Here is a game that I won as black. It is my typical response to e4. I was hoping to get advice on what I'm doing.

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2008.05.09"]
[Round "-"]
[White "tranhort"]
[Black "Eladar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1041"]
[BlackElo "912"]
[TimeControl "600"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d5 6. exd5 Nxd5 7. O-O a6 8.
Qb3 Na5 9. Qa4+ Nc6 10. Qb3 Nce7 11. Nxe5 b5 12. Bxd5 Nxd5 13. Re1 Be7 14.
Qc2 O-O 15. Nc6 Qd7 16. Ne5 Qf5 17. Nd2 Bb7 18. c4 Nf4 19. g3 Qh3 20. gxf4
Qg2#
{tranhort checkmated} 0-1


Is h6 a good response to the knight bishop threat to the f7 square or am I making an unneccessary move here? I suppose f7 is a good move to give my king room after castling anyhow, no?

Is there a better way to deal with the bisop on c4 other than d5 looking for exd5, Nxd5, bxd5, Qxd5. Or should I not be too concerned with that bishop and look to do something else?

I know I should be playing longer games, I usually throw out my 20 10 seek, but I rarely get takers, so I look for decent timed games to play while I wait.

How about this one I just lost?

[Event "ICS rated standard match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2008.05.10"]
[Round "-"]
[White "larsgoran"]
[Black "Eladar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1113"]
[BlackElo "1292"]
[TimeControl "900"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d3 a6 6. a3 b5 7. Bb3 Bb7 8.
Nd5 Nd4 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. Qe2 Be7 11. Bf4 d6 12. Nxe7 Qxe7 13. O-O O-O 14.
Rfe1 Qd7 15. Qf3 Rab8 16. Qg3 Nh5 17. Qh4 Nxf4 18. Qxf4 Kh8 19. Rac1 f5 20.
exf5 Rxf5 21. Qg4 Rbf8 22. Be6
{Eladar resigns} 1-0

I think I figured out my problem with the last move that "broke my back". 21. Qf7 was the better move, followed by 22.Rbf8 would have put me in a pretty good position.

The reason why I rejected that move was that earlier I was still hoping to make the move Qc6 and checkmate thinking that would be a good shot when I was looking at Qf4. I didn't take into account that Qg4 kind of nullified that option.

h6 is a horrible move here.

It's god-awful.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5! then 4.Ng5?? Qxg5.

4.d3 Nf6 Ng5?! 0-0! (if he wants to trade his N+B for R+P on f7, trading off his only developed pieces in the process, let him!)

You should read Chernev's "Logical Chess, Move by Move."

d5 is, in principle, not a horrible move, but the problem is that you're way behind in development so opening the position favors your opponent. Although if you develop a few more moves it's not so bad ... it's a good idea, trying to free your position aggressively.

(Incidentally, a6 is also a really bad move. More later).

Thanks! I've had the feeling that f7 wasn't great, I always end up way behind on development and have a problem with simply being a target, defending until my opponent blunders and allows me an out.

I plan on ordering Chernev's book, I'm not finding it in local bookstores.

Edit:

Thanks for the advice, here is my first game using your suggestion. It wasn't exactly the same move order, but I believe I followed the correct principle.

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2008.05.10"]
[Round "-"]
[White "steveruiz"]
[Black "Eladar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1048"]
[BlackElo "955"]
[TimeControl "600"]

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Ng5 Qxg5 5. d4 Qxg2 6. Ke2 Nxd4+ 7. Kd3
Nf6 8. Rg1 Qxe4+ 9. Kc3 Nc6 10. Kd2 Bxf2 11. Bd3 Qh4 12. Rf1 Nd4 13. c3
Qf4#
{steveruiz checkmated} 0-1

Anyone feel free to analyze any of these games.

I've recently picked up 1. e4 e5! and have studied it a bit and I think I played this game fairly well. At the end I suffered from a bit of tunnel vision and should have missed the mate, but my opponent's blunder made up for my own.

Moves 6 and 7 were the result of reading Chernev's book.

