17... Qe3 should win a pawn, I think.
Strange Opening, Usual Approach
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That is Owen's Defense:
B00 Matovinsky Gambit 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Bd3 f5
B00 Matovinsky Gambit 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Bd3 f5 4.exf5 Bxg2 5.Qh5+ g6
B00 Naselwaus Variation, Owen's Defense 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Bg5
B00 Wind Gambit, Owen Defense 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.f3 e5
B00 Smith Gambit, Owen Defense 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Nf3
You are definitely right about 17. Qe3 winning a pawn, but I didn't see that right away, and I wasn't exactly looking for golden opportunities to win pawns there. I guess seeing moves like that on a consistent basis is something that comes with more experience. I think 20. Rxf5, unless I am missing something, would have just lost me the exchange for no good reason. Owen's Defense is what it was called; that was driving me crazy the entire game. I felt like I had heard the name of that opening before, thanks for the variations, I will definitely check them out.
Earlier today, I played a 1-hour game online. I was rated 1446 and was playing White. My opponent was rated 1500 and was playing Black. My opponent played 1... b6 in response to 1. e4, which is something I have only seen a couple of times before. The progression of the opening phase of the game was unchartered territory for me. However, I used the simplistic, positional approach that I usually take while playing chess, and it scored me, considering my level of skill, a nice win in my book. It was not great gameplay from either side by any means, and my opponent did make a couple of key errors near the end. My position, by the time the game was down to an endgame between two minor pieces, was, in my estimation, a winning one, and it didn't take long for my opponent to crack and open the floodgates for my pawns. But still, it was an interesting game and, as I see it, yet another example of how taking a common approach to all your games, no matter what the opening throws at you, can pay off. Comments, feedback, advice welcome.