Hello, I would really appreciate some detailed analysis and coaching on this game.
I am around 500 rating on Chess.com, so I would be very grateful if you could explain things in a beginner-friendly and detailed way, especially how I should think and make decisions during the game.
My Chess.com ID: OpeningEnthusiastt
Game PGN:
[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2026.04.22"]
[Round "?"]
[White "dpandey6"]
[Black "OpeningEnthusiastt"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "900+10"]
[WhiteElo "442"]
[BlackElo "526"]
[Termination "OpeningEnthusiastt won by abandonment"]
[ECO "C20"]
[EndTime "8:03:36 GMT+0000"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/live/167654610070"]
1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 3. Bc4 g6 4. Qf3 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 6. Bg5 Bb4+ 7. c3 Be7 8. d4
exd4 9. cxd4 Nxd4 10. Qc3 c5 11. b4 d6 12. e5 Ne4 13. Qd3 Nxg5 14. bxc5 dxe5 15.
Nd2 Qa5 16. h4 Nge6 17. O-O-O Nxc5 18. Qb1 Be6 19. Re1 Bf5 20. Qb2 O-O 21. Rxe5
Qc7 22. Ngf3 Rad8 23. Nxd4 Qxe5 24. N2f3 Qf4+ 25. Kd1 Bf6 26. g3 Rxd4+ 27. Nxd4
Qxd4+ 28. Qxd4 Bxd4 0-1
Thank you very much for your help.
I really want to understand how to think during the game and improve my play.
Igor Smirnov gives good advice on how to decide which move to make. His video on Capablanca's method of the 'least active piece' helped me.
Here's what I noticed in this game,
Move 5: the main response here is to advance the knight to D4 to threaten a fork on C2
Move 15: a bit risky. Alternatives are Bishop f5 to attack C2 or just castle.
Late game: It's good to put Rooks to the open files
I hope this helps
Mistake 1: Inaccuracy 5...Bc5 instead of 5...Nd4
This move looks natural because you develop the bishop and aim at f2, but it lets White complete development smoothly. The main problem is you missed an immediate tactical refutation of Whites early queen sortie. After 5...Nd4, the knight forks the queen and the c2 pawn. White must retreat with 6.Qd1, and then you play 6...d5 with a huge initiative. For example, 7.exd5 b5 forces the bishop into an awkward position. Stockfish evaluates 5...Nd4 at around -1.0 for Black, while after 5...Bc5 the evaluation swings back to +0.38, a difference of more than a pawn. The recommended punishment from White after your move is 6.Ne2, preparing d4 and consolidating, though your opponent played 6.Bg5 which was weaker and let you keep equality.
Mistake 2: Inaccuracy 6...Bb4+ instead of 6...Be7
The check with the bishop seems active, but it actually helps White. After 7.c3 the bishop must retreat to e7, and White has gained a useful pawn on c3 that strengthens the centre and prepares d4. You lose a tempo and provoke the very move White wanted to play anyway. With 6...Be7 you keep a flexible position without encouraging White to build a strong pawn chain. The evaluation after 6...Be7 is about +0.19, whereas after 6...Bb4+ and the natural 7.c3 it rises to +0.76 in Whites favour. The ideal continuation from White would have been 7.Nc3 followed by Ne2, h4, and Nd5, seizing the centre. Your opponent played the slightly less precise 7.c3 but still got a stable advantage.
Mistake 3: Inaccuracy 10...c5 instead of 10...Bb4
Here you had a concrete tactical idea based on a pin. The move 10...Bb4 exploits the awkward position of Whites queen. After 11.e5 Qe7 12.Bxf6 Qc5, Black has serious pressure on the pinned knight and the f2 square. Instead, 10...c5 weakens the d5 square and d6, and releases the tension without achieving anything specific. The evaluation before your move was -2.65 for Black. After 10...c5 it drops to -1.90. White could have punished this with 11.Nd2, solidifying the position and threatening e5 or b4. You missed the chance to increase your advantage directly with the pin along the a5-d8 diagonal.
Mistake 4: Mistake 11...d6 instead of 11...Nxe4
This was a serious tactical oversight. White just played the blunder 11.b4, and you had a direct chance to win material. The move 11...Nxe4 wins a pawn and rips open Whites king position. After 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Qb2 b5, the knight on d4 remains a monster and Whites centre collapses. If White tries 13.Qb2 Qf6 threatens mate on f2 and ties White in knots. The computer evaluation after 11...Nxe4 is -4.75, crushing for Black. Your move 11...d6 reduces the advantage to -2.73. This was the critical moment where you let White off the hook. The recommended continuation for White after your error is 12.Nd2, aiming to exchange the strong d4 knight and stabilize.
