My live chess rating doesn't really depict my strength, but by live ratings he was 500 points above me. An interesting game where I got an advantage, blundered it, and saved the game with a passed pawn

tell me what you guys think, id like some friendly analysis

8...Bg4? 9.dxe5! Bxf3 (9...dxe5 10.Qxd8 wins a pawn; 9...Nxe5?? 10.Nxe5 Bxd1 11.Bxf7 uh-oh) 10.Qxf3 is fine for white.

9...Bg4 10.Be3, no need to be afraid of the pin.

(didn't look any further, I hope I made no typos)

thanks for the input! I guess the pin wasnt too much to be afraid of, but I know its good to avoid on principle

I don't know much about really good games , but I think you did great .I have not gotten the numbers down but I am trying . Good game .

thanks retta

You didn't mention if you played white or black did you? If not, was there some way I should have known, could have known, before actally following the game out? to see which side you were referring to as having played? [I am still finding my footing here on this site]

Your first true mistake was playing 15. a3. Just looking at the position should tell you this is wrong. You have an attack along the e-file, his king is uncastled, and he has unprotected pieces. From this, you should see 15. Ba4! winning the knight no matter what black tries to do to save it.

sorry the commentary suggested it, I was white. And yeah I missed Ba4

You did have something, the mate threat 27.Qe3-Qh6-Qg7.

27. Rxe6 was actually the best move (according to Fritz), but needed to be followed up with 27...Nb4 28.Qd2! threatening h6-pawn and mate. In other words, there was no need to lose your bishop.

At first glance I picked out 27.Qe3 and the bishop sacrifice on g6. e.g 27.Qe3 Bxf2+ 28.Kxf2 Kh7 29.PxN now with threat of 30.Bxg6+ PxB 31.Qe7+ and mate next move.

You were ramping up the pressure nicely but then let it fizzle prematurely. Always look to maintain pressure (avoid exchanges) because pressure induces mistakes.

thanks for the analysis b1! I will definitely try to keep the pressure up in future games

Well played. But I'm struggling with the comment "my live chess rating doesn't really depict my strength". Of course it does. It is the best indicator of all our strengths.

well no i dont play live very often so the live rating is low. Like myy blitz rating was 800 before I recently drove it up :)

That doesn't really change anything. If you play a few games against 2000's and win, your rating will rapidly approach theirs. It should also be noted that the longer you abstain from playing live/online, the greater your rating jumps will be to account for your absence.

In summary, your live rating is the best indicator of your strength, as long as you have played a few games recently. 

what do you mean? by a few? ive played a couple but not very much

He's not christ, he's a christian. And yes I concur, and retract my previous objection. GOOD GAME.

thanks tmatt :)

Says he "saves the game with a passed pawn", implying victory, and clearly illustrated on the board.

14. Ba4 Nde7 (...Qd7 15. Re1+ Nde7 16. Ne5 ) 15. d5 winning, if he takes the pawn with the queen then a queen trade and then bishop takes knight and if knight takes then simply bishop takes knight. :)

For starters, pins are not everything! If you get pinned, it is just a tactical point in your game to include in your calculations. Pins are a very temporary advantage, and often come and go with progression of the game. So 7. d4 was strong in the fact that you siezed the center while your opponent was lacking in strength to hold it. Now...

19. Bb2? was a missed opportunity for sure. You were so fixated on that bishop pair that you did not see the advantage of trading them! Analyze the position and see if you see what I see. (Hint, think of tactical uses for both your bishops.)

Finally, I will comment on your 31. Ne6??. It is quite an interesting maneuver, but fails. You want to create a passed pawn, but what would of happened after 32. ... Qxd6 ? You'd be down in material. Better was moving the knight to the kingside and aiming for a mating attack (which at the same time discovered attacks the c-pawn!). I hope you do well with your future games!

thanks! I did not see that line in the bishop-knight trade. I guess I shouldnt have been as afraid of that pin as I was. Also, the Ne6 was unsound at the point I played it, I just liked it and wanted to play it sometime, but the correct opportunity never presented itself