Any comments on this weak game (2 players are rusty)

If he had played 10 Bxf3 instead of Qxf3, you would have been down a piece.

Where's the rest of the game? Did somebody lose on time?

Hi JackOfAllHobbies--not a bad game at all with solid adherence to opening fundamentals.  One trick worth knowing after 4. Bc4 (instead of the more accurate 4. Bb5) is ...Nxe4.  5. Nxe4 runs into ...d5 and black gets his stuff returned while taking over the center.  However, 6...Nxe4 is risky when your opponent has castled but you haven't; 7. Re1 followed by d3 (or 7...d5 8. Bb5) would've given you some headaches.  The point is that 6...d6 or 6...0-0 was safer than hunting pawns.  7...a6 just wasn't active enough and left you in the same danger zone as before; again, castling or some defense with a move like 7...Nd6 was crucial.  9...Nxf3+ was a big no-no, losing a piece to 10. Bxf3, but your opponent kindly recaptured with the queen instead.  Good call on 11...0-0, escaping those jaws of death, but then you wanted to catch up on development with ...Be6, ...Qe7, ...Rad8, etc.  In fact d5 was a huge post for your bishop and it should've been finding its way there as quickly as possible at that point.  White should've played 13. Rac1 instead of Qd1, since he had a potential attack in the works with Qg3, c4, and e6 to unleash his bishop on g7.  Trading queens instead was positional bad news for him, leaving c2 undefendable.  He wedged his bishop into the corner by never finding c4 in time, you grabbed a second pawn, and some mysterious outcome happened after that.

So definitely some missteps throughout here, but good sense of opening play and initiative.  Watch out for tactics, play slow games to improve the ability to look ahead, and always figure out your opponent's best move so you keep an eye on your defense as well.

Thanks for your time,pentiumjs.  I will read your analysis indetail shortly.

In hindsight, instead of castling at 5. I should have seen that he was going to trade off BxC3 (doubles my pawn, and removes the protector of e4 pawn)   When I used to play more, I would have seen this a mile away.   Instead of castling, I should have pushed pawn to d3.

The other big problem that emerged was that unprotected c3 pawn.  A consequence of that doubled pawn in front of it.

After 4.Nc3, the usual is Nxe4, because after 5. Nxe4 Black plays d5 and recoups the piece and White's opening momentum is derailed. If White sees the d5 trick, he sometimes plays 5.Bxf7+ but after Kxf7 6. Nxe4 d5 7.Neg5+ Kg8 looks good for Black also.

One trick worth knowing after 4. Bc4 (instead of the more accurate 4. Bb5) is ...Nxe4.  

You're telling me to trade my Knight for a pawn, and then push my pawn to scare off the Black Knight?  Doesn't seem like a smart trade, just for some position.

To clarify, I was white in this game, not black.

This forum is a total pain to read comments while constantly scrolling up and down to look at posted commentary, and scrolling up to see the board.  Is there any way to float the board?

Thanks for the analysis.

I agree that black blundered by not recapturing the knight with his bishop under attack.  Good point about opening up the white bishops's diagonal.  All basics that used to be seen, but I am rusty.  

Jackofalltrades, what they're saying is 4. Nc3 is an inaccuracy. After 4. ...Nxe4! 5. Nxe4 d5, Black forks White's Knight and Bishop, and will get back his piece with a great game. (White cannot play 5. Bxf7+? Kxf7 6. Nxe4 d5 7. Neg5+ (Nfg5+?? Kg6! wins a piece, Steinitz style!) Kg8 8. 0-0 h6 with Kh7 Bc5 and Rf8 to follow is a total disaster for White, with nothing to show for Black's bishops and center).

White can hold equality with 6. Bd3! dxe4 7. Bxe4, but after 7. ...Bd6, Black has a lot of the center and a very nice position.

Oh someone beat me to it, sorry!

It bears repeating.

Ok, I now see the fork that black could have set up.  

Is there an easy way to play out these alternative notations youu guys are posting?  Or should I set up a board to play out these chains of moves.  I don't know the best way to follow, but I certainly can't do them in my head.  Can I paste them into the game somehow?

Download Stockfish (free!) and put all of that nonsense into it. Best part, it's free!

7.Bb2 does not do anything to protect or even develop. Always try and keep power pieces in the middle 16 squares.

Did not develop well. That middle game where they were centering like two rooks and a bishop for black and two rooks for white on that one pawn was crazy. And finally when they did take the pawn the bishop moved into the corner not out into the open trying to find an attack.