Hello. It would be great if someone could review this short game and give some tips that can help me improve. There are some things that is obvious even to me - the blunder which lost my bishop and bad king safety but perhaps you see more than I?

Even if I hadn't missed the bishop I think I would have lost since I really hadn't any plan except for trading down with an extra pawn in the endgame. And the endgame isn't my strongest side either, I don't think I have any. The last game I played against this player resulted in a draw, I messed up a winning endgame. But oh well in time maybe I'll learn too.

[Event "Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition Rated Game"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2008.10.20"]
[Round ""]
[White "Zebulon"]
[Black "Josh - Age 6"]
[TimeControl "2400"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO " "]

1.d4 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nf3 c6 4.c4 f5 5.e5 Qa5+ 6.Nc3 c5 7.d5 b5 8.cxb5 Bb7 9.Bd3 Qb4 10.a3 Qg4 11.g3 Qh5 12.Bc4 Nh6 13.Be3 Ng4
14.Bxc5 Nxe5 15.Nxe5 Bxe5 16.Qxh5 gxh5 17.O-O d6 18.Be3 Nd7 19.Bd3 Bxc3 20.bxc3 Ne5 21.Bxf5 Nf3+ 22.Kg2 Bxd5 23.Kh3 O-O 24.Rad1
Rxf5 25.g4 hxg4+ 26.Kxg4 Be4 27.a4 Kh8 28.c4 Rg8+ 29.Kh3 Rh5# 0-1

1.d4 g6
2.e4 Bg7
3.Nf3 c6
4.c4 f5 - I like this move, attacking white's center. Yes, the king is exposed, but attacking those loose diagonals isn't easy in this position.
5.e5 - but I don't like this response. True, 5. exf5 is what black wants to see, but 5. Bd3 develops a piece. And if 5...fxe4, then 6. Bxe4 and the bishop is on a strong diagonal. The text move just loses time.
5...Qa5+
6.Nc3 c5 - very single-minded play by black
7.d5 b5 - too much. This just hands white a pawn.
8.cxb5 Bb7
9.Bd3 (the simple 9. Be2 is better) Qb4
10.a3 - why? What does this accomplish? He's not going to leave the queen on b4. Your queenside is perfectly safe, so castling was required here.
10...Qg4
11.g3 (more lost time) Qh5
12.Bc4 - If you're going to move a developed piece, Bc4-f1 and Bf1-g2 is a better plan to deal with black's kingside threats (such as they are)
12...Nh6
13.Be3 Ng4
14.Bxc5 Nxe5
15.Nxe5 Bxe5
16.Qxh5 gxh5
17.O-O - not a good choice. There aren't many mating threats left on the board, but black has open lines on the kingside and a b7-bishop looking in that direction. This is a textbook definition of "castling into it". Funny enough, the king is probably safest right where he is before 17. 0-0.
17...d6
18.Be3 Nd7
19.Bd3 - that bishop was keeping the b7-bishop under lock and key. Now the e5-bishop exits in order to set his brother free. All of that freedom for black just to chase the f5 pawn?
19...Bxc3
20.bxc3 Ne5
21.Bxf5 - 21 Be2 makes the best of a steadily worsening situation. Now the light squares around the king are terminally ill.
21...Nf3+
22.Kg2 Bxd5
23.Kh3 (forced) O-O
24.Rad1?? - ugh! Was this move made quickly? It shouldn't take too long to see that the d5-bishop would be defended by the rook after it takes on f5. 24. Bd7, intending Bd7-c6 (double attacking R and B, thus encouraging a bishop trade and defusing a deadly black weapon) was the best plan in this position. Anyhow, there's really no salvaging things now.
24...Rxf5
25.g4 hxg4+
26.Kxg4 Be4
27.a4 Kh8
28.c4 Rg8+
29.Kh3 Rh5#

1.d4 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nf3 c6 4.c4 f5 5.e5

I prefer Nc3 here, waiting to push e5 until after Nf6 from black. exf5 is also fine here, making black's kingside unsafe or forcing him to waste time with Qa5+xf5, which speeds your development.



Qa5+ 6.Nc3 c5 7.d5 b5 8.cxb5 Bb7 9.Bd3 Qb4 10.a3?

A wasted move. 10. 0-0 is much better. Finish your development. Make him waste his own time looking for a useful square for his queen.


Qg4 11.g3?

Another very poor move. Again, 0-0 and you're fine here. This weakens your kingside substantially, and makes the f3N very vulnerable to tactics (note how the queen and bishop converge on that square?)


Qh5 12.Bc4?

The bishop does nothing useful on that square. Be2 was best - yes, it's a waste of time, but you're correcting for your mistake on your previous move by reinforcing the weak N. 0-0 would have at least gotten your king to safety.


Nh6 13.Be3?

You should have seen Ng4 coming.

Ng4
14.Bxc5 Nxe5 15.Nxe5 Bxe5

Trading a center pawn for a wing pawn is usually not a winning strategy. Black's pieces are getting free.


16.Qxh5 gxh5 17.O-O d6 18.Be3 Nd7 19.Bd3 Bxc3 20.bxc3 Ne5 21.Bxf5 Nf3+ 22.Kg2 Bxd5 23.Kh3 O-O 24.Rad1 ??

OBviously, just a blunder.


Rxf5 25.g4 hxg4+ 26.Kxg4 Be4 27.a4 Kh8 28.c4 Rg8+ 29.Kh3 Rh5# 0-1