My first OTB tourny game of the season

hi guys , all comments welcome...especially those who have an explanation for my 23rd move , i would like to hear it :).....i am playing white .

Looking at the rating difference between you and your opponent I find that you did quite well! (except for the mistake that you point out yourself).

Reading your comments in the game, I see that you try to make logic plans. Keep playing and analysing your games. It's the way to improve!

Good luck!

Well played, esp. for OTB

I think 8bxd7+ Nbxd7 was not a good idea, you actually speed up your opponents development, because you spend a move getting his bisshop of the bord while he recaptures and developes his knight at the same time. 8 Qe2+ would have been better, black cannot capture the bisshop anytime soon, because a Queen on b5 would be too dangerous. And by defending the bisshop you might be able to start attacking with Ne5, but this depends on black's reply.

Succes with your analysis!

thanl you all

I'm not a fan of 2 c3 in the Sicilian because of 2...d5, but that is no matter here.

5. dxc5, you say you ought to have remembered that Nf3 is the right move, but knowing that Nf3 is the right move has nothing to do with remembering.

7. Bb5 should be Be2.  Like Mrxyz points out, look at what happens 8 moves into the game.  Black has 3 pieces out on and you have one.  With 7. Be2 you are still a half step behind (owing to your 5th move), but with Black's isolani for compensation.

10. Bg5, how does this prevent Qb6?  You need to focus on your own plans and not worry about Black's until you absolutely have to.  Bg5 puts a really weak pin on the f6 knight because it is already protected by another knight, and the Black queen has an easy out on the d8-a5 diagonal.

15. a3 is no good.  Look at the holes it makes on the light squares, not to mention the red light flashing over e2.  After 15. Nbd4 you cover e2.  Black can take the a pawn; 15...Qxa2, but you win it back 16. Ra1 Qc4 17. Rxa7.  OR... 15. Nfd4 and the a-pawn is poisoned.

18. Bh4, the bishop should go to e3.  You want a vice-grip on d4.

21. Qd1, did you consider Re2?

Um... I just want to make sure you don't think the reason behind 12... Bf8 was the psychological reason of "people forgetting about it" which is, for the most part wrong. Looking at the alternatives: 12... Bd6 While seemingly more active looking, gets in the way of future rook operations along the d-file (but it probably a good alternative and is up to taste); 12... Be7 looks stereotyped being that the main difference between e7 and f8 for the bishop is that on e7 it blocks the e8 rook!

There are many times when a bishop retreats back to the first rank (usually after rooks are connected) simply because it would get in the way of heavy pieces (Queen and rook). Its not "undeveloped", just retreated. The bishop still performs task on the one diagonal (as you were aware when it snatched your knight), and sometimes gives a useful option in a fianchetto.

Eh... its long, and on a single move, but I felt like talking :o) Posts # 5 and 7 did a good job with analysis =). Nice game overall though!

Unfortunately you lost game due to single blunder, because I don't think he had much with something sensible. The line he played against c3 sicillian can transpose to French tarrasch IQP lines that are very solid but difficult for black to win. Don't think bb5-d7 is all that terrible, it's a french main-line a tempo down because of 5dxc5.

          What I didn't understand about black's play was his willingness to exchange peices with an IQP. After something like 16 QxQ RxQ 17Rd2 Re8 18Rd1 white looks ok to me.

thank you all for your excellent advice

i just want to emphasise Pa3 was positionally a terribly bad move! For the reason outlined above! It created many weaknesses and holes on your queenside.

The threat of QxPa2 isnt much as Ra1 wins the queen therefore it is not a threat which im sure y our opponent saw!

Also by your opponent playing Bf8, i really dont think he meant it when he said he put it there as people forget about it! Cmon this guy is almost/is expert level, his opponents dont forget about a bishop even if it is at the edge of the board! Id say he meant it jokingly/mockingly (but probably in good humour). He simply played it as he didnt want to trade his bishop for a knight, by leaving it there, and Bd6 leaves the d5 pawn a bit weaker than it is and also Be7 blocks off his perfectly good file, and also it gives complications with the Bishop pin on the f6 knight which he can avoid easily by Bf8.

It is the better move as far as i can see but im not sure i would play it myself in a OTB game even when i see it and analyse it as being the better move.

GG all the same, you played pretty solidly other than a few slight errors and major blunder!