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Not sure about my plans

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MarshallScott

I made a huge blunder to lose this game from a won position. It caused me to revisit the game and analyze what went wrong. I think I was lucky that my opponent made a couple questionable moves to give me the advantage.
I am really not sure if I missed anything earlier in the game before I blundered. I haven't run any computer analysis on it to see if I could have used better tactics.  Mostly, I'm unsure if my plans were any good.  I didn't see many real concrete ideas.
I've commented to give my thought process. I'd appreciate any input!
polydiatonic

Here are some quick thoughts. Let me know what you think:

tbischel

my two cents:

black looks like he is playing for a reversed Maroczy bind... you might check out the variations there to see what some of the ideas are.

I think 7...d5 was a mistake, as the recapture 8.exd5 gives white a half open file to attack the e-pawn with, and clears the a8-h1 diagonal for the white squared bishop.

8.a3 is too slow.  exd5 or Re1 look obvious.  You don't want him to fix your e4 pawn by exchanging... it turns your g2 bishop into a glorified pawn.

9.b4 just hangs the pawn.

10.Bb2 and d4... now both your bishops are doing their best pawn impersonations.  You are positionally close to losing.

11. Now you have a backwards pawn on the half open c-file.  This is just lost for white.

16. Nxh7 is good thinking, but black could counter with Ne3+! which will open the d4 square to his pieces.

I like the bishop exchange on a3, you are cramped and it was a bad piece.  The knight trap was clever, and if black tries to fix his knight with a5 as someone else suggested, your knight slips into the c4 outpost, closing down the queenside.

21...Ne3+ is leaving you with some pretty weak g-pawns.  I think black might have some compensation for the piece at least.

23...Qh5 was clearly bad.  You were definitely winning now.

bummer of a finish though.