I was playing as black.  This was a very very intense game.  I've looked it over several times and I don't see any obvious mistakes from either side.  The only way that I may've been able to pull out a win from this very tough game was maybe because my pieces were a little better in placement.  Play this game at your own discretion!  It was one headache to figure out, and look closely at what's going on in the opening, the middle, and the end.  Beau, you're one of my favorite opponents with some of the best etiquette a fellow player can ask for. =-)

 

But...uhh...comments/analysis would be appreciated.  I don't think Beau or I want every one of our games to be 60+ moves, haha.  So what could we have done to speed it up or one beat the other faster?

2. Nc3 isn't very strong and is a very passive opening, c4 is much better, followed by Nc3 after.

8. ...Bd6 wasn't good as after 9. Nxd6 cxd6, white gets a strong position with good posibilities on the queen side and keeping a relatively safe king side for himself.

9. Be3 was weak. It cramps white's play, gives up an important diagonal and misses Nxd6.

10. 0-0-0 I think white had better chances with the short castle (after Nf3)

12. Kb1 was not necessary and was putting the king in the bishop's aim 

15. cxd6 was better, allowing the c file for the rook, adding pressure on white's c-pawn which is in the bishop's diagonal, and the queen has the nice a4 option. 

18. Nxd2 was better 

20. Bxa5 was stronger, opening up the black king.

20. ...Qxe5! 

22. Nxc5! winning material

etc. 

Well...20. ...Qxe5 means that my queen is no longer able to assist my bishop and rook in an attack on c2 (with tempo anyhow) and correct me when I'm wrong, I can only appreciate correct analysis.  22. Nxc5 Rxc5 23. Bxc5 Qxc5 (threatening ...Bxc2+ forking the king and rook) if 24. Qfc3 then ...Qxf2 with threats on g2 and e2.  Regardless, it also gets me ready for 26. ...Rc8Q+ whereupon the fork on c2 with the rook/bishop exchange is still viable.  Look harder before you assume "!"'s and if I'm wrong, tell me...that's what analysis is all about. =-)  I feel gratitude towards your response.

Your rook and your queen were not aiming on c2.

after 23. ...Qxc5, the fact that there is a threat of Bxc2, doesn't mean that it's going to happen. And Bxc2 is not the main threat, Qxc2 with mate in one is the real threat.

Meowdar wrote:

 

I was playing as black.  This was a very very intense game.  I've looked it over several times and I don't see any obvious mistakes from either side.  The only way that I may've been able to pull out a win from this very tough game was maybe because my pieces were a little better in placement.  Play this game at your own discretion!  It was one headache to figure out, and look closely at what's going on in the opening, the middle, and the end.  Beau, you're one of my favorite opponents with some of the best etiquette a fellow player can ask for. =-)

 

---

 

Beau,

next time you should play in a gentle man's way. Learn how to resign and not to prolong the agony. There are so much more nice game to play.  As we could see you only have your king against the pawn and queen of your opponent.

 

That wasn't Beau's fault, I had asked him in an earlier game to play our games all the way to checkmate because I haven't played in four years.  I'm trying to "knock the rust off", so to speak, and I figured the best way would be to, in losing or winning, take it all the way.  Etienne, throughout the game I established my pieces' positions primarily on the assumption that c2 was weak (that's why my white-squared bishop seemed so inactive).  And when was there a threat of mate on c2?  ...Qxc2+ but the white king had a1 and a2.  Of course if Ka1 Nb3+ (assuming the c2 pawn is gone) but then Ka2 and my knight is now in the way (his back rank was far too protected for a backrank mate and the a2 square allowed him just enough room to manouvre).  I still also feel that 22.Nxc5 may have won him material, but would have left me with a stronger/more open position on that c2 attack (or just on that side of the board in general).  And another thing!  20...Qxe5????  Why the exclamation mark?  That would've been a horrible thing to do...it doesn't set me up for anything but doom.  20. ...Qxe5?? 21. cxb6!  takes away the defense of my knight on the rim, and opens my rook up to attack by the same bishop threatening my knight, and prepares for bxa7+  Etienne, I appreciate that you offer analysis, but I feel that you didn't quite look deeper when doing so...I'm sure you know that a 1500 rating doesn't mean we can't calculate (and I know you never mentioned this, I am not trying to start a faight, but as I said I think you analyzed only at surface value).

who are u to give lessons lancelot?

"And when was there a threat of mate on c2?  ...Qxc2+"

 

But at that point your queen was on the d-file, and after picking up the knight you could still reposition your queen on the c file without losing tempo, so I don't get the: " Well...20. ...Qxe5 means that my queen is no longer able to assist my bishop and rook in an attack on c2"

 

And your queen could have been more e5 threatening (after repositionig your rook to the d-file) Rc2 threatening both mate and discovery check to pick up the queen.

 

" 20. ...Qxe5?? 21. cxb6!  takes away the defense of my knight on the rim, and opens my rook up to attack by the same bishop threatening my knight, and prepares for bxa7+ "

 

After cxb6, Nc4! If bxa7+ Kxa7, with a piece up, and a very strong attack with an immediate mate threat on the enemy king (who has a cramped play) and no real way for white to take advantage of the open king. 

 

1.d4 d5 is so passive that it... well... is super-passive. Anyways, I don't think it'll ever be used in my games.