Annotated chess game

At this phase of the game (move 2) its pretty hard to say if the game is going to end in a draw or not. Maybe if it's played at grandmaster level, but not these levels.

@tiger_lilov: which opening(s) would you propose instead?

Quite a strange choice. Among most Chess teachers, it is widely agreed that the black improving player should not play the petroff until he is at the very least, a master, rated about 2200FIDE(around 2300USCF). It does not train any skills to fast improvement, and it is not an attacking game. My coach always warned me about those openings- like Najodorf, Petroff, Benoni, Gruenfeld-these are a few openings in which you should be at least a titled player before using these regularly. The Grand Prix Attack, however, is a perfect opening for the improving player-attacking, and yet has deep strategical sense, and is fundamentally sound. Edit-@ldj-you only need one opening to use per line, and that is it. For example, do not waste time studying both ...e6 and...e5 until you are a lot stronger if you are only going to play...e6. I suggest using the 1.Nimzo/BogoIndian against the d4-This will teach you sound strategic play, and you will have a good way to imcrease your chess understanding. If your opponent wants to, he can play sharp lines of the benoni in which A LOT of theory is necessary. 2.Play the closed sicilian, which you already do, and that is great for helping your attacking play, without memorizing lines. 3.Play e4! So many club players don't understand this. They play d4 first. this is slower for improvement. d4 openings have more exceptions on general principles than e4, and e4 is generally more tactical, which is necessary for calculation skills. Furthermore, for many lines of d4 you need good planning skills, which is a VERY ADVANCED idea. Many masters don't know how to do a good planning. I don't want to study it until I am much stronger.

But the reason why you lost was different.

@jkarp: that line is full of cheap but well-known tricks for both sides; I'm not surprised someone caught you in one of them if you're not familiar with the opening. As l-d-j said, 3.Nxe5 is the main line. Your blunder came later.

I like Bc4.

3.Nxe5 Nxe4 gives a nice advantage to white. So the blunder you made must have been later.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 (or other move orders) is the Four Knights. If White plays 4.d4 then, it's the Scotch Four Knights, if White plays 4.Bb5 the Spanish Four Knights and 4.Bc4?! the Italian Four Knights.

Ajkarp, then the d4 knight is hanging.

Don't put to much attention into early pins. Often the best way to handle them is to ignore them until you have almost completed your development.

@jkarp: yes, I mean that I'm freeing my pieces (giving them space to manoeuver) and thereby untangle my position.

exd5 cxd5 doesn't really challenge black either. I don't think this is a rare move and it deserves no !? .

According to the DB, 8.exd5 is by far the most played move. The normal continuation is 8...cxd5 9.O-O O-O 10.Bg5 c6 and White doesn't have much, but still has a slight initiative in my view especially if Black doesn't know the line. With 'rare' I mean 'seldom played', not 'strange'.

That's why I thought you castles in the first place  

yes

Auch! I would not have played this move... This looks horrible for black. I would say this is a mistake. I could be wrong but h6 looks much better.

Agreed this would not have been my preferred defence. Moves like h6, and Qg5 seem much better.

I don't believe White has much of an attack here, I can easily exchange the DSB and then only the queen is there to attack which is not enough.

No, in this case I seriously believe that ...g6 is the best move and I can almost guarantee that this ends the white attack, while ...h6 worse, since white can play an attacking middlegame, with opposite color bishops, and black has already weakened the kingside. Since the dark square bishop is coming off the board, white only gets one piece into the attack, and it is not enough.

This is the best active move since it activates the king pawns at the expense of the queen.

@schakertje: no, after 12...Nxc3 13.bxc3 the pawn on b2 has captured on c3.

You mean b2 is attacked after Qf6? This could be defended with Rab1. Personally I would have played Qh6. Edit: What I say is wrong. Thanks l-d-j for showing me.

pawns are not only used as attackers, but as defenders as well. They are used as walls, and if the wall is moved, it's easier to go behind it. Also for example if you move the the g7 pawn to g6, then both h6 and f6 are squares that are less defended, and can be used to get exploited by the other player. These squares are close to the king, so it's important to defend those squares. However, usually people move one pawn forward at the king, so an immidiate checkmate with a rook or queen on the 8th or 1st line is not possible, and it allows to move the king to the central after most pieces on the chessboard are gone.

I would still have played Qh6 here, looking at Bxg6? and forcing endless checks with the queen, resulting in a draw. Black will probably see it, but after that the rooks could have gone into play.

15. Qh6 is probably rebuffed by ...Rf7, and after 16. Bxg7? PxB 17. QxP+ Rg7, it's white's king which is looking quite exposed. After the queen retreats, ...Bh3 is coming for starters.

c4 looks like a very good move for me because black doesnt have a good answer for it.

@jkarp: after the exchange he does not have those doubled pawns anymore.