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zoobrenok ♡ 102 ( +1 | -1 )
Please analyze I just drawed a game with ragsman.

I would appreciate an analysys of game starting with move 30 -- by that move I had extra pawn, but was not able to use it. Is it because I made a mistake or because my opponent was brilliant? :-)
Also -- even though I am an average player, I am not too familiar with opening names - so, which opening each of us played?

Please comment on start of the game only AFTER you commented on its ending -- this way I will get what I need and then something more :-)

Thank you in advance.
And, oh yes - here is board number: board #433829 and PGN:
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 d6
4. d4 a6
5. Ba4 b5
6. Bb3 Bg4
7. Bd5 Qd7
8. Qd3 Nf6
9. O-O Bxf3
10. Bxc6 Qxc6
11. Qxf3 Qxc2
12. Nc3 b4
13. Qe2 Qxe2
14. Nxe2 Nxe4
15. f3 Nf6
16. dxe5 dxe5
17. Rd1 c5
18. b3 Be7
19. Bg5 h6
20. Bxf6 Bxf6
21. Ra-c1 Be7
22. Ng3 O-O
23. Nf5 Bf6
24. Rxc5 a5
25. Rd7 Rf-c8
26. Rxc8+ Rxc8
27. Ne7+ Bxe7
28. Rxe7 f6
29. Ra7 Rc5
30. g4 Kh7
31. Kg2 Kg6
32. h4 h5
33. gxh5+ Kxh5
34. Rxg7 Kxh4
35. Rg4+ Kh5
36. Kg3 f5
37. Rg8 Rc2
38. f4 Rc3+
39. Kf2 exf4
40. Ra8 Rc2+
41. Kf3 Rxa2
42. Kxf4 Kg6
43. Ra6+ Kf7
44. Kxf5 Ra3
45. Ke5 Rxb3
46. Rxa5 Rb1
47. Kd4 b3
48. Kc3 b2
49. Rb5 Ke6
50. Rxb2 Rxb2
51. Kxb2
ragsman ♡ 15 ( +1 | -1 )
Does this mean that if you made a mistake, I'm NOT brilliant?? :)
I'd like to see an analysis as well.

ragsman
zdrak ♡ 43 ( +1 | -1 )
You could have won easily with 31...Rc2+ 33.Kg3 Rxa2 - black has 2 solid extra pawns (one extra pawn on each wing) and should win easily.

The plan of advancing the kingside pawns achieved nothing except allowing white to exchange more pawns, and when you finally did get around to giving a check on c2 it was already too late.

Possibly you still had winning chances around moves 35-40, but 31...Rc2+ was the most clear-cut win you missed.
zoobrenok ♡ 28 ( +1 | -1 )
31...Rc2+ At that point I was thinking that bringing white king closer to my pawns would cause more damage then help - I guess this is why I failed to get those 8 points that would help me a lot to get over 1700 bareer for the first time :-).
tulkos ♡ 14 ( +1 | -1 )
position on move 31, I saw this exact position in a GM game.The only difference was that they drew the game right then by mutual agreement.8-)
caldazar ♡ 188 ( +1 | -1 )
Rook and pawn ending Typically, an extra pawn in rook and pawn endgames isn't a winning advantage. This is especially true when the defender's rook is very active, as White's rook is here. Also, rook and pawn endgames where the pawns are all on one side of the board are almost always drawn, even if one side has an extra pawn. Thus, playing to win White's a2-pawn is the best plan for Black here since it not only creates a pawn majority on both wings but also gives the Black rook greater scope and activity in the process. Black wants to avoid exchanging pawns if possible, since White's drawing chances increase as more pawns leave the board.

Black could have taken the a2-pawn on move 29 (...Rc1+, ...Rc2+, ...Rxa2), 30 (same), 31 (...Rc2+ directly), or 32 (again, ...Rc2+ directly).
On move 36, Black might have tried, 36... Rc2 37. a3 bxa3 38. Ra4 a2 39. Rxa5 reducing the activity of White's rook as it would be tied down to the defense against the a-pawn's promotion, giving Black some prospects of favorably advancing his kingside pawns. After move 44, all the pawns are on one side of the board and White's king is more favorably positioned; the position is a dead draw.

The opening you played into is basically a Deferred Steinitz Defense in the Spanish (Ruy Lopez). Deferred because Black usually plays 3... a6 first and after 4. Ba4, 4... d6. The regular Steinitz Defense is 3... d6 straight away when Black doesn't play ...a6 at all (in most cases).

By the way, reaching the Deferred Steinitz using the move order you chose doesn't work (although it did in this particular case) because it drops a pawn.

After 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4 a6? (4... Bd7 is better), 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 6. dxe5 and now:

6... dxe5 7. Qxd8+ Kxd8 8. Nxe5 with a very poor position for Black.

6... Bg4 7. exd6 cxd6 and White is up a pawn

6... Qe7 7. Qd4 Bg4 8. exd6 cxd6 9. Nbd2 and White is up a pawn.
zoobrenok ♡ 10 ( +1 | -1 )
caldazar WOW :-)

Thanks a lot for your feedback, now I have to play those suggestions on the board to get better understanding :-)
ragsman ♡ 40 ( +1 | -1 )
Thanks Thanks for the analysis! It almost makes it seem like I'm a decent player..

So if I gather correctly (for white) in the opening,
5.ba4 is not correct, and 5.Bxc6 is better?

Is this usually the case with this pin in the opening ? (Is this called the Ruy Lopez, or a variant?)

Could someone tell me my biggest blunder in the opening?

Thank you!

ragsman
caldazar ♡ 68 ( +1 | -1 )
On Bxc6 in the Ruy Lopez Ba4 is not better or worse than Bxc6 in itself; it all depends on the position. Bxc6 is usually played if White wants to achieve an endgame advantage (since there would be doubled c-pawns). When White plays Bxc6, Black usually gets open lines for his pieces and so he potentially has a middlegame advantage. Ba4 is played to retain the bishop and to delay making a commitment.

Bxc6 is better in this particular case simply because it wins a pawn.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 is the Ruy Lopez (also called the Spanish Game). There are dozens of reasonable setups for both White and Black, so it's impossible to generalize about what each side should be trying to do.
gambitnut ♡ 105 ( +1 | -1 )
Ragsman Yes, the opening was the Ruy Lopez, it became the Steinitz Defense after 3. ... d6.

The exchange doesn't usually win a pawn in this opening. For example, after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. Nxe5, black can win the pawn back with Qd4 attacking the knight and e-pawn or Qg5 attacking the knight and g-pawn.

I believe the idea behind 4. Bxc6 in the above line is to follow it up with d4 and trade white's d-pawn for black's e-pawn. White then tries to trade down into a king and pawn endgame where he will be able to force a new queen with a four on three advantage on the kingside and black can't do the same on the queeenside because of the doubled pawns and black tries to stay in the middlegame when the bishop pair gives him good chances. Most people retreat the bishop but it's really a matter of personal style. If you are a good endgame player and think the winning endgame is worth risking losing in the middlegame to the bishop pair, go ahead and try taking the knight. If not, many years of games have shown Ba4 to be quite good.
atrifix ♡ 29 ( +1 | -1 )
The difference between 3... a6 4. Ba4 (which most people play) and 3... d6 4. d4 a6? 5. Ba4? is that on 5. Bxc6! white will win at least a pawn. As gambitnut pointed out, after 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. Nxe5?! Black can regain the pawn advantageously with 5... Qd4.