I think the first mistake was 5. Bxc4, which was probably unnecessary at that time.
7. f4 was maybe another mistake. Better to play f3, if anything with that pawn? I thought I was being more aggressive, since that square was undefended...
12. Ne4 was a blunder... man, I have got to stop drinking beer while playing chess!
Yeah, it seems kind of down hill from there... what do you guys think? Where did I lose it?
"2.c4 - This was maybe a mistake, since the potential 'gambit' was already declined by e6, right?" - It's playable. c4 helps to control the center.
4.e3?! - You could have done better with e4. Why settle for e3 when the e4 square is already defended by your knight?
5.Bxc4 - Yep, the right moment. After a6, Black was threatening b5.
6.Bb3 - "Losing a tempo?" - Yes, but that was unavoidable.
7.f4?? - Eep! A bad mistake. Not only did you hang the g2 pawn, but you also are going to lose the exchange afterwards.
8.e4 - "Trying to get a nice pawn wedge in the center" - See, if you had done that on your 4th move you wouldn't have to waste time now. ;)
12.Ne4?? - "Taking a central position for the knight" - You mean, hanging the knight. You missed another counting tactic
16.Bxc5?? - You missed Rxd5, winning a bishop. And from this point onward, you had no significant chances of getting back in the game.
Really... same mistakes as last game, basically 3 Counting tactics determined the course of the game. That's not going to change until you've studied them.
The gambit was not declined. Fischer and Spassky had a QGD game which developed from e6, so it works.
5. Bxc4 may have been a little quick, I personally enjoy 5. a4, with the idea of seizing some control over the Queenside. Then, you could play Bxc4 or even take some time to develop your other Knight.
7. f4?? was an error, but they happen. 7. f3 was playable, but it takes away a nice square for that Knight. I prefer Nf3, just because it gets another piece into play. It also allows you to castle later without much trouble.
12. Ne4?? was also a miss, but Ne2 and Nb1 definitely don't look much better here. Your position is beginning to run into some trouble here, with a heavily damaged Kingside and a cramped Queenside.
16. Bxc5? you could've won material with Rxd5. Bxd5 is far too dubious, I like the immediate threat to the defender.
17. Bxd5? With Rxd5, you could've held onto the other Bishop.
I'd say some moves in the beginning made it tough. I would agree with likesforests, 4. e4 is far superior, and the reason you establish the Gambit. The immediate 5. Bxc4 lost you a slight tempo and permitted Black to cramp up the Queenside. The loss of material and the damage over time to the Kingside made this a very difficult game to get an edge in.
Look at more lines for the Queen's Gambit Accepted, start to count more before you play a move, look at every piece's actions at least 2 moves ahead before you play a move, and you should see some improvement.
Thanks again. I'm reading that counting article over my morning coffee, and then I'll give it another shot.
Well, your first 2 comments on each move I could answer with "No". 2. c4 is not a mistake after 1...e6. And 6 Bb3 may feel like you've lost a tempo, but black lost a pawn and didn't play the QGA properly. 7.f4, you coud've chosen f3 or Nf3(my personal preference). Move 12 hung the knight. 14...c5 was black's mistake. a quick reassessment here: White is down 2 pieces, but is getting active play with the ones in play; Black's king is still in the center; the ...d5 bishop is being attacked 3 times and defended only once, but there's a pawn attacking the white queen. In my opinion, the key assessments are the facts that the black king is in the center of the board, and the white pieces are active. Take a look at this position given the facts stated and see what other moves are possible, moves like Ba4+ and Qe5+. 19.Bxd5 better was 19 Rxd5 followed up with Ba4 and then Qc4.
Usually when I find myself down a piece (most likely a queen down), I determine at what stage of the game did I lose material. Oddly, if it's the queen I lose in the opening, I usually play harder and continue to play. But if it's the rook or any other minor piece, I usually resign. I have won being a queen down plenty of times, but it takes tremendous effort. I'd rather not do that. If I lose any piece in the middle or endgame, I usually resign. You lost a piece in the opening and continued the game. Why? Because you probably felt that you still had a chance to win, and you're right. The problem is that it's harder and it requires you to see what options are available to you and how you can use them. I think it's best to understand how to evaluate a position and make a judgement on it.
i'd do nf3
I can't remember the whole game right now, so after I post this, I'm going to look it over and guess where I went wrong and then add it as a comment.