i dont play the english very often so can't help out too much, but here are a few things you could have done better in the opening:
1. i'd have played 2. Nc3 to prevent 2... d5
2. i don't see a reason not to play 4. cxd5, giving you more center pawns and a half-open c-file
3. Bh3 is a mistake, the bishop belongs on g2 (it was especially bad this time since it allowed Bxf2)
the other errors didn't really have to do with the opening, those will go away with time :)
Hmm thanks for those. I sort of just robotically went through the opening according to what I read in the other topic, which is clearly a bad idea heheh. What you say makes lots of sense. Thanks :)
As for my non-opening game errors, it'd still be appreciated to note them :) I'd like to see what I could do better from other points of views besides my own, because people much better than me can tell me things that I don't see, like what you pointed out in merely my first 4 moves. xD
Thanks for your input!
ok here's a few more things:
5. e4 seems awkward to me. like I said I don't play the english, but it leaves holes on d3 and d4. I'd prefer something like Nf3 preparing to castle or Qc2 hitting the c4 pawn and controlling e4.
why not 11. Kxg3
i don't like 14. d4 since after Nxd4 Qh3 (Qf2) Bxc1 Raxc1 Qg5 black has a strong knight on d4 and has moved his queen into the action, instead i'd have played Nd5
also, good job taking advantage of black's weakened king's position after 18. ...g5?
Firstly, I'd like to point out that correct would be P.S., followed by P.P.S., followed by P.P.P.S., rather than adding S' which is what you did.
Now to the game. It was your first time playing the opening, you're bound to get some of the ideas wrong. As to mistakes later in the game... those are typical in players of your rating, with practice they will disappear! 
why not 24:bh4#??
hasty note:(
I would've lost my rook. and thanks fiver for that advice. I'll review it when I have more time :) Unfortunately, I lost with the English Opening today and am 0-2 for the day :( But hopefully I will get better before long. :)
I think your game is a beautiful example of the fact that at your level, what opening you play is utterly unimportant.
Lol thank you. I feel a little insulted haha but it was funny. I still feel it's important to just play and familiarize and be comfortable with certain openings though so when I do start getting better and openings matter more I will already be comfortable with it.
You sound like you know a lot though :) It'd be appreciated if you gave me some pointers.
Sorry, but Scarblac is right....looking at this game, you really shouldn't worry at all about the opening yet....and I certainly wouldn't reccomend startign with the English.
You drop a lot of material during the game. That's what you need to work on -- your opening may be world class, if you then drop a piece against someone slightly stronger than your opponent here, and you're toast regardless. On the other hand, play complete fantasy in the opening but don't lose material easily, and you're a pretty tough customer below 2000.
So consider all your opponent's possible threats, checks and captures; figure out what went wrong after the game, being pretty harsh on yourself; and do a lot of tactics puzzles.
And forget about the opening. Develop your pieces, control the center, don't drop material and keep your eyes open for when your opponent does.
I had a lengthy post written up late last night. When I hit "Save & preview," it all vanished but the quote.
So, here it is again, more or less.
The game was a bit ragged. Below are some hopefully constructive comments and musings.
1. c4 e5 (A normal response.) 2. g3 (I agree with fiver, Nc3 is better. It prevents black from playing d5 without further preparation. [Move order can be critical.] Frequently d5 comes later and white immediately takes with the c pawn.)
2. ... d5 3. Bg2 (Having allowed d5, I'd consider b3 to try and support your c pawn. This at least presents the option for subsequently fianchettoing the queen's bishop which might cause black some problems in the center or on the kingside. If black then takes the pawn, take back. The isolated a pawn will be a weakness, but the half open b file may give you the opportunity for some queenside pressure.)
3. ... Nc6 (I think this is a move order mistake.) 4. Nc3 (Again, I am in agreement with fiver, cxd4 looks better, hence my "mistake" comment.)
