Letting my advantage slip

I'm often told by higher-rated players that I do a good job obtaining advantages, just not converting them. Here's my most recent game I let slip. What am I doing wrong?

Any general advice for converting advantages and/or selecting a move when about 4-6 seem like decent options?

IMO:

14. Bb2 isnt really a good move for that bishop, as "potentially targeting h5, really isnt significant. I think Bd3 (if Nxd5, Be4, wins the knight or the exchange. If Be4, Nxe3, Qxe3, the rook cant escape or be blocked)

If Bd3 had been played, then after h3, h6, you could have played g4, and if hxg, you could simply play h4. The pawn would be picked up by the queen or rook sliding over, not to mention gaining the g file. The pawn is still immune from capture due to tactics on that diaganol and against the knight (note that he still cant protect the knight with the queen, because its attacked by the rook and/or queen + bishop.

16. Bf2 is a pretty bad move IMO. Firstly, if g4, hxg -- this is good for you, even wih the bishop on e2. You could still have played Bd3 at this point, making room for the queen to come over.

If ... g2 at some point, this is fine, as you play Rh2 -- the pawn will be picked up soon, there are no tactics he can make with it, and with the recapture of the gpawn, you gain a powerful attacking file. At this point, you would pretty much want him to castle.

After 15 .. Ne5, since the bishiop is still on e2, now it is restricted a bit, and exchanging it off wouldnt be good here.

20. Bg1 with the idea of Bh2 isnt really a good positional idea. Firstly because its not that potent on that diaganol, or sitting behind the queen, and it creates the potential for a tactic involving a skewer of the queen and bishop. Better might have been Bd4 or Nd4.

As for getting better, there arent any "general principles". Only practice and pattern absorption through lots of games and exercises. However, as far as books go, the 4th edition of How to Reassess your Chess, by Jeremy Silman is fantastic, along with The Ameteur's Mind, by Silman.

You are not quite a bit better after 12. Nd5. The last thing you want to do in such positions with a backward d6-pawn is to allow the file leading to that pawn to be closed. Therefore, 12. Bg5 is a far better choice, since the critical move 12...b4 fails to 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 (13...bxc3 14. Bxe7! cxd2 15. Bxd8 and White is up a pawn) 14. Nd5 and now you can take back with the queen on d5 and keep a pull even with bishops of opposite color.

a couple thoughts

- general rules < what the position specifically calls for.

- There are no "the last thing you want to do" in chess.

- the pawn on d6 is only one feature of the position, and picking one idea on the whole board and saying "oh... thats a so-and-so.... therefore, I need to do so-and-so" isnt really a good way of thinking IMO.

 In this case, white trades off a great bishop of blacks for a knight -- a good "general idea" in of itself, and gains a very good pawn on d5, one which restricts both of blacks knights (the f6 knight due to tactical ideas I mentioned in my last post).

Thats just what I see in the position. Of course, Im no master, so I often like to check with the computer.

D. Fritz 12 rated Nd5 as by far the best move, scoring the second choice .5 points lower.

Of course, I just checked several of the moves I recommended, and the computer didnt like those.

But its looking at the ideas which helps you improve -- and I agree noticing things like the potentially weak backward pawn is always something to notice. But there arent any general rules.

The OPs reason for the move was different -- more of a "one move threat", and in that regard I would agree with you that it wasnt very good.

To add to my previous post -- instead of 14. Be2, it suggests c4 as by far the best, which makes sense when you think about it.

It rates the c4 idea, or Rc1 ... c4 idea (the rook idea being stronger with his queen on that file) strongly for quite some time