A game I just played in the October U1500 vs. Team Mediteran.  I won the game, but was hoping to get some opinions about my strategy.  If you get the chance to look it over, let me know if you see anything that would have gotten me into trouble, had white played differently.  Thanks.

I'm no expert, but if white moves his rook to e1 on move 20 (or anytime, for that matter), I think your plan falls apart.  I think he just didn't see your checkmate coming.

I was going to say that it would have been too late by then, but then I saw what you meant.  That would have given the king an escape square.  However, at that point I still would have, at the least, won his rook for the knight.  Still would have had to get through the rest of the game without the queen though.  I'm glad he didn't see that move.  Good eye.

Even then, I think the game is lost for you.  After 20. Re1 Nf3+ 21. Kf1 Nxe1 22. Qxe1, you will be down a queen for his rook, and you're going to lose that bishop on e5 as well.  The bishop is pinned to the king, and your only protection, 22. ...f6, is met with 23. cxd4, before you have a chance to castle your king to safety and remove the pin.

At this point, 16. ... Bxa1 seems to be your best move - all he can do to prevent you from putting it right back in the line of fire is to weaken his king's shakey fortress some more by by bumping the f-pawn up, which is easily foiled by Qb8 targeting the knight & then you can snatch up the free knight & really put pressure on him - pay attention that the kingside rook cannot move or he loses the pawn on f4 as well.

Nice attack at the end & good Queen sac - if it works, you're brilliant.  Not to discourage, but don't play on hopes and dreams, because it is not the best way to improve.  I think we've all done it. 

Thanks for the input.  I agree that with best play by white, I should have went with 16. ...Bxa1.  I figured that was the case, but also figured that he wouldn't see the other attack coming.  That's why during the game, though my intention actually WAS to capture the rook if possible, when I got to that move I had moved the pawn before I realized that I'd forgotten about a1 hanging.  All's well that ends well, though.  I'll take luck when I can get it.  Again, thanks for the input.  

Regardless of the technicalities at the end, playing with any kind of plan at all is always better than playing without one. However, if you devise a grand multi-move plan, such as occurred in this game, make sure you re-tweak it in your mind every time your opponent moves.  If something else springs up - such as SirBenjamin wisely noted with the hanging rook on a1 - take your time and gauge the pros and cons of putting your original plan on the back burner and grabbing the material (or maybe it's even a nice outpost for a knight) while it's still available. 

A note about openings - I remember reading somewhere in your commentary that you need practice with them, just as we all do. I highly recommend taking games like this and plugging them into the Opening Explorer on 365chess.com (or, an openings book if you have one) and seeing where you went astray from the main line of what you were playing. In this case, you played a very solid closed Sicilian, but if you ever find yourself in some previously untraveled waters and feeling uncomfortable in the opening, take your game to the Explorer and see where you went astray.

Hope this helps, hard to follow the excellent advise of those above me. Cheers!

Thanks for the input.  I did actually end up having the game analyzed and found out that I played book moves for quite a while--but it was totally by accident, I assure you.  Past the pawn and the knight, I didn't know the continuation at all.  I just happened to get lucky.  I will take that under advisement about putting games into the explorer and seeing where I went astray from the main line.  That's a good idea.  I appreciate the feedback.  Thanks again.