A game that might help being studied I had no clue what to do

Dude, stop exchanging "good" minor pieces for "bad" minor pieces. Likely attacks will then be more easy to spot.

6. Bf4 is not an error. Placing your weak bishop outside of the pawn chain to an active position is a good idea.

10. cxd5 was not a very good idea. It is usually better to keep the tension on the d5 pawn and just continue developing (e.g. Bd3, castle and Rc1). At the moment the e6 pawn is blocking the light bishop of black. After the exchange on d5, you helped your opponent to develop more easily. Black would had to work hard to open up the position by preparing e6-e5.

11. Bb5 is not the best continuation. This is your good bishop (notice how almost all your pawns are on the dark squares). Besides, blacks knight on c6 is blocking the c5 break by black. Offering a trade is not the best plan. Bd3 would have been much better.

13. Bxc6 is a positional blunder. Exchanging your good bishop and also giving up the bishop pair is not very good.

The rest of the moves were pretty much without a plan in mind as far as I can tell.

Thanks for the comments. OK I need help with "good and bad"

Why is black's c 3 knight bad? Because he currently has no where to go?

How would you play move 22 and beyond. Any ideas?

If you central pawns (c, d, e & f) are on light squares than your light bishop is bad, as your own pawns are limiting its movement. The other bishop is your good bishop.

Blacks c6 knight wasn't bad, but it was blocking the c7-c5 break. Obviously the knight on c6 was covering some important central squares, but it would have been better if black could also have the aforementioned pawn break to play for.

Beyond move 22 I would say that the backward pawn on c7 should have been your most likely target. Try to double your rooks on the semi-open c-file and push you a and b pawns to further weaken the queenside. If allowed trade your knight for the bishop (as you will notice, there is a nice diagonal h7-b1 were it could be relocated to). Otherwise try to place your knight on f4 (attacking d5) or c5 (use the d3 square for both these plans). With the knight on c5 perhaps your opponent is willing to move his b-pawn up which further weakens the backward c-pawn.

I would suggest 9.bxc3!?, just to fortify your centre, and to open the b-file.

10.cd?! was a bad idea, maybe c5, or just b4 would be good, to make steady progress on the queenside.

12.0-0 wasn't an "error", but I like Rac1, or if you wanted the draw, then Bxc6 Bxc6 Ne5 could be considered.

Now 14.Rac1?! I don't like since its hard to target c7. Maybe Ne5 again.

15.b4 is my second schoice to Ne5 again, although its not as effective anymore due to f6.

17. h3 seemes like a waste of a move. if g5, then you can go to e5, and if g4 after Be5, then moving you knight away to lets say, d2 isn't the end of the world. Better is maybe a4, continuing with the plan of b5.

19. Rfe1 is good, but I could suggest going for a draw with Nf3

20.Bxg5 was not good, exchanging one of your good pieces for a bad piece. Better is Bg3.

I'm not sure what Qb1 is for, a4 is better.

Without verifying with soiftware, there's a couple of thing that I noticed while playing the main line game:

1. 8.Nxe4 dxe4 9.Nd2 forces 9...f5. Then 10.c5 gets c4 for the N (or the B; look at the juicy a2-g8 diagonal!) and eventually e5. This latter point might make the exchange at c6 more desirable;
2. Also after the above mentionned line, f3 would probably become an option because the f-file would be opened for the white rook after short castling;

Maybe an other option, if you're a kind of tactical attacker, would be to play 8.Bd3 and in case of 8...Nxc3 then 9.bxc3. In such a position, with no N at f6, an idea such as h4 would then suggest the standard sacrifice at h7, i.e. Bxh7+ (Kxh7) and Ng5+, threatenig Qh5. In case of ...Bxg5 you have hxg5+, launching the h-file into the attack.

Peace!

Wow so much to ponder! I will be on these questions and the ones others popsted for awhile, ( a great way to learn)

BUT!!!! really bxc3 losing 2 pts and losing what I just came to understand as a "good bishop" I know everyone has their own opinion, but I can't see that fortifies my middle.

I am fiaxated on points, I know, I find myself all the time way up in points and losing in some trap pushing my unprotected king around.

I am very appreciative of the feedback. I recentlyspent many hours on "Tactics" and my rating is climbing.

I must admit I can't follow your string Nxe4.....How does c5 get c4 fro the knight?

But serious thanks,

The computer suggested 8 bd3 too. It looked like the diagonal opens up better so I took d5

DaBigone asked why Q b1, This is where I did not have a clue but to play for a draw. not my style yet. Maybe I should learn to let the other guy open up first

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