakes until you get to the endgame. (Easier said than done, of course.) I don't see any fast win for Black, just a won endgame.
8...Qxc6 doesn't look bad to me, either, *except* if you capture as you did with 9...cxd4, which opens up the c-file for some rook to aim at your queen, which is exactly what happened. Maybe you should have let White capture via dxc5 ...Bxc5 so that the c-file would remain half-closed (half-open) for a long time.
Otherwise it looks like you played quite well, and you quickly got into a theoretically won position, and in the end luck favored the more skilled player (you), as it should have.
8.Bxc6+ Qxc6 Apparently this is dubious but I'm damned if I know why. I spent some time on this move; computer analysis afterward said bxc6 was better.
A typical French pawn structure where you'd normally see c5 and f6 breaks. bxc6 is better because after cxd4 you can again play c5 and undermine e5. So, 6.Bb5 was rather dubious.
Not a bad game apart from a blunder. Having the threat in mind, Qa6 or Qc7 would have been better instead of Qb5.
Informative. Thank you.
Just some random comments:
I didn't notice the trapped queen either, when I quickly went through the game.
Interesting about 22...h6 being considered dubious by a program. Programs like to advance their f-pawns, I noticed, so I wonder if it was looking at something like 22...f6 or 22...f5, which sort of takes advantage of the pinned pawn at d4 while providing a different escape square for your bishop.
Winning the exchange should win the game, so I wouldn't complain about that! Just don't make any mistakes until you get to the endgame. (Easier said than done, of course.) I don't see any fast win for Black, just a won endgame.
8...Qxc6 doesn't look bad to me, either, *except* if you capture as you did with 9...cxd4, which opens up the c-file for some rook to aim at your queen, which is exactly what happened. Maybe you should have let White capture via dxc5 ...Bxc5 so that the c-file would remain half-closed (half-open) for a long time.
Otherwise it looks like you played quite well, and you quickly got into a theoretically won position, and in the end luck favored the more skilled player (you), as it should have.
Just a note to say I appreciate the comments. Good stuff here.
After this game, I was pretty proud until I realized I blundered horribly and got away with it. Any and all comments appreciated.