Where did White go wrong?

Actually you are misquoting me.  I said Black instantly has as equal game or a little the better of it.

Sure you could SAY the ponziani is poor no matter who plays it because it gives black equality.  You could also say the same thing about the Ruy Lopez or the Queens Gambit or 1. c4  or 1 Nf3 or any sound opening.

Sure you could SAY 3.c3 or 4.Bd3 is poor no matter who plays it because it gives black equality.  You could also say the same thing about the Ruy Lopez or the Queens Gambit or 1.c4 or 1.Nf3 or any sound opening.

The name of the line white is playing is not called the Alapin it is more similar to the Kopec System which was popular a while back.

The idea of the Kopec System is to bring the bishop to d3 than drop it back to c2 similar to that of a Ruy Lopez. With out having the bishop losing tempos against the pawns.

It has been known as the Kopec System against 1.e4 e5. It was quite the rage a while back and was very popular. However, they do often try to use it against the Sicilian.

The pawn structure is similar to a KIA or Alapin position;however, the Light Square bishops are all in different spots. In the KIA the LSB is fianchetteoing. In the Alapin they like the bishop on e2. In the Kopec they like the bishop played on c2 diagonal,

I have found most players who don't like to fianchetteo general prefer playing the Kopec system or Alapin so its not a terrible move for the bishop. The main problem in this game was blacks counter play came to fast and white never tryed to slow it down or create any counter play for himself.

Blacks intensions in this game were clear. They had a bishop on g7 and a pawn on c5. They had some center control and queen side space. They were controlling/playing on the area's of the board which favored them.

You play on the area of the board which gives you most space because space helps cordinate better.

After the move 10...b5 I would take the black pieces. Looks so text book. Controlling center dark squares. Gaining queens side space. You should of either tryed blasting open the center which since you have 2 bishops would probably be a good thing or played f4 and started king side expansion.

Look at your position after the move 13.Ba4. A computer might say its equal but is it really equal. You have no counter play and black is going to break through on the queen side. When I mean break through what I mean by that is. Black wants to get rid of his B pawn. He wants it gone to open up a file. For his rooks to play. Becuase once the file is open he can infiltrate.

Think of it like this a house will have a front door and a back door.

Now the front door is the fastest way of getting into the house 99% of the time.

Playing kingside is like going through the front door.

However, their is a backdoor and even though the trip is longer going round it still leads inside of the house.

Your king is on the kingside so if black did a king side it would be like trying to go through the front door.

In this game black came through the queen side to get to your king. He went through the back door.

You might not see it but you better look closer if you plan to get better as a chess player. you have to see it becuase when you get stronger that is what you will face every day. Look at move 15...Qa5. Your bishop has to retreat becuase you do not have the space to maintain it their.  Move 16...cxd4 trying to break down the center. Multiple threats and pinns appear now.

Nc5 to get Nxb3 will lose the white rook in the corner. Move 17...Qb4 doing a triple attack on d4 I probably would of played Nc5 with 2 threats the bishop on b3 and the pawn on e4. Might even be more precise.

Next time do not try to play on his side play on your side Center/Kingside. The only time you want to play on his side of the board is if you want to try and slow him down with moves like a4 but that is it. Even than you should go back to focusing on your side.

Pretty simple really.

Firstly, 2 c3 is far stronger than 2 Nf3 ... d6 3 c3, since the main purpose of c3 is defeated in that continuation. 3. c3 in the position given isn't a "bad" move and indeed it is featured in some anti-Sicilian systems. But it isn't a very good move either.

Secondly if white is going to play d3, he should play it right away rather than the stupidly slow Bd3. As soon as white does something like that, I automatically know that I (as black) am winning or, at least, slightly better.

Another point is that if white was determined to play Bc2, why did he then remove the bishop from that diagonal with Ba4? Overall, white played without a plan except that, where there was a plan, it was a bad one. Black, by contrast, seemed to know what he was doing.

Instead of exerting pressure, white allowed black to pressurise him and quite simply white wasn't good enough to withstand it. So if white DID have a plan, he wasn't good enough to execute it, although I think plans with Bc2 in the Sicilian are usually bad plans.

So the key is to make better use of your time. Make better use of the moves available to you and use your pieces so that they create threats.

I would like to say I noticed alot of people have commented that the move 3.c3 is bad and 2.c3 is better.

I honestly have to say lol I use to lose alot more with 3.c3 than 2.c3 lol.

Well 3.c3 use to have a higher winning percentage than 2.c3 lol

I finially managed to come up with a line to play against it lol but man I suffered lol which might seem strange but yeah lol

I think the reason the OP is playing 3.c3 is becuase he is trying to be sneaky lol.

<<Your opponent seems to have played a very strong game imho.  You chose the Alapin>>

It isn't an alapin. That needs to be made REALLY clear. The Alapin is stronger and is based on 2 c3. This move order arose due to N ff3 and 3 c3 being a good way to get into an Alapin against SOME second moves by Black, but 2 ... d6 was always the thorn in white's side and all of these efforts to habilitate 2 ... d6 3 c3 are due to a sort of yearning for a universal system, so ways have been sought to rationalise what is really quite a poor continuation for white .... and this gives rise to "artificial" move orders like Bd3 followed by Bc2. White should be trying to get an advantage, not trying to equalise. Some people's rationale is all wrong. That may include certain grandmasters who may attempt to popularise certain move orders, not because they are good but because IF some wrinkle for white is eventually found, they can claim the glory.

