We need more amateurs to post their annotated games.

a game I played (3 days/ move tourney) it was one of the hardest games + endgames I've played. I had to congratulate him (Friedwing) for pushing me to the limit :)

Comments and feedbacks appreciated !

This is a game that I played against and I stunk

The outflanking and opposition coupled with the control of a7 and b8 by the dark squared Bishop proved to be of tremendous advantage as White cannot effectively enter a Trebuchet position without being able to infiltrate the dark squares at some point. If he attempts to get to say, h2 (the Bishop is obstructed by the pawns here), Black will simply play Kf2 and win I believe.

As to the f4 move that you thought might be a blunder, I think it was either a desperado move on White's part or else an attempt to get you to play inaccurately.

Silman is great for learning tactics at the 1400-1600 level definitely. The books he co-authored with Seirawain have been like bibles to me.

It seems that White may have had some chances earlier in the game but chose instead a long-range tactical line that seemed to fit nicely into your game

Finally the in between move of e5 was superb. Plus finding the d3 move was good as well.

Overall, I think you played the game very soundly, analyzing some lines and pruning most of the extremely unsafe plays as well.

VGG

V

Your game won't load inside a quote, numb nuts.  Please make a note of it.

I understand that. One need only scroll up to the game and compare the analysis to the board, but thank you for your reply.

Here is a great game I just finished but I still need to find more forcing replies, though the idea of closing the lines to run the e pawn down were the reasons for the way the end played out.

The game was longer than I wanted but still aside from the 2 inaccuracies in the middlegame by White, he played a fine game and I am starting to see where tactics play a big part to where now I am trying to set them up.

Actually, Nxh7 was better to forestall Rc8 with Rd1 and winning shortly thereafter.

Now I know it is b5 Bb7 Bc5 and Qc7 in this line so i hope to improve on the games.

I conseder thes to be my pest game of thes web chess.com
I playing in it with one man namen Mariachi from meddlest. he is play Sisilian def in it.

Very odd choices of moves but very interesting game. You showed good tactical awareness at the end. But why let the stay on c6 and not take the Rook when you had the chances?

ummm scorpion... did I miss something or after 5... d6??? white just win a piece, the exchange, and the game ?  my advice is start looking the board more, instead of chunking moves out (which is a chess-illness I still had till today ! )

@ vengence : nice game, though you need more time considering the moves on cornering the enemy king with your pieces, I mean 2 extra minors are surely more than enough for over kill :D

scorpion, at some point before 11...0-0 you should have played Bxc6, capturing the Knight and forking the King and Rook.

I messed up, I can point out which moves they were but I think I missed some, can anyone help me out as to why I played badly? (Which moves were bad/why?) My opponent blundered on move 22, he could have taken my queen

The engine made me play this draw out to the very end........

Thanks. I am attempting to learn to memorize the mate patterns of minor pieces with pieces on the board more. What was the biggest thing with this Sicilian was that the night before, I had sat down with a trainer named Chuck (CSChess) and a friend named Jerry who just played in the US Open in Vancouver Wash. and we were going over some of the ideas behind both the Kan and Taimanov variations and the ideas I was missing (the a6 move is to bolster b5, the Bishops on b7 and c5 if able, Queen on c7 etc.). I had asked Chuck about some advanced ideas around this opening and tactics (1800-2000 OTB ratings). That was where the idea for 25. ... 0-0-0 came in to play.

The point of this game was that I was able to adapt some higher level concepts to it AND understand why the moves were made.

My next thing to work out in this line is how to play after White responds to b5 with a4, directly challenging the square with some nice tactical play.

In the game, I could have played far sharper had I gone away from 2. ... e6 and instead played 2. ... d5 on 2. f4. Now after 3. exd5 there comes 3. Nf6 (not Qxd5 giving White a tempo with Nc3) and White cannot hold the pawn even with 4. Nc3 and Black obtains counterplay from the start (c4 replies b5 I think and the result is some really amazing play for both sides with White having to address holes at f3, e4 and g4.

Also, my friend Jerry played against a FM from Poland and had an amazing game in the Blumenfeld Gambit that he got into an inferior position by playing on his opponents time trouble. Really nice match for him.

Here, I got a Maroczy bind against Black in a Philidor Defense (I am seeing alot of exd4 games and personally am glad that my opponents are staying away fron Bg4 which allows White to hold a pawn and still get 0-0-0). Same time controls as before.

My ability to spot and execute tactical play is what is helping me go through this spurt. I am indebted to the guys in my club(s) and the OTB games I have played as well for this boost. Thanks to all who have helped me excel so far.

that was slick. He made one major blunder though.

all and all, everything is fine till Re7 which loses a pawn. at move 23, I noticed that the game is quite equal, maybe slight advantage to black, because of space in Qside and superior pieces. black can try 23... a4, if white plays b3, then is f5 possible ? I was trying to keep WLB to g4 and e6 later. (maybe after f5 then if exf5 Rxf5 g4 Rf8 black's much better I think, WLB is still bad, BBB had a good post on d4, and white's getting run over on Q side.

moves 27-29 were the deciding factor in this game. I have found that the Maroczy bind setup (c4, e4, Nc3 and Nd4) is likely one of the more solid lines for White to play against the Philidor as c5 can be a bit premature and essentially gives White control of the d5 square directly, either causing lines of interference for Black or giving White a magnificent outpost for his Knight. The final blunder in the game is almost inconsequential as White has too much on the board and can simply simplify and win the position due to his advantages.

In alot of lines, Black will play one of two replies to 3. d4, either Bg5 or c6. Bg5 is met by dxe5 then on Bxf3 not Qxf3 giving Black the d-file and even chances in the opening, but rather gxf3, retaining the pawn and some sharp play though he must be willing to guard the f2 pawn in some way. c6 is the Hanham Variation and is solid giving Black a somewhat equal game.

The Philidor is also the opening where you can try for the Legal's mate. Though Black can stop 5. Nxe4 by simply playing 5. ... Be6 instead of taking the Queen. Note also that you cannot get this mate if Black is allowed to develop Nf6, as this forstalls the Nd5 move.

Other replies for Black are Nf6, Qf6?! and h6.

All in all, the Philidor is a great line for study as White as you have many choices on how to handle the opening.

POSTSCRIPT: Had Black played 16. ... c4, he could have had a superior position.

if black play c4, then after f4, isn't the c4 pawn now hanging ? ;)