Could white have done better, if so, when?

I saw he could force the pawn through (white) but figured I had a decent game even giving up the rook, he would have had the rook only, no pawns, and I had bishop plus 2 pawns.

I really think you should've been more aggressive. Mainly, those doubled pawns of Black's are a huge weakness and you should've gone after them. For instance instead of 8.Nge2 you should've played 8.Nf3 with the threat of 9. Ne5+ attacking both the king and the g6- pawn. After 8...Nc6 I really like 9. Qd3 threatening 10. Ng5+ and then 11. Qxg6 and you're basically a pawn up. There were so many ways you could've been aggressive, you just had to look for them.

You also missed some chances to fork the queen and bishop via 14.Na4 after 13...Qb6. 14.0-0-0 is sound, but the way you were playing, you really needed to reduce complications via 14. Nc4 and then 15. Nxc5

Then you should be able to play Kb1 safely without risk.

Earlier in the opening, I think 3. d4 might be better than 3. Nc3. White might try to hang on to the pawn a bit longer with 4. Bd3 and make black work for it, and he also keeps the option of putting his pawn on c3 if black plays c5. During the game, his c3 knight didn't do much.

I agree with hamworld about the need to play more aggressively against the white squares; Qd3 and Ne2-f4 or Nf3-g5 are powerful threats. In the game, white makes weakening pawn moves (h3; f3), tries a dubious dark-square strategy (Qd2; Bg5) and then has to rearrange in order to attack the white-squares and get some counterplay. Should've done that from the beginning.

Originally posted by sonhouse
[pgn][Event "RHP Blitz rated"]
[Site "www.redhotpawn.com"]
[Date "2012.7.17"]
[Round "?"]
[White "advokatzorba"]
[Black "sonhouse"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. e2-e4 f7-f5 2. e4xf5 Ng8-f6 3. Nb1-c3 d7-d5 4. d2-d4 Bc8xf5 5. Bf1-d3 Bf5-g6 6. Bd3xg6 h7xg6 7. h2-h3 Ke8-f7 8. Ng1-e2 e7-e6 9. Bc1-g5 c7-c5 10. a2-a3 Nb8-c6 11. Qd1-d2 Bf8-e7 12. d4xc5 Be7xc5 13. f2- ...[text shortened]... he rook, he would have had the rook only, no pawns, and I had bishop plus 2 pawns.

Instead of 26. Nd4? a better try is 26. Rc1. See example:

Originally posted by RJHinds
Instead of 26. Nd4? a better try is 26. Rc1. See example:

[pgn]
[FEN "r7/4k1r1/2n1ppP1/qp1p4/Nb3PP1/1P1Q4/4N3/1K1R3R w - - 0 26"]

26. Rc1 Kd7 {If 26...bxa4 Then 27. Rxc6 axb3 28. Qxb3 Kd7 29. Rhc1 with equal chances.} 27. Rxc6 Kxc6 28. Nd4+ Kd7 29. Nxb5 Rb8 30. Nd4 Bd6 31. Nb2 Bxf4 32. Nxe6 Kxe6 33. Qf5+ Ke7 34. Qxf4 Rxb3 35. Qh6 {Equal chances}
[/pgn]

It`s easy to write down lines and evaluations given by engine. Are you able to explain yourself why there are "equal chances"?

Originally posted by Pacifique
It`s easy to write down lines and evaluations given by engine. Are you able to explain yourself why there are "equal chances"?

We have been here before.

Computer generated crap and religious bile is all we will get from him. 😴

Originally posted by hedonist
We have been here before.

Computer generated crap and religious bile is all we will get from him. 😴

Don`t forget his magic "analyze board". 😉

5. ... Bg6 was horrible and White could have obtained a huge advantage by playing Qd3 quickly.
e.g.

White wants to prevent Black's e5 break. He's in no rush to play Ng5+ and Qxg6, that g6 pawn isn't going anywhere.

Originally posted by Pacifique
It`s easy to write down lines and evaluations given by engine. Are you able to explain yourself why there are "equal chances"?

White must do somwthing about his attacked knight. There seems to be only two safe moves for the knight and those are 26. Nc3 or Nb2. But both opens the white king up to attack. On closer examimation we see that 26. Nc3 leads to a four move mate and 26. Nb2 looses major material after 26...QR2+ and 27...Rc8 due to the threatened discovered attack by knight and rook. So the only option left is a counter attack and We know from the game that 26...Nd4 looses a piece. So logically, that leaves only 26. Rc1 which attacks the black knight and controls the c-file.

In the final position of my example, white is the exchange down but is attacking a black rook that can not be defended without allowing an attack on the black king so I judged the position about equal since black will probably have to give back the exchange in order to attack the white king and save the game.

HI Sonhouse.

Chicken! After 2.exf5 the only move to play is 2...Kf7!!


You know this. What's happened to you?
Have you been reading chess books again?

R. Austin - G. Chandler, Presidents Cup, 1984

(the Presidents Cup was a non-graded event run by the Edinburgh Club to get
players to play interesting 'could not care less chess.' and warm up for the coming
season. Me and Rudulph Austin never needed any prompting, we always played
each other like this.)



ketchuplover has the right idea.

sbini - ketchuplover RHP 2010

Originally posted by greenpawn34
HI Sonhouse.

Chicken! After 2.exf5 the only move to play is 2...Kf7!!

