Where does black go wrong?

I just played this game, and have been trying to find out what black could have done to even out the game. After 15. c4, the black queen retreats to d8. I have a feeling that this move is too passive, which enables white to regain initiative and win the game.

Am I right in my assessment, i.e. is move 15 where black slips, or is it somewhere else. What would be a stronger alternative to 15.. Qd8?

Well, he first goes wrong with 2... Nf6. It's called the Marshall Defense and it's bad for black. The correct continuation for white would have been 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. Nf3 (any) 5. e4, pushing back the knight and controlling the center. Your Nc3 is not quite as good, but you still maintain the same basic advantage and get a good hold on the center.

You're right in that black wasted tempo with the first two queen moves. 12... Qd5? doesn't leave him with many avenues of attack after you secure your a-pawn. You would have lost the game had he played 15... Qe4, forcing you to lose at least an exchange (16. Qxe4 Bxe4 threatening both the rook on b1 and your hanging knight), but he lost it instead with 15... Qd8. Then, his final mistake was 16... h5?!, relinquishing the g5 square to your control, an opportunity that you seized nicely.

You're absolutely right. 15.. Qe4 would have caused me some serious trouble.

I guess my mistake was to push the e-pawn in move 11!? I am thinking that c3 or Qc2 would be better. If 11. c3, black could respond by 11.. b5, and white could counter by pushing the d-pawn followed by a pawn exchange in the center and a loss of tempo for black.

Comments?

Black was playing a fantasy where he would checkmate you with Qd5 and g5 g4, but he didn't pay attention to the weaknesses he created in his camp. He should have payd attention to develloping his dark bishop, and the move of g5 weakened the f6 square considerably.

White on the other hand made some odd moves too. I dont understand 10. Bxc6 at all, giving up the bishop (pair) for a bad knight. After a6 you have accomplished something (the somewhat weakening move a6, so it will be much harder for him to break in the center with c5, escpecially with your rook on the open b-file, eying b6 and b7), so just retreat to a good square (Bd3!) with good control in the center. That way all black's minor pieces have a bit of a problem finding good homes.

Then 11. e5 just surrenders the light squares to black.

Luckily black plays badly and hopes you fall for a simple mating attack that shouldnt work at all. And you punish him well by playing your knight around to e4 and then use the strong square of f6. So good job on that part! You finished very nicely.

Yeah, 11. e5 wasn't your best choice. But you must mean 11. c4 (not c3) as an alternative; that wouldn't have been good, since your e-pawn was still hanging. That must be the reason why you moved it in the first place. Protecting it with Qc2 would have worked, or Qe2 followed then by c4 and/or O-O and Re1, strengthening your e-file.

What's wrong with 9. d5?

Did I miss something?

Trading off your white squared Bishop and then playing e5 (opening the white squares) is a positional error.

I... er...

That would have been too easy. We're looking at positional concepts here.

Flier and Azukikuru, you are both right. I guess this is one of my main problems. I look ahead to find chances for counterplay, and forget about my own weaknesses.

I find that I tend to do better as the board opens up. Position play is really not my strong side. So thanks for helping me out guys!

The only mistake I can clearly identify is 5... exd4 which surrenders the center to white. Apart from that, what would you have done with the black pieces?

1)  I wouldn't have played 2... d6 - too bloody passive going into the Philidor.  Yes, I know there are lines that people have tried to revive, but I'm no GM - just a 1750-1800 player, so keep the revivals and give me a good 2... Nc6 following good opening principles if I have to play double KP.

2)  Assuming he wants to keep the same move order, he COULD play 5... Nbd7 which supports the e5 pawn strong point, and maybe fianchetto the bishop, or more likely eventually play the N to either b6 or c5.

3)  Why the c6/a6 moves?  Seems like blown tempo to do both... and after the b6 move, if I was White I would have looked long and hard at jumping to a Queenside attack because those pawns are just begging to be gobbled.

4)  On move 19, fully half of Black's power is still on the starting squares.  Half - four pieces, including a rook and bishop that serve next to no purpose.  

This will lose - passive play, lack of development, wasted tempo, all from move 2 when we started the Philidor!

Just my two cents, though.

I appreciate your comments, and I agree with you. My knowledge of opening theory is rather limited, so I have to trust you on the Philidor. However, much of what you say is quite obvious, even for a low ranked player like myself. The passivity (is that a word?) of a6 and above all b6 is clear, but this is where I felt that black started to run out of options, so I guess this is a result of not knowing what to do.

In defense of c6, it supports the possible advance of the b-pawn to kick the knight from c3 as well as preventing the threat of Qxc7 if the black queen moved. But I am thinking that c6 is the chief mistake that led to blacks difficult situation, since it really takes away the possibility of fianchettoing the bishop as well as blocking a square for the knight. Would you agree?