A recent game of mine, analysis, anyone?
(I was white, btw. Opponent: Anonymous.)
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 Nge7
White opens with the classical Ruy Lopez opening. How can black play Ne7 with a straight face? This move is dubious since it makes for a cramped position by blocking both the queen and king’s bishop for a bit. As black, I would be more inclined to play 3...a6 in which case white will usually pull the bishop back to a4 or else the Berlin Defense, a personal favorite, which is 3...Nf6.
4. Nc3 f6
White proceeds in development. Black’s move is again questionable. For instance, white could play 5. Nh4, could possibly draw black into playing …g5 in an attempt to force the knight back in which case white plays 6. Qh5+ and eventually gets a free rook a few moves later. On the other hand, black could play 5...g6 to defend against the attack which would be wiser but still leads to a lack of development on the king and queen’s side, which makes it a bad position overall.
5. O-O a6
6. Be2 g5
As white, I’d prefer 6. Ba4 b5 7. Bb3…if black presses, play pawn to a3 and move bishop back to a2, but this serves two purposes. First, it allows black to overextend pawns on the queen’s side making it dubious to castle on the queen’s side. But secondly, because black has already played Ne7 and f6, black has a diagonal open to the king’s side making it dubious to castle there as well without careful preparation. In addition, the bishop in this position is also attacking the d5 square, giving white more than enough material to come out on top if black pushes pawn to d5. On the other hand, with Be2 black can push d5 and gain tempo and position.
Black’s move to g5 illustrates incompetence. With some fancy footwork white can win a pawn here, and black is very vulnerable to white’s bishop backed by queen.
7. h3 Bg7
8. d4 d6
D6 was a bad move for black, allowing white to push the pawn and cramp black’s position. An exchange would have been nicer followed by a d-pawn push.
9. d5 Nd4
10. Nxd4 exd4
11. Qxd4 O-O
Black’s Nd4 was dubious. Poorly calculated. Lost both position and material from it.
12. Qb4 c5
Qb4 is questionable. I would have played a4 to control the b5 square and eventually positioned the queen or light squared bishop on c4 followed by a pawn push to d6, which forces a check and wins blacks knight. This is assuming it would get that far, which it likely wouldn’t. But you will still gain position while black prepares a defense against this attack. It offers initiative, if not material.
On black's end, again another dubious move. Rb8, h6 followed by f5…exf5 and then Bxf5 would have improved black’s position and saved the b pawn.
13. dxc6 Nxc6
14. Qb3 Kh8
15. Be3 f5
16. exf5 Bxf5
17. Qxb7 Bxc3
18. bxc3 Ne5
19. Qd5 Bxc2
20. h4 gxh4
At this point black is in a positional nightmare and basically needs a miracle. gxh4 is useless. I would have played Rf5, setting up an attack on the queen with black playing Nf3+. TO avoid this white will have to move queen. Black could try to pass pawn, take the pawn on h4 with queen (granted that white’s queen is off the diagonal to black rook on a8, trade off light squared bishops and get the rook behind the queen in a direct attack along the h file. It’s highly theoretical and it would have to be played with precision and creativity but it could be a way to save the game for black.
21. f4 Ng6
22. Bd4 Ne5
Here, black must trade the rook for a bishop by playing Rf6. If white takes, black takes with queen and is still protecting his pawn on d6, while directly attacking the white's pawn on c3.
23. fxe5 Rxf1
For black, trading when down material isn’t recommended in chess.
24. Rxf1 Kg7
25. e6 Kh6
26. Qh5
1-0
Well done.