Annotated chess game

Black should have thought about a kinside expansion. Nd8-Ne6 could have been a plan, or h6... The text move gives black Bd3.

Instead of ...Bg6 Black could invite an exchange on a square less convenient to White: 18...Bd3 19.Be2 Bxe2.

Very tasty 'bait'. This is thematic for Black, to get in behind White's Q-side pawns.

The rook looks a bit lonely on a3.

Not at all. It can be easily supporten by the other rook or the queen, and the white rook is stuck to the defence of c3... so black's attack is ok, IMO. I would have preferred the kingside way, but it is a matter of taste.

@l-d-j: The black rook on a3 is in a great spot for a queenside attack. Black can move the other rook and queen over to the a file in two moves. Black can then threaten a back row mate if the white queen moves away from row 1.

This is why I don't like fxg6, i would have captured with the h-pawn. You should usually capture towards the centre.

Usually, yes; but I like the f-pawn capture, here, as opening a potentially useful line for the rook against f2. At that, the alternate capture would have led to the Qg4 move anyway, and danger on the h-file. What Black does here, though, is critical...

White hasn't played that strongly and is looking for a drastic error. Objectively fxg6 is fine here because Black is still better. Black can regroup and exploit the open f file.

Ouch! 22...Bf6 is a terrible oversight - unless Black is unaware of Philidor's Legacy: a forced mating attack. Correct was 22... Rf5 and Black was still well in the game.

?? It appears Black overlooked the obvious and now loses by force. But that does not alter the fact that if I had Black's position at that point, White would face real problems with the weak Q side pawns and more active Black position.

Yes, even Nd8, opening the way for the queen and defending e6, would have been preferable.

;not reay.R:f7 Qe8+ Rf8 Qf8

aaleexx1: were you saying 24 .. Rxf7 25. Qe8+ Rf8 26 Qf8# ? (just for clarification)

Yes: 24...Rxf7 shortens the game, and we miss the real beauty of this forcing finish.

You read about this sort of thing in beginner's books, but it's still nice when you get to pull one off.  

A smoothered mate! Very nice.

This is why it helps to develop one's technique: a well known mating motif in an unfamiliar setting, but White recognised it at once. Oddly enough, it seems he didn't recognise the simpler, and more prosiac, mate he might have got had Black taken the knight on f7. An even game until Black's mistake that opened the door to a forced mate.

"This happens in real life too"...  )))

Bad move by black early on!