Game Analysis

This was my first game on chess.com. I was hoping to get some feedback from some more experienced players to see what I could have done better. Thanks.

Oh Yeah, I remember this opening.  This is the Scotch Gambit White pretends to be a Moron Variation.

4 .... Nf6   allows white to play 5 Ng5 threatening Nxf7 forking the queen and rook.  It could have gone something like:

5  Ng5  pd5      6 Nxf7  Kxf7     7 Bxd5+   Nxd5   8 Qh5+   pg6     9  Qxd5+

and white is safe to castle while black's king is already out in the open.  If the queens trade white has an open file to begin his attack with his castled rook.

4  ...  Be7    or 4 ... p h6 would have prevented all that.

4..Nf6 bla

8...Qh4 was a mistake best is 8...bxc6

11.Be3 and white should win easy

But nice checkmate

Yes 4...Nf6 is a perfectly good move, and most sides moves are fine until the 8...Qh4 blunder. Instead of 7...Bd7 there is a sharper line with 7...Bc5, when after 8Nxc6 black can play the 8...Qh4 idea. Sometime back a strong correspondence player Mark Morse, wrote a "Hard chess" column called "Lost variations" about this. Think can still find it with a bit of gooling.

With 4. ...Nf6 my idea was to transpose into the Classical Variation of the Two Knight's Defense. The usual move order is 1. e4-e5 2. Nf3-Nc6 3. Bc4-Nf6 4. d4-exd4. After Ng5 I would have played Ne5, defending the f7-square and attacking the Bishop.

I still think 4... Nf6 is weak.  Look at this variation:

5  Ng5   d5     6 pxd5   Nxd5   7 Qf3  

what can black do now?  He can't play 7... Qxg5 because 8 Bxg5.  Meanwhile his knight on d5 is treatened plus there is a mate threat on f7.  I wouldn't want to be in black's shoes.

My point after Ng5 was not to play d5. I was going to play Ne5 instead.

bowanza, black plays 7...Be6 and he is fine

fine?  I gotta admit 7...Be6 is a pretty good move, as it stops mate and saves the knight. 

But

if 7  ...Be6 then

8  NxB6  pxb6 and white has an good game.  He could trade in the center if he wanted, leaving black with doubled pawns.   Meanwhile, his king is safe and prepared to castle while black will probably have to castle long.

the position after 8.Nxe6 fxe6 is roughly equal, but I think 6...Ne5 is stronger than 6...Nxd5

yeah a hot opening dispute going on here. Is 4...Nf6 a duff move?!, can he possibly defend Ng5, and is it with d5 or Ne5. Lets see,  Lasker in 1892 prefered Ne5, and Pillsbury in 1897 agreed with him. Umm wonder what that could mean...