Let me try using my checklist again (this is only my 2nd time using it) to answer your questions...
CHECKLIST OF COMMON VIOLATIONS OF HEURISTICS
("+" means a violation.)
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OPENING
()
Was the opening passive / second rate (versus strong / aggressive / top notch)?
Examples:
WHITE IS PASSIVE
o Center Game: 1. e4 e5 2. d4
o Scotch Game: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4
o Vienna Game: 1. e4 e6 2. Nc3
o Bishop's Opening: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4
o Van't Kruijs Opening: 1. e3
o Larsen's Opening: 1. b3
o Hungarian Opening: 1. g3
BLACK IS PASSIVE
o Philidor's Defense: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6
o Scandinavian Defense: 1. e4 d5
o Nimzowitsch's Defense: 1. e4 Nc6
()
Was the opening third rate?
Examples:
o Grob's Attack: 1. g4
()
Was the opening one that is known to be faulty / very weak?
Examples:
o Damiano's Defense: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f6 3. Nxe5 fxe5??
o Philidor's Defense: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Bg4?!
o Petroff's Defense: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 Nxe4?!
()
Was the opening one that is generally considered unsound, especially a gambit by Black?
Examples:
o Elephant Gambit: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5?!
o Latvian Gambit: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5?!
o Englund Gambit: 1. d4 e5?!
o Albin Counter-gambit: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5?!
o 1. e4 e5 2. d4 d5?!
o From Gambit: 1. f4 e5
()
Did the player fail to equalize with the necessary central pawn push?
Examples:
o Black failed to play ...d5 in an e-pawn opening
o Black failed to play ...e5 in a d-pawn opening
o Black failed to play ...d5 or ...e5 in a c-pawn opening
o White failed to play d4 in an e-pawn opening
o White failed to play e5 in a d-pawn opening
o White failed to play ...d4 or ...e4 in a c-pawn opening
()
Did the player fail to advance a center pawn two squares when it would have been better to do so?
()
Was the player unfamiliar with unit placement for this opening?
Examples:
o Blocking the c-pawn by N-QB3 in a d-pawn opening.
o Pinning via B-N5 on the same side as the pinning player has a fianchetto.
o White placing his queen on the half-open c-file in a Sicilian Defense.
o Black allowing c4 in a Sicilian Defense.
o White not playing Kb1 in a Sicilian Defense.
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DEVELOPMENT
(+)
Did the player move the same unit twice in the opening?
()
Was the queen developed too soon, before the minor pieces?
()
Did the player put a knight on the rim?
Examples:
o White erred, queenside: Na3
o White erred, kingside: Nh3
o Black erred, queenside: ...Na6
o White erred, kingside: ...Nh3
()
Did the player fail to castle early enough, in a position where castling was important?
(+)
Did the player develop a bishop in front of an unadvanced central pawn without a good reason?
Examples:
+ White erred, queenside: Bd3 before d3 or d4
o White erred, kingside: Be3 before e3 or e4
o Black erred, queenside: Bd6 before d6 or d5
o Black erred, kingside: Be6 before e6 or e5
()
Did the player fail to connect his rooks early enough?
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LOST TEMPI
()
Did the queen get chased off, resulting in the loss of a tempo?
()
Did the player play B-N5 only to get the bishop chased off by P-B3?
Examples:
o White erred, queenside: Bb5 ...c6
o White erred, kingside: Bg5 ...f6
o Black erred, queenside: ...Bb4 c3
o Black erred, kingside: ...Bg4 f3
()
Did the player play an unnecessary prophylactic move, resulting in the loss of a tempo?
Examples:
o White erred, queenside: a3
o White erred, kingside: h3
o Black erred, queenside: a6
o Black erred, kingside: h6
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PAWNS
(+)
Did the player get pawns doubled unnecessarily?
()
Did the player expose his castled king by pawn advances?
()
Did the player allow the opponent's queen to become centralized without a means of chasing it off by *pieces*?
()
Did the player weaken his pawn structure by attempting to chase off a centralize queen via a 2-square pawn advance?
()
Did the player get a weak "central triple pawn cluster"?
Examples:
o White erred, pawn cluster of d3-e3-e4
o Black erred, pawn cluster of d6-e6-e5
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FIANCHETTOS
()
Did the player fail to complete a fianchetto (failed to move his bishop to N2)?
Examples:
o White erred, queenside: b3 but no Bb2
o White erred, kingside: g3 but no Bg2
o Black erred, queenside: b6 but no Bb7
o Black erred: kingside: g6 but no Bg7
()
Did the player allow his fianchettoed bishop on his castled side to get traded off, resulting in weakened squares around his king?
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TACTICS
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Did the player overlook a mating combination?
(+)
Did the player overlook the win of material?
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OTHER
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Did the player avoid a queen exchange that resulted in a worse position than if he had traded queens?
()
Did the player make a premature attack, especially before all the pieces were developed?
()
Did the player allow himself to get "queen slapped," resulting in loss of castling privilege in a risky position,
or loss of a tempo from needing to retreat a knight?
Examples:
o White erred: ...Qxd1+ Kxd1
o Black erred: Qxd8+ ...Kxd8
o White erred: ...Qxd1+ Nxd1
o Black erred: Qxd8+ Nxd8
()
Did the player get a piece trapped?
Examples:
o Queen, especially by moving the queen too often in the opening
o Bishop, especially by capturing a rook pawn followed by P-N3 to trap it
o Rook, especially by moving a rook out too soon, especially laterally
o Knight
(+)
Did the player fail to take advantage of weak moves or errors (positional or tactical)?
I think my King was constantly under attack once I castled and before I realized what was going on it was too late! I know I need a lot of improvements but what could I have done better in this game?