Chess blog: How I'd like to be playing.

I just had an exciting game that was more tactical than the terrible games I've been playing lately. Of course it helped that my opponent made a ton of mistakes, but the point is that I am at my best when I am playing this style of game. The game ended with a really nice tactic; unfortunately my opponent ran out of time so we didn't see a continuation. [Event "rated blitz match"] [Site "Free Internet Chess Server"] [Date "2009.01.29"] [Round "?"] [White "waparker"] [Black "----"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "1137"] [BlackElo "1236P"] [ECO "A07"] [TimeControl "600"] 1. Nf3 {With Nf3 I plan to play g3 Bg7 and either c4 or d4.} d5 2. g3 e5 {Hanging the e-pawn.} 3. Nxe5 f6 4. Nf3 Qd6 5. d4 {With the e-pawn gone it will be easy to maintain a strong pawn on d4. I plan to meet ...c5 with c3.} Qb4+ {Helping me play c3 with tempo.} 6. c3 Qa5 7. Bg2 Bg4 8. Nbd2 {Right now if he takes the knight I will recapture with the bishop as the knight on f3 has no immediate future due to the f6 pawn.} c5 9. h3 Bf5 10. Qb3 {A double attack on the unprotected b7 and d5 pawns. If ... cxd4 to protect the d-pawn then Nxd4 and the bishop, d-pawn and b-pawn are all unprotected.} c4 {Doesn't resolve the issue of the b-pawn. It would be better to gambit the d-pawn with ...Qb6 Qxd5 Ne7 developing with tempo.} 11. Qxb7 Bd6 {Surprisingly it is very difficult for black to trap my queen in this corner. Blacks own d-pawn prevents his light square bishop from coming in time.} 12. Qxa8 {Rybka suggests Qxg7 winning another pawn and attacking the other rook.} Be6 {This bishop should move because after Ng4 I threaten to extricate my Queen by taking the d pawn. Rybka suggests that d7 is a better square to try to trap my Queen, forcing b4 and the black Queen has to chose between the a7 pawn and the d5 pawn.} 13. e4 {Trying to break open some lines so my Queen can escape, and undermining blacks pawn chain.} Qb6 {It is amazing that black can't trap my queen while also guarding both the a and d-pawns!} 14. exd5 Bd7 15. Nxc4 {After the knight takes the dark square bishop the Queen will have to leave the a-pawn to recapture.} Qc7 16. Nxd6+ Qxd6 17. Qxa7 {Sanctuary is in sight.} Na6 18. Qa8+ {I want the knight to get out of my way so I can escape, or to trade queens. Black choses to move his king, which leads to some safety issues.} Kf7 19. Bf4 Qb6 20. O-O-O {Protects the d-pawn and connects and centralizes my rooks in one move. Castling rocks!} Nc7 {My queen may be under attack but now, finally, she can escape.} 21. Qa3 Nxd5 22. Qc5 {I was pleased with this move, thinking that if queen takes, then pawn takes and my rook is discovered attacking both the bishop and the knight. However, the line 22 ...Qxc5 23. dxc5 Be6 and neither one of the pieces will fall. 24. Nd4 Nxf4 25. gxf4 white is better but it wasn't as good as I'd hoped. There is a much better move which I will discuss later.} Qe6 23. Rhe1 Qf5 24. Ne5+ {This is the tactical shot I made at the end of the game. After 24 ...fxe5 the knight is hanging. 25. Bxd5+ Kg6 26. Rxe5 and white has a winning position. In fact this move would have been more appropriate at move 22. Here a much better move is the simple 24. Nh4 because the Queen would have no squares! 24. Nh4 Nxf4 Nxf5 Bxf5 gxf4 Kg6 and white is winning very soon.} {Black forfeits on time} 1-0

Position after 24. Ne5+

Position after 24. Nh4, trapping the Queen. Addendum: Just had a great little blitz game in the Philidor defense. This move order tends to lead to the so-called Lion system which seems popular and solid for black. [Event "rated blitz match"] [Site "Free Internet Chess Server"] [Date "2009.01.30"] [Round "?"] [White "----"] [Black "waparker"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1067"] [BlackElo "1147"] [ECO "B07"] [TimeControl "120+12"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. Nf3 e5 {The Lion Variation. White enjoys more space and central control but black's setup is solid and hard to crack.} 5. dxe5 dxe5 {I have seen this exchange a few times today. It is just a bad idea for white. He loses his central control over e5 and also black's dark-square bishop, which is usually a problem for black the entire game, has just opened up to become a marvelous piece.} 6. Bb5? {I have seen this move once before today as well. It does nothing, only loses time.} c6 7. Bc4 Bb4 {White's e-pawn is hanging and black threatens to double white's pawns. Black could alternatively have played 7...b5 to gain some Queenside space and further punish White's incorrect bishop move.} 8. Bd2 Bxc3! 9. Bxc3 Nxe4 {White has won a pawn and still threatens to double white's pawns.} 10. Bb4? Qb6! {White must lose the bishop here as mate is threatened on f2. White should castle.} 11. c3?? Qxf2# 0-1 This game should go as an example why white should not exchange on e5.