gimmick openings like 2. f4 really have no point other than taking your opponent out of his comfort zone of book-learning. He obviously had no plan B after you failed to drop a piece.

good play.

DrSpudnik, my question is your interpretation of 8...h5 and the followups that proceeded, even up to 14...Kf7 and 18...Kg6.  I felt that once the attack began, it was very nice, but at first, the early knight sortie he did was a bit unsettling.   What is your take on his knight sortie?

Thank you for the kind comment!

8...h5 was your idea in this position and you made it work. It looks OK, especially since White didn't do anything much after it but put a Kt on a good square and then trade off his attacking Bishop. I'm not exactly sure 11. e6 and the follow-up to Nxh5 was that good an idea, since it opened up his K-side to the attack that ultimately killed him. By the end of the game, White still has two of his pieces on their home squares. This is something I always say after a disaster, look where your pieces are. How many have never moved? Attack before development is a one-way ticket to disaster. It looked like a scary attack, but you sidestepped his e-file pin and then charged up the KR file. The massive pawn center was completely wiped out by the end and replaced with a Bishop on b7 that held a nice pin.

Good comeback to a screwball opening.

I think that on move 21 white may have done better with Qd3

Well done. I like this, especially Kg6 which is an original and creative move (Kings do not normally do that sort of thing!).

Also, I think b6 is probably ok. Can't see anything concrete wrong with it.

Thank you mad!  I was curious as to the consensus of Kg6 vs. Kf6, but Kg6 cranks down on h5.  I think that was my thinking during the game. 

14.dxc5 might be a safer pawn grab?

Pfren, I was looking at your ideas.  I want to understand them.  I will look at the 5...d4 idea.  At the time, I was wanting to get into the middlegame with a comfortable position, so I was not looking for anything challenging to White's setup at the moment.  Was thinking about ...g6 instead of ...h5 actually at move 8, so I guess at move 9, in conjunction with h5, g6 would be fine.  

Had trouble understanding the ideas about 18...Nc2.  I admit that my strength is not tactics, so I would appreciate if you can explain this to me in greater detail - 19. Qxc2 Rxh2 20. Kxh2 Rh8+ - I just cannot see how that favors Black.  Maybe I am missing something.  

I can tell you did not like Kg6...I assume you prefer leaving him on f7.  I see that your ideas focus on g6 needing to be vacated for the pieces instead of the king.  

Thank you for your candid analysis, but I would like to see if you could answer those questions, especially the one about 18...Nc2, and even 8...h5.  What would you have played at move 8?

Pfren, I will look at that.  I play a lot of 1. f4, and I see the themes of Nh6 a lot. However, my e-pawn is normally on e3, supporting d4, so I do okay there.  

Forgive me, earlier I was very tired, couldn't even think of the queen on the board with the rook sac.  

Thank you for the advice on the different early piece sorties - I will look at them, and find something that works for me.

What I meant by move 8 was for Black - the ...h5 idea, or something different?

9 exclams in 1 game?

Thomas, I was simply saying I thought the ideas were good.  That was my opinion.  Obviously, Pfren's analysis shows that my exclams were incorrect.  But - he is a much better player than me.  Personally, I would rather not even put any marks, as I don't feel I know enough about chess to accurately judge things like that.  But I did it so that I could illustrate my way of thinking during the game.  

Thank you Pfren!