Yes, game is even long time...
Your opening goes well,
1. you develop and break on the center. Ideal.
2. White commits himself a lot by f4 since it leaves e4 square + e3 weak.
I think that you should note white would like to push e4 maybe but it is strongly controlled by black.
Black has not significant weakness same way that white has so white should struggle to find a good plan. 15. ... Ne4 lets white get rid of the e3 weakness since you have to take back with pawn.
CRITICAL POINT 1 - Position after move 15 :
You should notice that when your knight is exchanged you are left with light square bishop. You are going to play f5. Since your pawns are blocking the influence of your bishop (they are on white squares) and you cannot attack whites pawns (black colored squares!) you are doomed to have worse minor piece.
There is one open line so it could be that everything else but those minor pieces are exchanged. After you play f5 I think white has a good and solid plan, just 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Rd1 - intending to exchange about everything. Even if queens are staying on board Queen + Knight works usually better that Queen + Bishop compination, add closed nature of position and wrong colored bishop of yours - whatever the comp eval. white is clearly better and practically goes for a point many times. Black plays for draw.
So... 15. ...Rhe8 - getting even stronger grip of center (when in doubt - centralize, very good rule of thumb!). You see that there is not that much to do in the position, it is fairly evenly balanced but black can improve for example playing profylactic Kb8 (getting king safer+ rid of Bf5 threats), a6 (giving escape route for later, no backrank problems). After those black can see if white has done some dubious things / start developing his game even further.
One plan for example is to seek chance to exchange bishops! Your bishop is not that active and white bishop controls e4, getting rid of those you can put your knight to e4 or just double on e file. You are attacking weakness, white is on defensive side. Concrete bishop exchange plan is to play Bb5 if white moves knight from c3. a6 serves for this purpose too, being profylactic and activating exchange plan!
In these even games where "nothing happens" I think it is important to be patient, just get your pieces to better squares, seek for good trades, do useful profylactic moves (moves that are taking away future possible problems). Also many times opponent is not doing optimal stuff... You can just think what would happen if you would have played the example 15. ... Rhe8, 16. ...Kb8 17. ...a6 with your opponent doing some odd thing like in the game (a3, Na2 etc.). Note that also some g4-stuff has no meaning... What is white going to do? He is just creating more weakness for moving pawns. You should not move pawns aimlessly, you never cannot take those moves back. f4 is good example... Think about it being on f2 - black would not have this easy time to put pressure on white camp.
Critical point 2 - Move 23 - whites aggression
It is white to move his move number 23. He has a very good and solid plan just to take control of open file or just exchange everything away. Just Red1 and Qd2... Still if everything is exchanged it is white that is CLEARLY better whatever comp. eval (for reasoning read earlier comments about minor pieces).
White ignores this natural plan and goes g4?!
As I have said before...
1. Black has inferior minor piece since his pawns are blocking it.
2. Position has a closed nature and it works better for knight.
Let me ask you why we are talking about bishop pair or bishop being better than knight?
Bishop is able to affect both sides of board. It's reach is far bigger in open position than knights.
LOOK AT THE POSITION AFTER 23. g4. Keep 2 points in mind
(1. Black has inferior minor piece since his pawns are blocking it.
2. Position has a closed nature and it works better for knight. )
and make up a strategy!
And there it is... fxg4! Opening the position, activating the bishop. Piece that once was struggling to be active and useful is reaching its potential.
After 23. ...fxg4 24. hxg4 Bxg4 25. Rxd8 (kind of must... Nxe4 Rxd4 exd4 = f pawn weak, pawns are not threatning to promote, blacks h pawn does) 25. ... Rxd8 26. Nxe4
Example continuation :
26. ...Rd1+ 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Qd2 Bf3 29. Nc5 g5
Endgame is clearly better for black since
1. Open position - bishop is better than knight.
2. Blacks passed pawn on g-file is better than whites e, since it is outside. If this is not clear to you check some pawn endings or information about it. Very usual and basic theme! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passed_pawn
So whites decision to open up position is not good. He has strategically better game and he destroys it in one go.
So no, you don't want to keep close position with 23. ...g6 24. ...h5
You want to take your chance to open up the game for your bishop. 23. fxg4!
CRITICAL 3 - From winning to draw
You are up material after whites blunder. Whites chance for draw is some activity with his queen. You don't want to give those chances.
= You want your king safe and then just slowly improve your position, get bishop to good square, attack pawns...
For example after 36. Qc3 just 36. ... Kb6, 37. ...Ka7, 38. ...b6 39. ...Kb7 or something like that when king is completely safe, no activity for white. Black is just gradually grinding the game.
Trading queens always good option if allowed.
Long post but very instructing stuff there, I think. Hope you managed to read here / check game again wiht comments :)
I have no analysis by comp. so there can be some continuations I overlook, but I think strategic themes I explain are true.
