Edit: I posted this game from memory, however the move order is wrong.
I played 29: f4, before I played Ba6. My opponent responded with Rh-d8
then the game continued with Ba6 - so one move was missing.
I played f4 to prevent my opponent from playing f4, giving his knight the dominant outpost on f5.
Your first ten moves were like the ones I played with this opening and I got beat badly by Chessmaster. I didn't know if h6 was right either but I liked it. Anyway it looks like you have an edge. You can get a similar set up against the French defence using the Paulsen.
On 23 I would have played Rgc1 instead of a4. If White moves to a5 then Qc3 with the aim of exchanging the Queens and White occupying the 7th Rank keeping the Knight pinned followed by Rc1 gaining control of the open file. On 29.Ra7 might be better threatening to double Rooks on the 7th Rank and after exchaning Rooks to eventually play Rb7 winning one or more pawns and advancing the passed pawn(s).
Mike
This game is actually against chessmaster by the way, set to master level. But it's really not very strong. I need another chess program to clobber me.
I like 23 Rgc1 as well, by the way.
This is only my opinion (I note my rating is considerably less than yours), but it seems to me that towards the end of the game, your advantage consisted of your active pieces, rather than material. Therefore, it seems odd to exchange those pieces for Black's (obviously inferior) pieces. All he had to do was get those pieces off the board (as he did) and the draw was the only result that was ever going to happen.
Just my 2c.
That's right. I'm just wondering how an exchange could have been avoided.
I can't believe you drew that... you had rooks doubled on the seventh (I thought you should have gotten them their earlier) ...what was wrong with the simple:
Yes that certainly wins. I lost my head and assumed that trading off one of the rooks was a good idea, not only was that on it's own a bad idea, but black could also force the trade of the second rook, leaving a dead draw.
P.S I can't believe I drew it either.
Well, personally I would have taken the pawn. It completely frees up your kingside pawns to move and the only thing you have to worry about is a backward h pawn which is easily defended. The knight seems to be perfectly fine as it can easily go back to f4. I don't see much danger in it. I couldn't imagine a flank file could be compensation, maybe a central one. Chess master probably hung the pawn because maybe it didn't like the f file opening with Nxg6 fxg6 (I can't grasp why in the world it played ...Kf8 though) or maybe it's doing that thing where it plays really well but it also throws in some really bad moves to lower its strength.
And for the part with the two rooks on the 7th, you had to be winning. You probably shouldn't have played Bc6, trading off one of your strong rooks which takes pressure off of him. The line JG27Pyth posted looks great and simple too. Did you have a clear head playing that position?
LOL
It was against an engine which tends to reduce my fighting spirit and it was 4:30 in the morning. So no.
But I have a chronic problem with winning positions. I never seem to win them. I get my nice, breezy looking, winning position (this was an extreme example) and then I sort of check out for the rest of the game.
The same thing happens when I win a pawn, I expect the game to win itself.
The exact same thing used to happen to me. It can be very annoying. Finally that problem is gone for the most part, and I notice although of course my play has improved from months ago, what still happens is that I tend to get great positions out of the opening or a winning position and I can convert them a reasonable amount of the time (though it's not uncommon to get a draw, but before I would often completely blow the game and lose!). The biggest mistake one can make when they win a pawn is not only thinking the game will win itself, but to not create a plan, thinking there is no need for one when they're up. But doing well in pawn up positions is not just about trading off, it's about trying to accumulate other positional advantages. if you do that, worst case scenario is that you don't and you're still just up a pawn. However if you played without a plan, most likely your opponent instead made some positional gains and some compensation for the pawn, meanwhile you're in time pressure and have several pawns attacked. At that point you're happy with a draw but in my experience alot of times I didn't even get that.
I think the move 8... Kf8 is to protect the g7 square after ... Nf6 then ... Bd3.
BTW, what version of CM do you have? I have CM9000. CM9000 was the version that beat a US GM in a three game match so I figured it was plenty strong for me and it's engine seems stronger than CM 10.
Unlike CM 2000, I've only been able to beat CM9000 twice--- both times with the Philidor defence against the Bird personality and Anand personality. I got clobbered all the other times...
Winning won positions is a chronic problem all players have had since Tarrasch...
Mike
I don't even think ...c5 needs to be prepared on the seventh move, just 7...c5 and ...Nc6 and I'm sure black is fine. I would say white's kingside space has its ups and downs, as some light squares are quite weak.
I'm going to show you a game in the Caro Kan advance opening (an opening which I'm not at all familiar with).
During this game I managed to cultivate, what I believe, was a large advantage, however the game ended up a draw. Does anyone have any ideas as to how I could have made something of my perceived advantage? Or was there no advantage at all?
I think I gave my opponent a way out when I allowed my bishop to be pinned.