Did I play ok?

Please let me know if this is a reasonably good live game by me. I am white. I think it is some sort of French defense. I guess it's pretty sloppy but I don't really know much about opening books.

thanks

This is a French exchange variation.  Look at the position after 12 moves.  Your bishops are pointing at the kingside, and you can start an attack with qh5, forcing some weakening of the kingside.  I see ways to continue no matter which defensive option black choses.  Instead, you decide to spend two moves trading your developed attacking light square bishop for his undeveloped light square bishop.  Bad plan.

I might have time for some other comments later, but this mistake contains a definite lesson.    

Ok thanks for that comment. I see what you mean about that. I just thought Qh5 might have been answered with g6 forcing my queen back into a pin or something. But g6 is maybe what you mean about forcing some weaknesses in his kingside. I'll have another look.

Well, actually black can play g6, h6 or nf8, so I was wrong, weakening isnt forced (nf8).  G6 or nf8 are both tennable, though white is doing very nicely either way.  G6 is a weakness, because black has no dark squared bishop to cover that hole - white's queen goes to h6, and black probably plays re6, because otherwise the epawn advances threatening mate.  There is no immediately winning attack, but white's position is clearly preferable.  Nf8 is just an awkward place for a knight.  H6 is fairly disasterous for black, although its tough to see how without high level tactics or an engine to help you through it.  

I didnt spot it without an engine, but turns out black needed to play 13. . . .nf5 to guard the e6 square, and 13. nb6 doesnt cut it.  After nb6, 14. e6 turns out to be a great move.  The tactics are advanced, but you might get some value playing them through with an engine.   

Black makes some mistakes and you win a pawn, and are doing great again.  29. f6 is premature and throws a good chunk of your advantage away.  29. bg5 is much stronger, restricting the knight, threatening f6 for real, and forcing black's king to move back.  31. g5 isnt the right way to go either, because it ties the bishop down, and prevents you from being able to move the hpawn.  33 bg3 admits your mistake by giving up your extra pawn -- you got very lucky black didnt take it with only a small advantage for white.

I feel like you played very well for your rating overall.  The biggest teachable moments as far as I can see are the bishop move on 13, and 31. g5, which is just visually not how you advance a pawn majority.  

Thanks very much for that really helpful reply and analysis. I'll look into everything you said when I get a minuite. Really appreciate it :)

Like Art said, 13. e6 is a winning move, but I disagree with Art's assesment that the tatics are hard to see. 

Qh5-Re3-Bxh7 or Bxg6.

It's much easier for white to attack than for black to defend.

I saw 13. e6 without an engine. Once you see the possibility of Qh5, your first thought should be to activate your two wonderful bishops. 

Screw the pawn. It's not going to remain on the e file forever anyway, so why fret over sacrificing it?

@LightninHopkins:  totally agree that 13. e6 is reasonable to look at, and very logical to instinctively play in a blitz game.  This kind of position with the two bishops like that and the possibility of a rooklift is often winning somhow.  It turns out though that Stockfish thinks black can defend, and that 13. qh5 is somewhat better.  In the game, after black moves the knight out of range to help, 14. e6 gives a sizeable advantage -- black has to sacrifice the rook or gets rolled by tactics.  

I just analysed ur game with an engine. It says 14. e6 would have been much better than BXc8 {14.e6 Rxe6 15.Bxe6 Bxe6 16. Qd4 }

Secondly at 29th move, it says that f6 was a weak move Bg5 would have been better

Lastly at 56th move, it says that sacrificing Bishop with Bxb4 was a brilliant idea, it just ended the last hope.

Anyways, very interesting game to watch.

by the way i just tried sparkchess, but the interface is quite flashy and less user friendly. why don't u play on FICS, a lot of mobile / desktop applications are available apart from the web interface.and a lot of opponents ready to play (just a suggestion)

I think you had the best strategy to simplify the position when you were winning. The one move that stands out as being poor is 26 f5+? which lets his king penetrate into your position which gave him a lot of threats later. You should have kept that door closed. Apart from that I think you played well.