22. Qh8 should have been 22. Bd4. 22. Bd4 is forced checkmate in 3. I'm disappointed in myself for not seeing it, but now I know to check that dark squared bishop whenever my opponent moves the f pawn. Enough of my comments on the game, here it is, please feel free to rip it apart:

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2008.05.25"]
[Round "-"]
[White "mjanja"]
[Black "Eladar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "973"]
[BlackElo "989"]
[TimeControl "240+3"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Qe7 5. b4 Bb6 6. a4 a6 7. a5 Ba7 8.
Bd5 d6 9. O-O Nf6 10. d3 Bg4 11. Qa4 Bd7 12. Ng5 Nd4 13. Bxf7+ Kd8 14. Qd1
h6 15. Bd5 hxg5 16. cxd4 Ng4 17. Be3 Rxh2 18. Bxb7 Rb8 19. Bxa6 Qf8 20.
Bxg5+ Ke8 21. f3 Qh8 22. g3 Rh1+
{mjanja resigns} 0-1

Here's an example of my latest Ruy Lopez try. It worked out well, but I'm sure I screwed up somewhere. Feel free to let me know any errors you see.

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2008.07.27"]
[Round "-"]
[White "DboneA"]
[Black "Eladar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1102"]
[BlackElo "1051"]
[TimeControl "600"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Qf6 6. Bg5 Qd6 7. O-O h6
8. Bh4 Nf6 9. Bg3 Ng4 10. h3 h5 11. hxg4 hxg4 12. Nxe5 Qh6 13. f4 gxf3 14.
Qxf3 Bc5+ 15. d4 Bxd4+ 16. Rf2 Qh1#
{DboneA checkmated} 0-1


Edit:

I just had my second Ruy Lopez victory! That makes two Ruy's pretty much back to back. I blundered, but was lucky my opponent blundered and didn't take my rook and decided to trade queens instead.

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2008.07.27"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Vittore"]
[Black "Eladar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1107"]
[BlackElo "1060"]
[TimeControl "600"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. h3 Qf6 6. d4 Bd6 7. Bg5 Qg6
8. O-O h6 9. dxe5 Be7 10. Bf4 Bxh3 11. g3 Bxf1 12. Kxf1 Qxe4 13. Nc3 Qc4+
14. Kg1 g5 15. Nd2 Qd4 16. Ne2 Qb6 17. Nc4 Qc5 18. e6 fxe6 19. Be5 Nf6 20.
Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Qd3 Rd8 22. Qg6+ Kd7 23. Rd1+ Kc8 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Qxf6
Qxc4 26. Nc3 b6 27. Qxh6 Kb7 28. Qxg5 Rh8 29. Qe5 Qg4 30. Qe4 Qxe4 31. Nxe4
Rg8 32. c4 Rg4 33. Nd2 b5 34. cxb5 cxb5 35. b3 c5 36. Kg2 a5 37. f3 Rg5 38.
Ne4 Re5 39. Nf2 Re2 40. a3 b4 41. axb4 cxb4 42. g4 a4 43. bxa4 b3 44. Kf1
Rxf2+ 45. Kxf2 b2 46. g5 b1=Q 47. f4 Qc2+ 48. Kg3 Qxa4 49. g6 Qd7 50. Kh4
Qg7 51. Kg5 Kc6 52. Kh5 Kd5 53. Kg5 Ke4 54. f5 exf5 55. Kh4 Qxg6 56. Kh3
Qg4+ 57. Kh2 f4 58. Kh1 f3 59. Kh2 f2 60. Kh1 f1=Q+ 61. Kh2 Qgg2#
{Vittore checkmated} 0-1

This victory gave me my highest blitz rating yet. I'm having a pretty good chess day.

Our game has taken a different twist or two. Besides, I think you chose to go with the Italian.

Yesterday was a bad chess day, so I'm not as confident as I was earlier.

h6 is not a good response, it is completely passive, and though you think it gives your king space after castling, it weakens the kingside, which a good opponent could easily exploit.

A good continuation would be:
3...Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Na4 Bb6 7.Nxb6 axb6 8.0-0 0-0 9.Nd2 Be6 10.f4 Bxc4 +=

Hope I helped,
Shai Adar

Thanks for the reply Shaia. Ronaldinho corrected me about the h6 move some time ago. I still find myself using h6 from time to time, but not as a defensive move, but for g5 looking to send a pawn storm against the castle king and castling queen side if necessary.