[fen]rnbq1bnr/pppppkpp/8/5P2/8/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQ - 0 3[/fen]
You know this. What's happened to you?
Have you been reading chess books again?

[b]R. Austin - G. Chandler, Presidents Cup, 1984

(the Presidents Cup was a non-graded event run by the Edinburgh Club t Be5 21.Rg1 Rg8+ 22.Kf1 Bd3+ 23.Ke1 Rxg1+ 24.Nf1 Rxf1+ 25.Kd2 Rh3 26.f3 Rhxf3 27.c4 Bf4[/pgn][/b]

Is it best not to take the gambit bishop pawn? Or take and leave the wild attacking alone?

What is this...is it best stuff?

Do we have to draw a line under every opening? No!

You have to get into the swing of things. This is man's chess.
Nobody castles and the player who is material ahead after 10 moves is a whimp.

If someone played 2...Kf7 against me then the only natural response is


3.Ke2!

I once played a tournament by starting every game with the following moves (or mirror for black)

1. f3
2. Kf2
3. Ke3

Then I took things from there. I even managed to draw 2 games..!!

Originally posted by greenpawn34
What is this...is it best stuff?

Do we have to draw a line under every opening? No!

You have to get into the swing of things. This is man's chess.
Nobody castles and the player who is material ahead after 10 moves is a whimp.

If someone played 2...Kf7 against me then the only natural response is

[fen]rnbq1bnr/pppppkpp/8/5P2/8/8/PPPPKPPP/RNBQ1BNR b - - 0 3[/fen]
3.Ke2!

Oh. This must must be like one minute chess, where you just move the pieces as fast as you can.

advokatzorba - sonhouse
[B00]

RHP Blitz rated www.redhotpawn.com,
17.07.2012
[,KingsHill]

1.e4 f5
2.exf5 Nf6
3.Nc3?!

++Comment++
[3.d4! Pawn on f5 hinders blacks development. This allows Bd3 which defends the pawn
3...d5
4.Bd3 c5
5.c3 cxd4
6.Nf3! Even though balck can equalise the number of pawn his development still lags and the pawn on e7 is backward and weak
6...dxc3
7.Nxc3±]

3...d5
4.d4

++Comment++
[4.Bd3!? This would be better behind a pawn on d4 but it's still better to make black work a little for the pawn]

4...Bxf5
5.Bd3 Bg6? Accepts weak shattered kingside pawns

++Comment++
[5...e6!? If white takes then the e6 pawn is no longer weak and backward.]

6.Bxg6+ hxg6
7.h3?! White appears to be afraid of black and is probably the weaker player. This and a3 are weakening, time wasting moves and he should get on with his development

++Comment++
[7.Nf3±]

7...Kf7? Fixes the position of the king for white to attack. Black needs to develop and clear his back rank so that he can castle either way out of the coming storm
8.Nge2

++Comment++
[8.Nf3!]

8...e6
9.Bg5 c5
10.a3? Another wasted nervous move. White need to complete his development.
10...Nc6
11.Qd2 Be7?!

++Comment++
[11...cxd4!
12.Nxd4 e5³ Black is turning the tide and the central pawn become mobile. There is no white bishop to worry the black king]

12.dxc5 Bxc5?!

++Comment++
[12...d4=]

13.f3? This probably doesn't deserve a question mark in it's own right but it's yet another pawn move which weakens white and does not promote development
13...Qb6?! Although this is eventually the winning move it's probably not the best here as it eventually exposes the bishop and queen to a fork which will deprive black of one of his best attacking pieces.
14.0-0-0 Rh5?! Black needs to avoid the fork
15.Kb1??µ

++Comment++
[15.Na4±]

15...Bxa3
16.b3 Bb4
17.Bxf6?-+

++Comment++
There are so many things wrong with this. 1. Gives up a bishop in an open position 2. Undoubles blacks g pawns 3. Gives extra cover for blacks king.

17... gxf6
18.g4 Rh7
19.f4 a5?

++Comment++
This is a race to the death..! There is no time for dilly dallying with opposite sides castling [19...Qf2!?; 19... d4!?]

20.h4?

++Comment++
[20.f5!= This blasts the position open which is what white needs. Black can't take with either pawn and survive.
20...exf5 (
20...gxf5
21.gxf5=)
21.gxf5±]

20...a4
21.Qd3??

++Comment++
[21.f5!? Better late than never. Don't forget it's a race..!]

21...axb3
22.cxb3 Qa5

++Comment++
[22...Bxc3!? This appears to contradict principles by giving up the bishop in an open position but black gets concrete gains from it
23.Qxc3 Qf2-+]

23.Na4 b5
24.h5 Rg7?!

++Comment++
[24...Ke7
25.Qxg6 Rf7-+ This holds everything together on the kingside while black get around to mating the white king]

25.hxg6+ Ke7
26.Nd4??-+

++Comment++
[26.Rc1 only move]

26...Nxd4
27.Qxd4 bxa4
28.Rh7 Rag8
29.Rxg7+ Rxg7
30.Qd3 axb3
31.Qxb3 Qa3
32.Qxa3 Bxa3
33.f5 Kd6
34.Rd3 Bc5
35.Rh3 Rb7+
36.Kc2 Bd4
37.Rh7 Rb2+
38.Kc1 Rb8
39.Kc2 exf5
40.gxf5 Ke5
41.Kd3 Rb3+
42.Kc2 Rg3
43.Rh4 Be3 0-1