I was really stuck in the midgame. Longer game. Feedback?

Other than 12.e5 I don't see any big problems.

The way black lost is funny. 34. ....Nd5 & black is ready to capture/block white's passed pawn on a file

Stating at the topmost place that the game is boring and that you had no idea what's going on in it (in other words stating it's not worth having a look at) is not likely to draw much constructive criticism. What's left for one to analyze - besides the discouraging description you have no comments about your reasoning, no variations, hardly anything to discuss.

18. Rxe4 looks wrong to me. That puts your rooks out of coordination, which is partly what caused your problems later: a hanging rook on the back rank with Black exploiting that with the "e" pawn push so that you couldn't capture. Then when you retreated that rook, you still kept your rooks uncoordinated because you retreated to e2 instead of e1. In answer to your question: I say neither 18. Rxe4 nor 18. Qxe4 is best, use 18. dxe4 instead, then back it up later with f3 if necessary like if Black plays ...f5. You can play your queen to e2 to back up the d1 square on the open "d" file and to temporarily protect your "e" pawn (say after ...Nf6) until you can play f3.

As DKenney pointed out, Bc4 looks weird, too. I'd have to look at book moves since I know that move is used in the Maroczy Bind, but you didn't play the normal d4, which is one of White's primary goals in *any* KP opening (similarly, Black's primary goal in any KP opening is to play ...d5), but instead shied away with d3. Since Black typically uses the open "c" file in any Sicilian Defense, that means your bishop was left hanging, right in line where Black's rooks and queen would be aligning, which then led to your later problems of that bishop getting driven off, then hemmed in with Black's pawns.

I don't understand why Bc4 is so suspect.  It seems perfectly banal and commonplace to me.  control the center, and nothing can scare it away from there, either.   If ..b5 or ..d5, I just take that pawn for free!

DKenny, I didn't push d4 b/c I avoid trading a center pawn for his outside pawn?

JackOfAllHobbies,

I found your opening mentioned here...

http://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/5077/b50-sicilian-defense-3-bc4

It seems it's not a bad opening, though uncommon, but Bc4 isn't a very forcing move.

As for avoiding d4 because Black can trade off a side pawn for it (...cxd4), that's largely why the Sicilian is such a powerful defense: as White you really can't avoid that trade in any of the main variations. (I do have my own weird defense against the Sicilian that avoids that trade, but I don't expect anyone else to adopt my opening so I'm not going to promote it here.)

So, if I did d4 and black obviously trades, then I have knight and pawn in the middle  ?    Or recap with Queen?

One of the problems with Bc4 is that the bishop sits on the queenside biting on granite unless White can sacrifice a piece or destabilize the e6 pawn with f5 or g6. In the game Black destabilized his own light squares with the horrible Ne4+ and f5. Take a look at 28. Na4 instead.

I could message you but I was thinking of creating a new thread about it, since other people might be interested, too. It would just be an information thread, though, posting my opinion and not asking a question or anything. Which would you prefer: message or thread? (I'm also likely to put this on my blog someday, but that's not for sure.)

As for how to recapture the pawn after ...cxd5, you use your knight. That's why you brought your knight out on the second move: so your queen wouldn't get chased off with ...Nc6.

Ok, so this is how it's done?

"Ok, so this is how it's done?"

I would say more often than not, yes. A devious smile comes across my face when I see Bc4 as black after which I would likely play e6.

Well, okay, no devious smile but I do play e6 following Bc4.

I think it's called the bowlder attack (sp??). It kind of think white was trying for an Italian but didn't realize black started with c5 instead of e5 lol

 A simple middlegame plan is to complete the opening princples, and then scan the 5th, and 6th ranks (3rd, and 4th if your black) and look for weak pawns, and or weak squares.  A weak pawn or square is any pawn or square that cant be protected by another pawn.

In the current position the weak pawns are:
a6-b5-c5-d6
The weak squares are:
b6-c6
Now you have targets to attack.  When confronted with multiple targets, chose the ones closest to the center, where there is greater piece activity.

Exactly. I've found the 365chess site very good for looking up at least the first few moves, and they show your posted opening position and series of moves exactly:

http://www.365chess.com/opening.php?m=8&n=4&ms=e4.c5.Nf3.d6.d4.cxd4.Nxd4

OK, I posted a summary of my approach, philosophy, and opening as White against the Sicilian at:

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-openings/staunton-cochrane-sicilian-my-quotsicilian-killerquot

Seems like Nxd4 or Qxd4 has same outcome, based on the 365 database.

I would prefer to put White's g1-Knight on e2 (with the f1-Bishop going to g2 after the pawn-push g2-g3) instead of on f3.

Compare this line with the Botvinnik attack in the English Opening.

• a3 is not too bad, but I would prefer a4
• h3, however, is not neccssery. It is good that you are seeing the possible chckmate threat on h2, but there is no way for black to realize this. instead of h3, play d3 and develop, and if black does play Ng4 with the "threat" of d5,  you can play Qe2, so they cannot play d5. Anyway, the h2 square is defended by the knight.
• you say you were "stuck" before you played e5. This is a sign that you do not understand the position. It is likely that this opening is not for you. A few guidelines for the position:after completing development, find a plan.Ask yourself questions- What is my worst piece? How do I make it better? What do I want to do in this position? How do I do it? etc.
• Again about e5. You get compensation for the pawn: You have the e4 square. Additionally, the e5 pawn will be won back.
• On your question about what to recapture with on e4, I would say the rook - it can move to the kingside and create an attack, but after the move Nf6, that is not possible, so I would say queen
• When you say you should have retreated the rook to e1, I disagree. You can double up on the e-file and win back the pawn, with a better position overall
• g4 is a bad move. f4 is better,stopping the knight from going to e5, and trying to make the bishop better with Bb1-c3
• but Kf7 is just a blunder. Now white has chances to win