Lichess4545 Game Analysis 2

This is a game of mine this time. It is game #2. I've lost both my 4545 league games :\ but it'll change soon I hope. As will be customary, the first batch of notes are my analysis WITHOUT an engine so ther may be errors. The idea is that I show my actual thoughts first. Inside those, I may insert some notes that will be capitalized and in italics that indicate engine assistance, but I didn't add them in until I was completely done. After this block of comments, I add more capitalized italic notes that I got with the aid of stockfish.

https://lichess.org/SYCHW6yz

My Notes

Summary:
Opening went okay I guess, somewhere in the middlegame there was some serious pawn tension and I thought for long time what to do. Then (i didn't notice this until after the game), I somehow lost both center pawns and he had two--after move 14 so I think something was misplayed on my part. 21 Ng5 was a maybe good attack but I think his king could get safe, I thought about it a long time so figured I'd play it anyway to test it. After it was on the board, I saw Rg6 and that's what was played which I think holds everything together nicely for him. Was floundering after that. I tried for some complications but lost too many pieces.

(10) what to do with this first break move of ...c5? Black had so much control of d5 that I thought 11. d5 didn't make sense because I couldn't reliably calculate what he'd take back with. I was interested in trying to make his light-squared bishop bad. I don't recall why I didn't like taking it, I guess it trades off a central pawn for a c-pawn, actually for a b-pawn since he'd play bxc5. Retrospect says I don't hate dxc5 so maybe that's what I should have played since I like that more than the tension that arose a few moves later.

(10. ...d5) More tension. I thought of cx, dx, and even b4. Hindsight says I probably should have done one of those moves but I played a slow rook move which let him develop as well. With dxc5, he'd play bxc5 and I couldn't find the right follow up. Perhaps Qc2 which i think is a natural move after the trade. I do remember not liking that it'd allow d4 and a discovered attack on my knight and also Ne4 possibly coming. Here's some lines:

11. dxc5 bxc5 12. Qc2 d4 13. exd4 cxd4 (BLACK SHOULD INSERT BXF3 INTERMEZZO HERE, DUH, SEE ENGINE) 14. Bxd4?? Bxf3 15. gxf3 Qxd4 and white lost a piece for a pawn and doubled pawns by the king. So either 12. Qc2 isn't good there or I need to take on d4 with the knight...

11. dxc5 bxc5 12. Qc2 d4 13. exd4 cxd4 (BLACK HAS INTERMEZZO HERE, SEE ENGINE ANALYSIS) 14. Nxd4 and white is up a pawn there and I don't see good follow-ups so that isn't what white would play. Ne4 doesn't work in this line for black. So 12. Qc2 might work, knowing that black shouldn't reply with d4 and Ne4 isn't a threat because of my pressure on d4.

Here's a line with Qe2 instead:

11. dxc5 bxc5 12. Qe2 d4 13. exd4 cxd4 14. Nxd4 (not Bxd4?) and white up a pawn still. And if ...Ne4 15. Bc1 (idea b3 and Bb2). I think that's okay, don't know if black should play d4 in any of these lines. Therefore maybe 11. dxc5 is perfectly fine despite the fact it gives up a center pawn.

11. cxd5 is way more to calculate which is honestly the sole reason I didn't. I figured he'd retake with the bishop most likely and still have a good fianchetto.

11. b4 is aggressive but it'd probably just force cxd5 and my pawns are weird. 11. b3 might be okay but I like dxc5 the most. My move 11. Rb1 is so slow

(16) b4 instead?

(21) Calculated for a long time and I don't think Ng5 is working but I was sorta pot-committed at this time, not the right way to think about it though. 21. Ng5 hxg5 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Qh8+ Ke7 24. Bxg5+ Kd7 (if ...f6 25. Qxg7+ but I'm still losing I think) 25. Qxg7 but I think I'm down a piece for two pawns and attack is waning.

Black found Rg6 and I was done.




ENGINE ANALYSIS
Anything in all caps and italics means it was information I got with the help of stockfish.

(11) IN MY LINES FOR DXC5 WHEN I PLAY QC2, BLACK CAN INSERT 13. ...BXF3 AND MY PAWNS WILL BE MESSED UP AND BLACK'S PASSER IS MORE ADVANCED THAN MINE, ALTHOUGH HIS IS BLOCKADED BY MY TWO BISHOPS.

(11) IN MY QE2 LINES, IF BLACK PLAYS NE4, THAT JUST HANGS THE KNIGHT, I DIDN'T VISUALIZE THAT CORRECTLY IN MY OWN ANALYSIS.

(11) ENGINE SAYS TAKE ON C5 LIKE I WAS THINKING THEN 12. QB3 IS BEST FOLLOW-UP.

(13) QC2 ALLOWS NB4 AND TRADING MY DARK-SQUARED BISHOP FOR KNIGHT. THIS IS WHY 13. A3 IS RECOMMENDED, AND IT MAKES SENSE IN CONTEXT WITH MY RB1 MOVE. I REMEMBER VAGUELY CONSIDERING A3 SO I SHOULD HAVE STUCK WITH THAT SINCE IT'D BE THEMATIC TO MY PLAN.

(16) INDEED B4 WAS BEST, I REMEMBER PLAYING B3 PRETTY QUICKLY, JUST TO GET SOLID OVER THERE AND START THINKING ABOUT A NEW PLAN. B4 DEFINITELY IS BEST AND MORE AGGRESSIVE.

(17) H3 IS WHOLLY UNNECESSARY, I REMEMBER PLAYING IT AND THINKING, "MAKE SURE NOT TO REACT TO GHOSTS, LIKE SILMAN SAYS" BUT I THOUGHT NG4 WAS DEVASTATING AND I'D BE TOO SLOW

(20) I MISSED THE RXE5 TACTIC THAT WOULD HAVE WON. GREAT EXAMPLE OF NOT KNOWING THERE'S A TACTIC AVAILABLE SO NOT BOTHERING TO TEST OUT CAPTURES, ETC.... RXE5 LOOKS SILLY UNTIL YOU SEE THE TACTIC.