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This is NOT the Morra Gambit.

Had White played 3.c3, it would have been the Morra.

Why would you stop developing and resort to unsound aggression?! You're aware that that's bad?

Actually, it is not a bad way to develop your game. I would recommend the Morra to these players as aggressive, but requiring imaginative tactical play to obtain anything from it. The upside for White is that you gain a deal of time and space. Black has to play carefully to survive. The Wing Gambit isn't too bad either. Recall that Paul Keres once defeated a Master - William Winter - in 12 moves with a Wing Gambit. So, instead of 3.Qxd4 I would recommend 3.Nf3 or 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3. If you play 3.Nf3 and Black replies 3...e5, do not, an you value your life, rake the e-pawn (4.Nxe5?? Qa5ch etc).

Qc3? A weak move, since the Q must move again.

Agreed whites Qc3 was bad as it blocks the knights best developing square and the queen will have to waste further tempi moving again. Also jkarp this can't really transpose into a proper french defense. However this is a good move because you are threatening to with. Your opponents queen.

This is not the Morra Gambit, nor can it possibly be anything like the French.

What appellation to give this line is neither here nor there. White is losing time with his Queen.

Probably 5.Bd2 came into consideration.

maybe he wants his Bishop on c4 and hope for a mate?

This square is not too bad, I guess. Did you see that if he did not move his queen, you could have played Bb4, which loses the queen?

Actually, Na3! is the best response.

Agreed here - d3 is not the best square for the bishop

Better are indeed 6.Na3 or even 6.Qd1.. By the way, it's very good that you recognize your own mistake here.

I don't think he does realise his own mistake. I think he's taking "unsound aggression" to be something positive. It's not.

I think that almost every half-serious opponent will easily counter this kind of threats and you will be after that in problems. Its best that you develop and then after that see where you could attack and then do it, not this early.

Although 6.Na3 might be preferable, I would still look at 5.Bd3 as a very reasonable alternative. If Black takes - a likely response - then recapturing with the pawn reestablishes White central presence, he is left with a 'good' bishop, and can develop comfortably. He would have lost very little time.

Bd3 is best

So this trick worked because your opponent was weak and missed an obvious threat. That won't happen as your opponents get better, and so you need to stop playing for cheap knight tricks and start developing normally. In addition, it's not true that you need to have your rooks connected to control the centre.

As cdeburca said and as others have said repeatedly in other annotations, having your Rooks connected is not necessary to control the center. In fact White has absolute control of the center right now, and despite being behind in material, actually has some chances because of Black's terrible lack of development.

White's central control is greater than Black's, but it is not absolute. Black will sooner or later be challenging that hold. White will have to spend some time chasing down that Knight on a1, which will cost time - time that Black can develop the rest of his game. White has to play very actively indeed if he's to come anywhere close to saving this game.

You are playing a beginner.

It was not necessary to save the knight with 9.Nge2 or 9.Nce2, because it was already defended by the b-pawn, but I think he wants to avoid exchanges and therefore moves his knight, forgetting that he moves it to a square which is attacked.

I think if I were White in this position, I would allow an exchange on c3, viz 9.Bd2. Although White ought to avoid exchanges if he can, it will not do to be driven by this reluctance into a position of complete passivity.

Going on white's rating, it's probable that Nd5 was a blunder, but it could be an genuine sac. White does get two pawns for it, and potentially opens the black king to attack. I think it's dubious at best, but there's room for the benefit of the doubt, perhaps.

I suspect White thought he was sacrificing a piece for a mating attack. Observe that right now, White is threatening a checkmate.

This move is NOT extraordinarily brilliant. You are ahead a rook and a piece. And you unnecessarily subject yourself to an exposed King just for an obvious mate threat.

I agree with dmaestro, this is a blunder which should have cost ou the game.

Your plan is not inevitable.

A bit risky, Joe: White gets some useful counterplay. Although Black should still win from here, 10...Nf6 was safer and surer.

sorry jkarp, but i agree with ionadowman

At first sight this looks strong, but Black has a defence that brings the attack to a full stop. Note that now 12...Be7?? won't do as 13.Qf8 is mate. The correct defence is 12...Ne7!! after which White has to look to his own King's defence. But Black plays a third option...

White now has a forced mate after 13.Bxf6+,gxf6 14.Qxf6+ Ke8 15. Bf7+, Kf8 16. Bg6+, Kg8 17. Qf7#. Ne7 would have been better here. Also, the queen could not take the pawn because of 14.Qc2+ 15.Ke1, Bb4+ 16. Kf1, Qd1#

id=ben13 is 100% correct. Nor would 14...Be7 in this line have helped: 13.Bxf6ch gxf6 14.Qxf6ch Be7 15.Qxh8ch Bf8 16.Qxf8#.

Winning his bishop isn't much good to you if he's about to win your king.

Being overconfident should have cost you the game. A stronger opponent would have mated you from this position.

This is serious because it is mate in three, not because of winning the Rook.

The rook does get taken if Black interposes a bishop here. But that is simply a means to an end: to clear f8 for the Queen to checkmate.

"I know his weak spot" is a meaningless annotation when you're faced with mate.

White overlooks 15.Bf7ch which would have led to mate in a couple more moves. Capturing the rook comes a long way second. How do the respective sides stand? Well, Black probably should have tried 15...Bf8 , though after 16.Qc3 White should soon round up the Knight on a1 and emerge two pawns to the good. By playing 15...Ke7, Black gave White a second mating chance, though this one was harder to see.

Qg8 wouldn't be mate.

no Qg8 wouldn't have but, Qf7 would have!

But 16.Qg7ch!! would be mate after another seven moves: [A] 16...Kd6 17.Qf8ch! Ke5 18.Nf3# or [B] 16...Ke8 17.Qg8ch Ke7 18.Qf7ch Kd8 19.Qf6ch (this we've seen before) 19... Ke8 {19...Be7 20.Qh8ch etc} 20.Bf7ch Kf8 21.Bg6ch Kg8 22.Qf7ch Kh8 23.Qxh7#

Black should have played 16...Kd6, which at least would have ended the mating attack. White would have come out with a big advantage, though!

You should be happy with a draw here.

But White shouldn't be. Again, with 18.Qg7ch he has a forced mate.