Mistake 5: Blunder 18...Be6 missing forced mate with 18...Qc3+
This is the most significant error of the game. White played the horrible 18.Qb1, completely neglecting the defence of c2. You have a forced mate in two moves: 18...Qc3+ 19.Qc2 Qxc2#. The white king is trapped on d1, and the queen must block on c2, leading to checkmate. Instead, you played a quiet developing move 18...Be6, and the evaluation went from mate in two to -9.14, which is still winning but no longer instantly decisive. The recommended line for White to resist after your mistake was 19.Rh3, sacrificing the exchange to create some chaos. Thankfully your opponent played 19.Re1, and you still won, but such a missed mate can cost games against stronger opponents.
Mistake 6: Inaccuracy 26...Rxd4+ instead of 26...Qxf3+ with forced mate
Another missed forced mate. After Whites blunder 26.g3, the king is fatally exposed. The killer blow is 26...Qxf3+. After 27.Be2 Qxh1+ 28.Kd2 Bxd4, White cannot defend against the dual threats of Qxe2 mate or a back rank mate. The computer gives mate in 7 moves. Your move 26...Rxd4+ simplifies into a winning endgame after 27.Nxd4 Qxd4+ 28.Qxd4 Bxd4, but you missed the aesthetic and forcing finish. The evaluation difference is between mate and -9.81, which is massive in practical terms. Always look for checks and queen sacrifices when the enemy king is stuck in the centre.
Overall summary: In the opening you played reasonable moves but missed two specific tactical refutations of Whites risky queen play, particularly 5...Nd4 and 10...Bb4. In the middlegame, you twice overlooked forced checkmates in favour of simpler continuations. The common theme is that when the opponent wastes time with the queen early and leaves their king in the centre, there are often immediate tactical shots available. Train your combination vision by solving mate in two and mate in three puzzles regularly, and always ask yourself what checks and captures are available before making a routine developing move. You had a winning game throughout, but polishing these killer instincts will make your victories much more clinical
@enpassant32 said [^](/forum/redirect/post/QTLy85ke)
> Igor Smirnov gives good advice on how to decide which move to make. His video on Capablanca's method of the 'least active piece' helped me.
>
This guy is very good to improve actually
@OpeningEnthusiastt said [^](/forum/redirect/post/ZtiPpPAi)
> Hello, I would really appreciate some detailed analysis and coaching on this game.
> I am around 500 rating on Chess.com, so I would be very grateful if you could explain things in a beginner-friendly and detailed way, especially how I should think and make decisions during the game.
>
> My Chess.com ID: OpeningEnthusiastt
>
> Game PGN:
>
> [Event "Live Chess"]
> [Site "Chess.com"]
> [Date "2026.04.22"]
> [Round "?"]
> [White "dpandey6"]
> [Black "OpeningEnthusiastt"]
> [Result "0-1"]
> [TimeControl "900+10"]
> [WhiteElo "442"]
> [BlackElo "526"]
> [Termination "OpeningEnthusiastt won by abandonment"]
> [ECO "C20"]
> [EndTime "8:03:36 GMT+0000"]
> [Link "https://www.chess.com/game/live/167654610070"]
>
> 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 3. Bc4 g6 4. Qf3 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 6. Bg5 Bb4+ 7. c3 Be7 8. d4
> exd4 9. cxd4 Nxd4 10. Qc3 c5 11. b4 d6 12. e5 Ne4 13. Qd3 Nxg5 14. bxc5 dxe5 15.
> Nd2 Qa5 16. h4 Nge6 17. O-O-O Nxc5 18. Qb1 Be6 19. Re1 Bf5 20. Qb2 O-O 21. Rxe5
> Qc7 22. Ngf3 Rad8 23. Nxd4 Qxe5 24. N2f3 Qf4+ 25. Kd1 Bf6 26. g3 Rxd4+ 27. Nxd4
> Qxd4+ 28. Qxd4 Bxd4 0-1
>
> Thank you very much for your help.
> I really want to understand how to think during the game and improve my play.
Copy the PGN in lichess by going through « Tools » then « Analysis board » then require computer analysis and you have it !
You posted a game you won. Better post one you lost.
https://www.chess.com/game/live/167654610070
https://www.chess.com/game/live/167756195290
https://lichess.org/Fkl3pPfI
https[colon]//lichess[period]org/Fkl3pPfI
"... [1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 f5] was already considered a very dubious idea even before modern computers got to work on it, ... the opening is now very rare. ..." - Practical Chess Openings (2025) by GM Martyn Kravtsiv
Both players under 850 points
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