Annotated chess game

with refuted, I meant that Na5 is no longer a viable way to go for black; theory just caught up with it, that's all... much like Kings' Gambit for white, or Alekhine for black... just see the following lines...

Haha, troll spotted! 5...Na5 is simply the only choice if Black is playing for a win. Either 5...b5/Nd4(Which tend to transpose) or 5...Nxd5?! offers no more than a draw at best. And regarding 'refuted' openings, I may agree with the KG after 2...exf4 3.Nf3 g5, but not the Alekhine. In fact, I'm willing to play you as Black another 'refuted' opening: The Traxler Counter Attack(1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5). I assure you the obvious looking 5.Nxf7 achieves no more than a draw for White.

The exchange sacrifice (...cxb5) used to be considered quite playable for Black - even for a time a refutation of the whole 8.Qf3 line. Theory has changed, of course. Yakov Estrin considered 8...cxb5 not quite sufficient 'if White continues accurately' (Ya. Estrin 'The Two Knights Defence c.1970). The very first time I has Black in this line, and not having seen it before, I tried the exchange sac. I lost the game, but felt that it was not the fault of the variation.

tx for adding this...

8...Qc7 is one of the main lines suggested by Estrin, though he considered 8...Rb8 to be the strongest. 8...Qd5 didn't even get a mention! In response to that, 9.Bd3 Estrin considered the best. He didn't even look at Be2, but did mention 9.Ba4 as weaker than the text.

Qd5, and probably just Qxd5, or Bd3... Na5 is still displaced, and considered to be a lost tempo; the only thing it does, is covering for c6, and just a simple b4 will drive it back to b7... it is a pathetic horse... and tx for the endorsement to archduke...

Maybe 10...Nxe4 would have been the way to go?

my guess is, Nf6 is much needed to keep defending h7; after Bxe4, I see a lot of possibilities for white, as you can see below...

Possibly concerned about the possibility of b2-b4 at some point? White already has a distinct edge.

problem here is, Be7 is not safe there after castling with Nd5 hanging in the air; while for now, b4 is simply met with cxb4...

Black is a pawn down, with a compromised Q-side structure, and nothing positive to show for these, other than a slight lead in mobilization. Even then, there seems more purpose to White's deployment than Black's.

Don't think it makes all that much difference. White gets nigh on a winning game anyhow, as Black must shed a second pawn, still with nothing in return.

In view of the play subsequent to 21.Rfe1, one infers that the queen side advances were already in White's mind. Otherwise, I would have been inclined to play Rae1 myself, as activating the rook that was the less usefully employed at the time.

I was sure I had played Rae1... Ra1 is not needed to do all this...

The number of times I have bungled away good games through setting up the position wrong on my chessboard... Aaaaargh! Bad luck.