Sweet game

I've been studying chess for a while now. Instead of studying what I should have been studying and I feel my game is getting better. Nevermind my current rating it is a bit inflated due to some recent time-out wins. Anyway in this recent game I played a speculative and almost accidental exchange sac. I want to know the soundness of it.

I did an analysis of the game too. A superficial one cause I'm still trying to learn how to do it properly and I decided to do it without recurring engines or databases to see my chess knowledge and because I feel that for now I can gain more this way.

So here is my analysis. Contra-analysis and discussion is very welcomed and sugestions too.

Game 4154416

1. e4 c5 {This is the sicilian defense. Ocasionally I play 1. ... e5 but this is my main system against 1. e4. I like the risks and the sharp play that can follow }
2. Nb1c3 d6 { White move introduces the closed variation of the sicilian}
3. g3 Nb8c6
4. Bf1g2 g6
5. d3 Bf8g7
6. Bc1e3 Ng8f6
7. Ng1e2 O-O{Everything is normal till here. Both players have developed their pieces to good squareds and black has is king secure after a king side castle. The only thing that bothered me here was the possibility that white could have castled queenside and then launched a queen side pawn storm.}
8. h3?! Qd8b6?!{With black's king already secure I would have thought that white would do the same. Yet he keeps his king on the center of the board and maybe it isn't the best thing to do. I threatened the b-pawn expecting b3 and hoping that that would make queenside castling difficult for white. Maybe better was 8. ... Bd7}
9. Nc3a4 {Protecting the b-pawn and attacking my queen} Qb6b4+ {with this move I expected 10. (c3 attacking the queen and protecting the knight) Qa5 11. b3 Qc7 (In order to pressure g3 in the future)}
10. Ne2c3{Stopping check and protecting the knight but gaining a pinned knight} b5{Threatening the knight and trying to get some initiative going for my side}
11. a3 Qb4a5
12. e5 Nc6xe5?! {Maybe my move diserves a ? or even maybe a ?? but this is what I saw after making that move partly due to oversight: 13. Bxa8 bxa4 14. Bg2 d5 (forking knight and bishop on the next move)}
13. Bg2xa8 bxa4
14. Be3d2{This move surprised and we can clearly see that white is threatening a discovered attack on my queen and to gain my a-pawn} Qa5b6 {Giving away my pawn since it is doomed already and preparing to make threats to white light square bishop in oreder to exploit the weaknesses on white's king side}
15. Nc3xa4 Qb6b8 {Again this seems to pretty natural. And let us note the fact that white's king is still in the center and if he were to castle kingside the pawn shield is debilated.}
16. Ba8g2 Bc8b7 {And white is forced to exchange light square bishops. For instance 17. f3 Qa8 18. O-O and look how weak the white's king position seems. My queen, light square-bishop and both knights are pointing at him and to add injury to insult all of his pawns have one square forward}
17. Bg2xb7 Qb8xb7 {And now the white rook is under attack and castling seems to be a lost dream for white.}
18. O-O??{This is definetely a mistake and I will explore it in the next moves. But I really don't see anything better for white to do.} Ne5f3+{Any other move by me would deserve a ??}
19. Kg1h1 Nf3xd2+{Two minor pieces for my rook. Not a bad deal! Here my opponent messaged me giving the line 19. ... Nh4+ 20. Kh2(Kg1)?? Qg2# I said to him that wasn't a good idea because of 20. f3 My attack is stopped and my knight is en prise. I at least don't see any good continuation from there.}
20. Kh1h2 Nd2xf1
21. Qd1xf1{At this point I'm a minor piece up and positionally I'm better too.} Nf6d7{Opening the long diagonal for the bishop and preparing to better position my knight.}
22. c3?{Perhaps my opponent expected me to take the b-pawn with the bishop but what to do after Rb1?} Nd7e5{Centralization of my knight and threatening a series of checks with knight and queen}
23. Ra1e1??{He chooses to ignore my threats and so will pay dearly} Ne5f3+
24. Kh2h1 Nf3xe1 {And white resigns down a rook and a minor piece}
0-1

A good game... the white blunder was a little too significant to warrant any special analysis for either side... one move ended the game.

Originally posted by ih8sens
A good game... the white blunder was a little too significant to warrant any special analysis for either side... one move ended the game.

Hmmm. But what about the exchange sac? Was it worthy to happen?

17. Bxb7?? is white's biggest blunder. He should have played 17. O-O.

it brought a smile to my face when he let exactly the same nasty tactic happen to him not once but twice in the same game.

Originally posted by zzyw
17. Bxb7?? is white's biggest blunder. He should have played 17. O-O.

17. O-O Bxg2
18. Kxg2 Qb7+
19. f3 {Kg1 or Kg2 would only launch that debacle again}



And this seems to be comfortable for white but isn't the king a little too unshielded? I don't seem to be able to find any breakthrough, at least an immediate one, but the position seems to be shaky for white.

Originally posted by Tyrannosauruschex
it brought a smile to my face when he let exactly the same nasty tactic happen to him not once but twice in the same game.

It took me by surprise too, but hey! I'm not complaining. 😉

Originally posted by adam warlock
17. O-O Bxg2
18. Kxg2 Qb7+
19. f3 {Kg1 or Kg2 would only launch that debacle again}

[fen]5rk1/pq2ppbp/3p1np1/2p1n3/N7/P2P1PPP/1PPB2K1/R2Q1R2 b - - 0 3[/fen]

And this seems to be comfortable for white but isn't the king a little too unshielded? I don't seem to be able to find any breakthrough, at least an immediate one, but the position seems to be shaky for white.

You answered your own question. Just the fact that Black lacks an obvious breakthrough makes it eminently preferable to the game line.

White's King position is airy, but Black doesn't have enough pieces positioned to attack there [Qb7 and Ne5 are balanced out by Qd1 and Rf1, defending White's weakest point]. If White can get his Na4 back in the game without losing something [say, the b2 pawn], he's on his way to a win.

Originally posted by zzyw
17. Bxb7?? is white's biggest blunder. He should have played 17. O-O.

I was thinking that 18.O-O?? was whites biggest blunder. I agree that 17.Bxb7 is weak because it doesn't allow white to castle right away but the tactics that happened would never have happened had white never played O-O on move 18.