I tried by best. Please comment.

I thought I'd be able to hold the pin until I won back the piece but I didn't notice the check...please comment.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
I thought I'd be able to hold the pin until I won back the piece but I didn't notice the check...please comment.

[pgn][Event "Open invite"]
[Site "http://www.playtheimmortalgame.com"]
[Date "2010.02.27"]
[EndDate "2010.04.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kynance"]
[Black "AThousandYoung"]
[WhiteRating "1443"]
[BlackRating "1301"]
[WhiteELO "1443" ...[text shortened]... 8. Ba2d5 Ra8xa3 39. Bd5xc6 Ra3a6 40. Bc6xb5 Ra6b6
41. g4 1-0[/pgn]

Move 13 i think is what really gets you in trouble you got a weee bit too aggressive with the pawns that were protecting your king. instead of what you did on 13..how about 13....Nf6? Attacking light squared bishop. Knight move also opens up your light square bishop.

I'll profess my ignorance

What is the benefit of playing 1.d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 (?) over 2. Bg5?

Originally posted by Tiwaking
I'll profess my ignorance

What is the benefit of playing 1.d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 (?) over 2. Bg5?

The benefit of moving the bishop on the second move is always questionable 😉

2.Bf4 is a wonderful move because it centrally activates a piece.

I think Greenpawn 34 mighta said something like develop develop develop or something to that affect.

That sounds like a good plan to me.

As far as the 2.Bf4 versus 2.Bg5 question...
the bishop is more of a target on g5 than it is on f4.

I did develop. I developed all my pieces.

looks like a major turning point was 14...Qd7 - this allowed white to play Ng5 and then Nxe6.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
I did develop. I developed all my pieces.

Developing your pieces is your initial plan. Once you've accomplished that, it's time to find a new plan. Try to find weaknesses in your opponent's camp, and make a plan to exploit them. Or find weaknesses in your own camp, and make a plan to mitigate them. Or try to figure out what your opponent's plan is, and make a plan to try to thwart it.

In the game you posted, look at the position after 11.Be4, which attacks the N on d5. If the N moves to f6 or e7, the pawn on e5 will get some unwanted attention via 12.Nc4. The pawn on e5 is currently a weakness in your position, so one plan might be to mitigate that weakness by controlling the c4 square. What moves help you accomplish that? I see 12...Nb6, contesting c4 directly, and 12...Be6 (13.Nc4 Nxc3), which is more subtle, and some others that don't help with the N being attacked on d5. Since the N is on a good square on d5, rather than move it, I would play 12...Be6. You ended up getting the B to e6 via Bg4, but looked more like an accident than a planned event 😉

Now look at the position after 13.a3. Why did white make that move? I suspect his plan is to play c4 and then b4, gaining space on the Q-side. So you could come up with a plan to counter that. Or you could decide that white's expansion on the Q-side doesn't bother you, and notice that white's pieces are starting to get cramped. This is a weakness in white's position, and a different plan might be to further reduce the mobility of the white pieces. In that case, 13...f5 is a fine move. But after 14.Bc2, 14...Qd7 doesn't help you accomplish your plan. Instead, consider 14...h6 to take away both Ng5 and Bh4 - keeping with the plan of restricting white's pieces.

Once you decide on a plan, look for moves that help you accomplish it. Of course your opponent will be making moves, too, so you need to constantly reevaluate and make sure your current plan still makes sense. Not all your plans will work, and many times you'll come up with a bad plan and lose, but even a bad plan is better than no plan.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
I thought I'd be able to hold the pin until I won back the piece but I didn't notice the check...please comment.

[pgn][Event "Open invite"]
[Site "http://www.playtheimmortalgame.com"]
[Date "2010.02.27"]
[EndDate "2010.04.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kynance"]
[Black "AThousandYoung"]
[WhiteRating "1443"]
[BlackRating "1301"]
[WhiteELO "1443" ...[text shortened]... 8. Ba2d5 Ra8xa3 39. Bd5xc6 Ra3a6 40. Bc6xb5 Ra6b6
41. g4 1-0[/pgn]

Speaking of things that should be noticed - doesn't 19.exd5! win at least a piece?

I liked 13...f5, but thought you should have followed up with 14...h6, keeping that N out of g5.

Originally posted by SwissGambit
Speaking of things that should be noticed - doesn't 19.exd5! win at least a piece?

I liked 13...f5, but thought you should have followed up with 14...h6, keeping that N out of g5.

yes - 19. exd5 does win a piece (for a pawn), but so does white's actual move of 19. Bh2 - after black moves the knight away, Bb3 wins the exchange, because black's rook is pinned.

two almost equally good ways of skinning the cat.

Originally posted by Melanerpes
yes - 19. exd5 does win a piece (for a pawn), but so does white's actual move of 19. Bh2 - after black moves the knight away, Bb3 wins the exchange, because black's rook is pinned.

two almost equally good ways of skinning the cat.

In fact, doesn't 19.exd5 win more than a piece for a pawn? How does Black limit the damage? An N is taken, another N and R are forked, and capturing the pawn runs into Bb3 again.

Originally posted by SwissGambit
In fact, doesn't 19.exd5 win more than a piece for a pawn? How does Black limit the damage? An N is taken, another N and R are forked, and capturing the pawn runs into Bb3 again.

Here's what I got from Shredder:

19.Bh2 Nb6 20.Bb3 Kh8 21.Bxe6 Qxe6, and white has won the exchange, but his Bishop on h2 isn't very happy.

19.exd5 fxg3! [threatens gf2] 20.fxg3 Rd6 [sets up a pin] 21.Ne4! Rxd5 22.Bb3 Ne7 23.Bxd5 Nxd5 24.c4 Nb6 25.Qxd7 Nxd7 26.Rad1 with a nice endgame.