chess online

I would have played Nf3 first, to prevent e7-e5. It may seem like e7-e5 loses a pawn, but white can not keep the extra pawn. After blacks answer e7-e6 white does indeed control the center. But only becasue blacks answer is not the strongest.

Black is a little cramped, but he still has reasonable position. If he develops quickly, maybe he can strike back at the center with c7-c5, and balance the position.

If so early a position could be described as "half the battle is won", chess would be a very uninteresting game.

I think 5 ... c5 is better. It allows 6. xc5 Qx1 7. Nxd1 Bxc5 which effectively un-developes white and gives black an opportunity to control the center; Or 6. d5 e5 which could slow the game down allowing black to defend. As it stands, I think white has options like Bg5 or e5 which weaken black's king-side.

Clarification? If you mean 6. ... Nxe4 that's fine. Black has possibilities like 7. a3 Nxc3 8. xc3 Bxc3+! winning the rook, or can simply retreat with the pawn. But I think 7. ... Nxe4 is merely moving a developed peace twice. As white I would respond with 8. Qc2. When the knight retreats, white will continue with his development.

White plays the wrong pawn here, since black has castled kingside, I would have played e4-e5. Then after Nd5, Bd2 white can follow up with Bd3 after which all his pieces are pointing at blacks king. In fact Bd3 threatens the wellknown bisshop sacriice Bxh7+! Black has few pieces that can come to the rescue, Ne7 seems his only option.

I would have preferred c7-c6 over Re7. Black seems ok after that. Me thinks white has openend the position to quickly when his pieces were not fully deployed for the attack.

Why not 12. ... Bd7. Black puts his idle bishop to use (possibly moving it to g3 if white doesn't trade), and saving his pawns for push later on.

Black should not have taken that pawn, but continued developing his pieces asap. Bg4 seems good for black, so does c7-c6.

This bishop does not need to move either. Black has moved his knight into a pin, and you really really want him to over look that. I'd play an understated move, like Rc4 or Re1, or the more direct c4.

He is planning an attack against blacks king, which is not bad.

Good move by white. But I think it should have been played last move (16. c4 ...) when the queen wasn't defending the knight on a5. White trades down and gains a material lead. He should be fine.

No. There is no where black's d-knight can move to, except maybe Nc7 or Nb6, but then Bxa5 and white is ahead +2. Materially, black is right to give up the d-knight, but his defense of the a-knight is redundant. After Bxa5 Qza5 he would still be defending the d5 square, so he doesn't have to worry about white's queen winning the trade on d5 with check. Not sure what he should do instead, maybe Rd7 or Re5, using the trade on d5 to attack white's bishops.

White should play 20. Bc3 (Rc8?) 21. Qf5 ... Which turns the pawn winning attack into a mate. Of course this gives black a little breath to defend with, so maybe not. [The point is, assuming white considered the attack he should have improved it before execution; Unless of course I'm missing something.]

My first idea was Qd4, to create a powerfull battery with Bc3. Also white should try and continue developing his rooks, with Re1 when the chance arrives.