4. ... dxc4 5. e4 (I prefer e3, which stops the threats arising from black's Bc5 [which happened later in your game], it supports your d4 square preparing for your own d4 pawn break at the right time, and it doesn't block the light square bishop.)
5. ... Nf6 6. Nf3 (I will often play Ne2. Both moves add to the support of the d4 square, but Ne2 also doesn't block the bishop. [Also, when the king pawn is on e3, Ne2 doesn't tempt black so much to push e4.])
6. ... Bc5 (Black now owns your d4 square, and you have no way to block access to f2 -- very uncomfortable.) 7. O-O Ng4 8. Bh3 (Yet again, I agree with fiver. This seems pointless, as black's queen bishop guards the knight, and your bishop is potentially vulnerable when the knight moves. If you wanted to kick the knight, h3 is probably better. If he follows through with Bxf2+ [unlikely], both his pieces are attacked.)
8. ... Bxf2+ 9. Kg2 (My instinct might have been to take with the rook probably leading to him exchanging the knight for it. In this position, with him having launched the attack before completing development, your method, in spite of it leading to the massacre of the pawns and leaving your king out in the open, isn't as bad as I originally thought, and might even be better! It certainly opened lines.)
9. ... Nxh2 10. Nxh2 Bxg3 11. Bxc8 (I also think the scary looking Kxg3 is better. If he plays 11. ... Bxh3 12. Kxh3 and he's traded both bishops and a knight for a bishop and three pawns. A possible alternate attack [which would be difficult to calculate] is 11. Kxg3 Qg5+, 12. Bg4 h5, 13. d3 [discovered attack on the queen] Qg6, 14. Rg1 [allowing the king the option of leaving the file] Bxg4, 15. Nxg4 hxg4, 16. Qxg4 and I think you're okay, unless I missed something. [The possible queen attack was what made Kxh3 look scary.] From here, you'd have to work with the extra piece to get back some of the pawns before too many pieces were traded, or the endgame could get tough.)
11. ... Bxh2 12. Qf3 Bf4 13. Bg4 O-O 14. d4 Ne7 15. Bxf4 Ng6 (A possible black mistake. I think exf4 was better. From your perspective, always be suspicious of knight moves. Check to see if there are any possible forks in his next move or two.)
16. dxe5 (Bg3 moves your bishop to safety and stops all black knight incursions for the time being.) Nh4+ (Ouch!) 17. Kg3 Nxf3 18. Rxf3 (Not sure, but I probably would instinctively captured with the king, leaving my rooks connected.)
18. ... g5 19. Rd1 Qe7 20. Nd5 Qc5 21. Nf6+ Kg7 22. Bxg5 Kg6 23. Rf5 (Interesting sequence.) 23. ... Rad8 24. Rh1 (Thats a LOT of pieces gathering around his king!!!) h5 25. Bxh5+ Kg7 26. Kg4 Rd3 27. e6 (Sneaky.) fxe6 28. Rxc5 (Payback!) Rd4 29. Rxc7+ Kh8 30. Rh7# Nice finish!
I am NOT one of the people who say "forget about the opening." I think looking at openings is instructive, as long as you understand what you are looking at. Memorization of lines of variations won't help. Developing on principle IS better than memorization. But knowing the principles, and seeing how they are implemented in some openings is, I feel, the best compromise. I also think it aids in quick improvement. It's easier to start out on a chariot than it is to have to reinvent the wheel each time.
I do think the English may be a bad choice for a beginner. It has a reputation for being double edged. You can get some nice wins, sometimes quickly, but you can also get into a lot of trouble quickly. I'd look over (but don't even think about extensively studying) the Queens Gambit main lines. It gives you good development and lower level opponents have a tough time with this. At higher levels, it gets complicated with dozens of defenses and thousands of variations, but as you improve, you'll need to know a couple of them anyway. The exposure, if modest, won't hurt.
Wow. Thanks so much :)
You're welcome.
