Elephant gambit game analysis

Question

I would like to get some explanations on the mistakes and blunders of my game posted below. My Lichess rating is around 1770, so I do not know if the mistakes of the game are hard to spot for my level or not.

I am more interested in getting an explanation about why the moves are bad, rather than which are the best moves (I can do that with the computer).

[Title "bird67-chessAlleyne, Lichess, 11/9/19"]
[FEN ""]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 { C40 Elephant Gambit } 3. exd5 c6?! { (0.74 → 1.78) Inaccuracy. Best move was Qxd5. } (3... Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qc5 5. Bb5+ c6 6. Ba4 Nf6 7. O-O Be7 8. h3) 4. dxc6?! { (1.78 → 0.85) Inaccuracy. Best move was Nxe5. } (4. Nxe5 Qxd5 5. d4 Nf6 6. c4 Qd8 7. Nc3 c5 8. Be3 Bd6) 4... Nxc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bb5 e4 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. Ne5?? { (0.95 → -0.59) Blunder. Best move was Qe2. } (8. Qe2 Bf5 9. Nxe4 Nxe4 10. d3 Qe7 11. dxe4 Qxe4 12. Qxe4+ Bxe4) 8... Qd6? { (-0.59 → 0.55) Mistake. Best move was Qd4. } (8... Qd4 9. f4) 9. d4 Ba6 10. Be3 Rb8 11. Rb1?! { (0.10 → -0.54) Inaccuracy. Best move was b3. } (11. b3 Rd8) 11... Be7?! { (-0.54 → 0.00) Inaccuracy. Best move was Qc7. } (11... Qc7 12. Ne2) 12. f3?! { (0.00 → -0.72) Inaccuracy. Best move was Bf4. } (12. Bf4 Nd5) 12... exf3? { (-0.72 → 0.68) Mistake. Best move was Nd5. } (12... Nd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. fxe4 dxe4 15. c4 O-O 16. Qa4 Rfc8 17. O-O f6 18. c5 Qe6 19. d5) 13. Qxf3 c5? { (0.34 → 1.50) Mistake. Best move was O-O. } (13... O-O 14. Qxc6 Rbc8 15. Qxd6 Bxd6 16. Kd2 Bb4 17. Kc1 Bb7 18. Nd3 a5 19. Re1 Bxg2 20. Bg5) 14. Ne2?? { (1.50 → -0.61) Blunder. Best move was Nc6. } (14. Nc6) 14... cxd4 15. Bf4?? { (-0.18 → -1.78) Blunder. Best move was Qc6+. } (15. Qc6+ Kf8 16. Bf4 Qxc6 17. Nxc6 Re8 18. Nxe7 Kxe7 19. Nxd4 Kd7+ 20. Kd2 Ne4+ 21. Kc1 Nf2) 15... Qb4+? { (-1.78 → -0.64) Mistake. Best move was Rc8. } (15... Rc8) 16. Kd1? { (-0.64 → -2.15) Mistake. Best move was c3. } (16. c3 dxc3) 16... O-O 17. Nc6 Bb7?? { (-2.59 → 1.64) Blunder. Best move was Bxe2+. } (17... Bxe2+) 18. Bxb8?? { (1.64 → -1.26) Blunder. Best move was Nxb4. } (18. Nxb4 Bxf3 19. Bxb8 Bxg2 20. Rg1 Rxb8 21. Na6 Rb6 22. Rxg2 Nd5 23. Kd2 Rxa6 24. Rg4 d3) 18... Bxc6 19. Qxc6 Qxb8 20. Nxd4?? { (-0.99 → -5.76) Blunder. Best move was Qf3. } (20. Qf3) 20... Rd8?? { (-5.76 → 0.00) Blunder. Best move was Qf4. } (20... Qf4) 21. c3 Qf4?? { (0.00 → 1.92) Blunder. Best move was Nd5. } (21... Nd5 22. Kc2 Ne3+ 23. Kd3 Ng4 24. Kc2) 22. Qf3?? { (1.92 → 0.00) Blunder. Best move was Kc2. } (22. Kc2) 22... Qg5?? { (0.00 → 3.65) Blunder. Best move was Rxd4+. } (22... Rxd4+ 23. cxd4 Qxd4+ 24. Ke2 Qc4+ 25. Qd3 Qg4+ 26. Kf1 Qf4+ 27. Ke1 Qb4+ 28. Kd1 Qg4+ 29. Qe2) 23. Rf1?? { (3.65 → 1.53) Blunder. Best move was Kc2. } (23. Kc2 Qg6+) 23... Bc5 24. Ke1?? { (2.07 → -1.14) Blunder. Best move was Rc1. } (24. Rc1) 24... Ng4?? { (-1.14 → 0.74) Blunder. Best move was Qe5+. } (24... Qe5+ 25. Qe2 Bxd4 26. cxd4 Qxd4 27. Rxf6 Qxf6 28. Rd1 Rb8 29. Rd2 g6 30. Qf2 Qe6+ 31. Kf1) 25. Qxf7+?! { (0.74 → 0.00) Inaccuracy. Best move was Rd1. } (25. Rd1) 25... Kh8 26. Rf5?? { (0.00 → -16.83) Blunder. Best move was Qf4. } (26. Qf4 Qe7+ 27. Kd2 Bxd4 28. Qxg4 Bxc3+ 29. Kxc3 Qe3+ 30. