Any helpful tips

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YusefK

Before I post, I think this utility is wonderful and I would love to use it a lot.  However, if I am not using proper etiquette please alert me to it.

Any useful analysis WILL be read and appreciated.

emceenugget

I'm not a high ranked player or anything close to it, but it just looks like you opened up the middle when black was lined up for an attack while your pieces were set up for something else.

YusefK

Could you be a little more specific?

smartens

10. Ne5 isn't very good, it just exchanges knights and messes up your pawn structure in the process, which ends up causing more problems down the road.

13. b4 does nothing and doesn't respond to the two pieces attacking your pawn on e5, maybe f4 would have been better.

18. g3 accomplishes nothing, weakens your light square diagonals by your king, and loses the pawn on b4.

19. f4 also just instigates another exchange in favor of your opponent.

Up to this point, one comment I would make is that you are simply moving pieces into an attacking position without looking at what will happen when your opponent moves that piece.

emceenugget

I think that moves 12-14 are where your opponent began to take control of the game (but didn't really control it totally).  You seemed to have good initiative until then, but gave it back up to black.

12. cxd5, your pawn is not very safe, and your series of exchanges puts you on the defending end.

13. b4, you choose a passive move instead of protecting your pawn and/or attacking.  Two possible moves are f4 and Qh5, though Black might have retorts ready.

14. Bxe5, you exchange a Bishop on a strong diagonal and let Black retain initiative.

Some moves afterwards seemed pretty week as well (17. Rc2), though I don't think the game was lost until the Queens were off the board and pawn promotion for black became much easier.

Good game played, though.  Need to play these types of games to know responses to your strategies.  I personally choose the exchange you made during moves 10 and 11 to try to gain initiative, though I usually feel that I'm overextending my pawns.