Analyze a near-loss for a beginner.

Hi guys, I played this game last night around 3:00am (okay, so maybe it would be more accurately "this morning").  I know what you're thinking... groggy chess leads to mistakes.  But I've had instances in the past where developing a skill while groggy or otherwise not sober actually helps sober gameplay quite a bit, and I was curious as to whether chess is an exception.  More comments in the game window.  I play black.

So I made a lot of mistakes, but still ended up winning.  Any comments, suggestions, critiques, etc. are greatly appreciated.  I thought it ended up being a pretty interesting game!

4. Bd6 is bad, blocking the d-pawn and restricting the light-square bishop. 4. ...d6 or 4. ...Be7 was better.

9. ...Be6 is an inaccuracy since 10. Ng5 threatens to win the bishop pair and forces you to waste a move retreating the bishop. 9. ...h6, preventing Ng5, and then 10. ...Be6 was better.

If white plays 11. a5, then your bishop is trapped, so 10. ...a6 should be played, making a retreat square for the bishop.

12 ...Nxe4?? was a serious blunder, losing the c6 knight. You should have played either Na5 with the idea of Nc4, blockading white's isolated pawn on the next move, or Ne7 moving the knight to a safe square.

14 ...axb6 was better, taking towards the center and creating an open file for the rook.

15. ...Qd5 was a mistake. After 16. Ng5, black is going to lose at least a pawn.

18. ...Bf5 was a blunder since 19. Qxf5-Nxf5 20. Nxc4 wins a piece.

After 19. Qe2!, your best move was 19. ...Nxh3+, grabbing a pawn for the piece you are going to lose anyways.

20. ...f6 saves your knight and allows you to move your queen to safety on the next move.

32. ...Qxf1+ was not a very good move. The rook wasn't really a threat, and it is not worth sacrificing the queen for.

Hope this helps.

How long have you been playing? I know you're a beginner, so I guess you played quite well, but that game was choc-full of blunders and missed opportunities.

1. In the opening, 4...Bd6 is an unnatural move, since it blocks your d-pawn and stunts the development of your other bishop. You say it's to stop 5. d4, but Bd6 doesn't do that. What's more, your opponent had only just played d3, so to play d4 straight after would be a good sign for you - he would have just wasted a move for no reason. You then go on to move the bishop to the better square only two moves later anyway.

2. You were right not to play Bxf2+, since you had no way of justifying the sacrifice by following up with an attack.

3. After 10. a4, you should have noticed that if your opponent played 11. a5, your bishop would have been trapped. Luckily, he didn't notice this either, and played b5 instead.

4. 15...Qd5 is a good move in principle - centralising and developing the queen, but it fails to a tactic. If instead of 16. Rd1, White played 16. Ng5! (a move earlier than 17. Ng5??), your knight would have been pinned to your queen, and lost. Bear these pins in mind when moving your queen in line with a bishop of a rook.

5. Again, 18...Bf5 is good thinking in principle - trying to keep the initiative, but it just loses a piece. If 19. Qxf5 Nxf5 20. Nxc4, you've lost the bishop for nothing.

6. You were right that 19...Qd3 was a mistake; in fact, he had the choice of the bishop or the knight, since 20. Qxd3 Bxd3 21. Rxd3 again loses the bishop. Check your pieces are adequately supported.

7. After you're down material, you really shouldn't trade down. If White had played more accurately, you would have just been making your position much worse each time you traded material.

8. The 28...f4 plan was good thinking, but 29. Bb3 just kills it off, and you're a piece down. In fact, even after 29...Rxf4, 30. Bb3 sets a simple trap, when if 30...Rxf3?? 31. Rd8+ Rf8 32. Rxf8#.

9. Then White blundered his queen, and it was game over from then on in, really.

If 19. Qxf5 Nxf5 20. Nxc4, white regains material

Jinkies! It's fortunate white didn't play 25) Qxd8

24. ...Rd8 is a major blunder becasue after Qxd8, if 25. rxd8 then rxd8 is mate

Your opponent made too many pawn moves and you did well to develop, but then you hung your bishop with 10... d5 (11. a5 wins it).  10... a3 was your best move here.  Thankfully your opponent didn't capitalize.

12... Nxe4 hangs your knight on c6 and allows your opponent to double your pawns on the c file after the recapture.  Again, your opponent didn't capitalize.

13... Ne7 plays the move you should have played on 12 so it's good, but had your knight not been en-prise, Bxe3 might have been a good way to isolate one of your opponents pawns while compromising his king cover.

15... Qd5 loses your knight to 16. c4.  better was maybe Nc5 of Bf5 (threatening a discovery on the Queen and free placement of the knight anywhere)

16... Qc4 is the only move that appears to save the knight, but it still loses it to Nxe4 (threatening the Queen, which must move, and discovering the attack on the knight with the bishop).  Again, your opponent misses it.

17. Ng5?? from your opponent is a blunder without doubt.

18... Bf5?? is also a blunder, and the line that ensues illustrates why.

19... Qd3, as you mentioned, returns the piece after 20. Qxd3 Bxd3 21. Rxd3.  or to 20. Qxg5 as your opponent played, but this was all set into motion after 18... Bf5??

20... Qxc3 drops the knight, as you noted -- f6 was probably better.

21... Bc2 enables an exchange when you're a piece down -- probably something you wanted to avoid.

23... Rae8 locks your f8 rook in -- Rfe8 was probably better allowing your a rook to still develop to one of the other two open files.

24... Rd8 is simply a losing move.  Your opponent missed Qxd8 here for a free rook.

30. Qe2 was simply a blunder  Exchanging rooks with Qxf4 was winning as black has to address the threat of mate after white moves the King to the second rank.  It's basically over from here so I won't comment further.