<<I honestly have to say lol I used to lose a lot more with 3.c3 than 2.c3 lol.>>

But do you play 2 ... d6, Xplayer?

Actually I do Optimissed which is why I use to have such major issues.

Against 1.e4 c5 2.c3

I have the luxury of playing 2...e6 than after 3.d4 d5  it turns into a French Advance which I love playing the black side of the French Advance tranposition.

However, against 3.c3 it is no longer possible to play the tranposition into the french specially since I like playing the Najdorf.

For example:

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3. c3    no point in playing e6 and than d5 in that situation would just be very bad for black.

So that is why I use to suffer major problem's.

In fact a couple of months ago If I remember right I checked some stats on chess.com and it seemed as if 3.c3 was giving white like 5-10% higher winning chances. However, it seems like now it has gone back to 2.c3 being little stronger. I guess people started learning what to do against it and have gone back to other line.

I play a different line as black now similar to that of the OP game.

I once read a book or at least several chapters devoted to 1 e4 ...c5 2 Nf3 ... d6 3 c3, where the GM concerned thought that he had found a plan which, against some play by black, gave white the advantage. It was pretty clear, though, that precise play by black nullified white's efforts, since it made the continuation 3 ... Nf6 an excellent continuation. Normally as black I prefer 2 c3 ... d5, because it gives me more dynamic options and a better chance to play for a win as black. But the move order in this game makes 3 ...Nf6 into a natural move that doesn't have the drawback of the N being forced to move. Hence the move order in the game had to be viewed as at least suspect for white. Ideas like Bd3 are just attempts to justify or rationalise what is a poor opening for white.

<<In fact a couple of months ago If I remember right I checked some stats on chess.com and it seemed as if 3.c3 was giving white like 5-10% higher winning chances. However, it seems like now it has gone back to 2.c3 being little stronger. I guess people started learning what to do against it and have gone back to other line.

I play a different line as black now similar to that of the OP game>>

WEll all the theory I'm quoting was what I studied around 20 years ago. So it looks like nothing has changed. Occasionally people think 3 c3 is stronger than 2 c3 and then they learn the error of their ways.

You know, you COULD play the Najdorf after a 2 ... a6 move order! I always play 2 ... a6 and I have the option of going into a Paulsen, a Kan, an O'Kelly or a Najdorf, if white plays 3 d4, which most players do because it's FAR better than its reputation.

I usually go into a Paulsen, btw. I very rarely transpose into one of the other three "just for fun".

Yeah I have started playing 3...Nf6 in fact lol I was bascially forced into learning some other line to play against 3.c3

I did bad for a while becuase I kept trying to force a French advance with the move 3.c3 instead of 2.c3 which always ended up in black being down a tempo. At the present moment this is the line I play against 3.c3 now.

It seems to have serve me well now a day's. It took me a while to lol come up with that line though lol. Lost so many games lol to 3.c3 becuase I couldn't play a French Advance tranposition lol.

I guess I was kind of forced in learning this line becuase of one of my online friends all he plays is the Alapin and he use to play 2.c3 against me only and got tired of facing my French Tranpositions so than he started mixing up his moves around to mess me up. Started throwing in 3.c3  and he saw me having trouble with the tranposition lol and went like a shark lol zoomed in on that line lol.

Yes, once you've played 2 ... d6 it sort of limits you!

It is a very suttle move order switch and yet has such a huge impact on the game lol.

I bascially went from winning to losing for a while lol with just 1 move lol.

After 2.Nf3 it is not clear if white is trying to play an alapin. He might play a open sicilian for example. So I was in a tough spot.

LOL he is like 2100 OTB so yeah chess players can be vicious.

It was actually brillant strategy for his part though I don't blame him lol. I was more upset lol that I didn't know what to do at the time.

Bascailly what he did was. He played 2.Nf3 than when I played d6 he would than go for c3 messing up my tranpositions than I tryed to avoid playing d6 and playing e6 than he played open sicilian lol.

So I was like out of my comfort zone playing stuff I had no idea about lol and he was just happy smiling like a clown lol.

He normally plays open sicilian against e6 lines and alapin against d6 lines. So It was like all his opening preparation lol and studying.

Have to give him credit though brillant strategy lol.

Than I learned this line lol and he stopped playing 3.c3 against me lol. I think this line is better for black lol if you can manage to wiggle out of the danger lol in the begin have to avoid taking the e4 pawn lol and being super aggressive just in the begin lol. After that I believe the position starts to be good or even better for black.

I'm not sure about 5.h3. Black is going to take on h3 almost regardless so I don't think this move really asks a difficult question to Black. I think you could just play normally and save h3 for when the bishop needs to be moved.

9.Qe2 is also a move I don't understand. The queen isn't great on f3 but I'm not sure what makes it worth the time to move it again.

Maybe 11.a3 is good here. You get to swap of a queenside rook and it could slow Black's attack on the queenside. Your queen can cover the b2 pawn. I might be off here but I get the feeling that White is in a lot of trouble here because a3 was never played. For example in your game even after something like 13.Bxc6 Rxc6 14.d5 Rb6 I don't know what to do about ...Rfd8. Rd2 is not a defense because the knight on b1 can hang.

24.Qxa5 trades but it creates some problems for Black in the a-pawn.

Just a point of interest xplayer but you've probably noticed that he played Be2 without defending his e-pawn. Normally, the point of a move like Nf6 is that it's considered to be forcing. That is, white has to defend the e-pawn. Can't you just take it?

6. Qxf3White should have a good game right? with a good center and active queen. 

Where is your queenside knight, and bishop going?