Well played still!
Your opening goes well,
1. you develop and break on the center. Ideal.
2. White commits himself a lot by f4 since it leaves e4 square + e3 weak.
I think that you should note white would like to push e4 maybe but it is strongly controlled by black.
Black has not significant weakness same way that white has so white should struggle to find a good plan. 15. ... Ne4 lets white get rid of the e3 weakness since you have to take back with pawn.
CRITICAL POINT 1 - Position after move 15 :
You should notice that when your knight is exchanged you are left with light square bishop. You are going to play f5. Since your pawns are blocking the influence of your bishop (they are on white squares) and you cannot attack whites pawns (black colored squares!) you are doomed to have worse minor piece.
There is one open line so it could be that everything else but those minor pieces are exchanged. After you play f5 I think white has a good and solid plan, just 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Rd1 - intending to exchange about everything. Even if queens are staying on board Queen + Knight works usually better that Queen + Bishop compination, add closed nature of position and wrong colored bishop of yours - whatever the comp eval. white is clearly better and practically goes for a point many times. Black plays for draw.
So... 15. ...Rhe8 - getting even stronger grip of center (when in doubt - centralize, very good rule of thumb!). You see that there is not that much to do in the position, it is fairly evenly balanced but black can improve for example playing profylactic Kb8 (getting king safer+ rid of Bf5 threats), a6 (giving escape route for later, no backrank problems). After those black can see if white has done some dubious things / start developing his game even further.
One plan for example is to seek chance to exchange bishops! Your bishop is not that active and white bishop controls e4, getting rid of those you can put your knight to e4 or just double on e file. You are attacking weakness, white is on defensive side. Concrete bishop exchange plan is to play Bb5 if white moves knight from c3. a6 serves for this purpose too, being profylactic and activating exchange plan!
In these even games where "nothing happens" I think it is important to be patient, just get your pieces to better squares, seek for good trades, do useful profylactic moves (moves that are taking away future possible problems). Also many times opponent is not doing optimal stuff... You can just think what would happen if you would have played the example 15. ... Rhe8, 16. ...Kb8 17. ...a6 with your opponent doing some odd thing like in the game (a3, Na2 etc.). Note that also some g4-stuff has no meaning... What is white going to do? He is just creating more weakness for moving pawns. You should not move pawns aimlessly, you never cannot take those moves back. f4 is good example... Think about it being on f2 - black would not have this easy time to put pressure on white camp.
Critical point 2 - Move 23 - whites aggression
It is white to move his move number 23. He has a very good and solid plan just to take control of open file or just exchange everything away. Just Red1 and Qd2... Still if everything is exchanged it is white that is CLEARLY better whatever comp. eval (for reasoning read earlier comments about minor pieces).
White ignores this natural plan and goes g4?!
As I have said before...
1. Black has inferior minor piece since his pawns are blocking it.
2. Position has a closed nature and it works better for knight.
Let me ask you why we are talking about bishop pair or bishop being better than knight?
Bishop is able to affect both sides of board. It's reach is far bigger in open position than knights.
LOOK AT THE POSITION AFTER 23. g4. Keep 2 points in mind
(1. Black has inferior minor piece since his pawns are blocking it.
2. Position has a closed nature and it works better for knight. )
and make up a strategy!
And there it is... fxg4! Opening the position, activating the bishop. Piece that once was struggling to be active and useful is reaching its potential.
After 23. ...fxg4 24. hxg4 Bxg4 25. Rxd8 (kind of must... Nxe4 Rxd4 exd4 = f pawn weak, pawns are not threatning to promote, blacks h pawn does) 25. ... Rxd8 26. Nxe4
Example continuation :
26. ...Rd1+ 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Qd2 Bf3 29. Nc5 g5
Endgame is clearly better for black since
1. Open position - bishop is better than knight.
2. Blacks passed pawn on g-file is better than whites e, since it is outside. If this is not clear to you check some pawn endings or information about it. Very usual and basic theme! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passed_pawn
So whites decision to open up position is not good. He has strategically better game and he destroys it in one go.
So no, you don't want to keep close position with 23. ...g6 24. ...h5
You want to take your chance to open up the game for your bishop. 23. fxg4!
CRITICAL 3 - From winning to draw
You are up material after whites blunder. Whites chance for draw is some activity with his queen. You don't want to give those chances.
= You want your king safe and then just slowly improve your position, get bishop to good square, attack pawns...
For example after 36. Qc3 just 36. ... Kb6, 37. ...Ka7, 38. ...b6 39. ...Kb7 or something like that when king is completely safe, no activity for white. Black is just gradually grinding the game.
Trading queens always good option if allowed.
Long post but very instructing stuff there, I think. Hope you managed to read here / check game again wiht comments :)
I have no analysis by comp. so there can be some continuations I overlook, but I think strategic themes I explain are true.
Well played still!