White: Markchess1234; Black: moonbus. Initial ratings within 25 points. Notes by moonbus.

This is the Caro-Kann Exchange variation. Not particularly dangerous for Black, provided Black can keep White from dominating e5 and c5.

If White exchanges Bs on f5, Black castles long and obtains good attacking chances on the half-open g-file. Ne1 is clever, for if Black now exchanges Bs on d3, then the White N comes to d3 and thence to e5 or c5.

This is not the best. 12. ... NxNd2, followed by ... Bg7 and ... e5 looks safer. In the game as played, White put Black into a bind because Black failed to advance the e7 pawn.

Avoiding a possible check on the g4-c8 diagonal.

If the Black K had still been on c8 here, White could now play Qg4+, recover the B, and would then be a pawn up.

A fine move by White here. The material is even, but Black's backwards e7 pawn is now a permanent liability, and e6 is a permanent stronghold for White's pieces.

Black has failed to equalize and is saddled with permanent weakness in the centre. His only hope is to get some counter-play on the K-side.

White can now pile up three heavy pieces on the e-file ("Alekhine's Artillery", from a famous game against Nimzovitch), paralyzing Black's pieces in defence of the e-pawn, and then advance his Q-side majority.

I was expecting Ra1-e1 here; Black could not hold the e7 pawn with ... Rh7 (immediately); White could re-locate the Q, for example to d4 or f5, and then paralyze the Black position with Re6.