If you want to see an English game incorporating some of what I suggested in action, view:
http://www.chess.com/forum/view/game-showcase/a-favorite-tournament-win
This was played in a USCF rated small local tournament, with a 90 minute Sudden Death time control. Both players were rated in the low 1500s at the time (if memory serves).
You sound like you know a lot though :) It'd be appreciated if you gave me some pointers.
Yeah, Scarblac does give off that impression. I will have to learn his secret!
But I digress. As others have said, you could play the Fred or the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence, it really won't make a difference. It is, first and foremost, your general play that needs improving... i.e. not dropping pieces.
"Not dropping pieces" is a very good suggestion, but it applies to experience and awareness, not any other single phase or aspect of the game, and can't be specifically "studied." Tactical training may help, but that usually involves the use of pieces, not general attention to possible threats. It is still possible to learn tactics and let a piece hang in a game through inattention.
If a person is to focus on one such general aspect to the exclusion of all others, the advice could come down to "study nothing until you learn." That's hardly helpful. The truth is, studying openings, tactics, and endgames in moderation will help a beginner -- small doses which can be comprehended and applied. Awareness of a weakness such as dropping pieces is clearly important, but keeping that weakness in mind while seeing examples of the right way to do something is even more beneficial.
The trick at any level is to find the right degree and balance of study in various aspects, and making a sensible decisions about what to study.
Will studying openings alone make someone a better player? Of course not. If he gains some advantage in a few games and doesn't blow it once "out of book," he may climb a few ratings points, but granted, that is deceptive. But I still contend that advice like "develop according to principles" means more when you can see those principles in action.
It can't hurt to look at a few things.
I'm assuming by not dropping pieces you mean not to leave them around to be taken by accident? It's osmething I gotta work on T_T
What do you mean "develop according to principles". What principles should I see in action? I bought a book called Complete Book of Chess Strategy and it details out some things about the Middle game, which I haven't been able to read in-depth yet. The Open Game just lists a bunch of openings and its advantages and weaknesses, but not in a way that I feel I really understand what I'm doing. But that's probably because I'm an amateur.
BurOak, are you really good at the English Opening? I would love an easy to understand explanation of how to use it, since I like it. :) Btw I'm looking at your game now that you linked. Thanks for an example :)
By "not dropping pieces" we mean not leaving them unprotected and attacked, losing them with no compensation. Occasionally, you can let a piece "hang" if the capture by an opponent would lead to an immediate advantage to you -- giving you time for an attack that wins a superior piece or leads to checkmating your opponent. Most of the time, however, an attacked and undefended piece or pawn needs to be protected, exchanged, or moved to safety if possible according to which is of greatest benefit to you.
By "develop according to principles," people usually refer to a number of ideas to keep in mind during the opening: Fight for control of the center squares (e4, e5, d4, d5); bring your knights out early; try to post your bishops on open diagonals; castle early; try not to move the same piece twice (at least not without a good reason); and a few others which other posters may fill in.
BurOak, are you really good at the English Opening?
I wouldn't say I'm "really good" at anything, but I used to play it a lot with my share of success. I'm a bit rusty, coming off a ten year vacation from chess, but some of it is coming back to me.
So I asked in another forum for advice on White Openings, and someone suggested the English and this was my first game trying it. I obviously have no idea what I'm doing but luckily my opponent didn't seem to be too strong either.I realize I have probably below amateur ability, but any input/advice/analysis especially would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much =]
PS- Yes, I realize the game probably has 50 mistakes on both sides, and there weren't even that many turns :P I got extremely lucky to be allowed to win this game, I realize that haha. Hopefully any advice would improve my game to where my games look a lot better.
PSS- I had to redo the whole PGN for this game because for some reason the FED thing for the game didn't work or something.
PSSS- I didn't add my thought notes or whatever because I did not know how. I figured it out later but I really don't want to retype my whole PGN again, sorry >.< If someone were to ask me for my thoughts or something, I would answer. Heheh.