Here's me getting my butt kicked as black.  Any advice on how to avoid this ever happening again would be most appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, I got beat bad.  I usually am a lot better about castling, and I paid the price for not getting it done in that game.  I just never felt like I had the time.  Was recapturing the pawn too early my problem?  That's my best guess.  I'm looking forward to reading your comments.

"If 6...c6, then 7. dxc6 bxc6 which I don't really feel comfortable with."

Well then, you're not happy with the best moves! 6....Bd7 is substandard.

Get yourself a copy of "The Two Knight's Defence" by Y. Estrin.

My suggestion... don't play 1)...e5 in response to 1)e4

My usual response is (your 3-rd move) : 

a.Instead to move your knight move your pawn h7-h6 so his knight can t move safely

or 

b. move f8-c5 you develope your bishop and preparihn to castle on your king side

 Did it helped?

 

I would have castled queen side...dont listen to me thoe, I dont know much.  It makes for good games thoe.

What about 12...0-0-0 to get your king in safety ?

Nah, it doesn't work 

My thought as well, hicetnunc. I probably would have developed my dark square bishop on move eight though.

This is not the fried liver attack. It is just one of the main lines of the 2 knights defense. Fried liver is

 

5...Nxd5  6.Nxf7 Kxf7  7.Qf3+ 

 

Anytime u see your opponent is going to Fried Liver, try the Traxler CounterAttack, can be deadly for white.There is recent topic on this attack about Traxler

Hmmmm quite a few knight moves that werent necessary such as 5 Na5? Should have instead played nxp.

FREEPAWN wrote: Hmmmm quite a few knight moves that werent necessary such as 5 Na5? Should have instead played nxp.

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5... Na5 is considered black's best move in the position, and perfectly acceptable. 5...Nxd5 leads to the Fried Liver and should be avoided by black. Honestly, I think some people just type in the first "cobblers" to enter their head.

8. ...  Qxd5. This move allows white to develop a piece with tempo. Compare the position just before 8. ... Qxd5 and just after 10. 0-0.  Black has taken a pawn, but white has completed two pieces of development. Generally two developing moves more than compensate the value of a pawn. Moreover, the pawn on d5 is weak (white can't protect it with another pawn, at least not immediately). 8. ... Nxd5 would have been better, 8. ... Bd6 is not bad either.

"6...c6, then 7. dxc6 bxc6"

 

I play this line quite a bit as Black with good success.  

 

"5...Nxd5"

Yikes! don't do that unless you're a masochist.

 

"try the Traxler CounterAttack"

That would be 4...Bc5, inviting 5.Nxf7!!  A wonderful and frankly, quite terrifying opening. You'd need to study it a bit before committing to it unless your name is Frank Marshall.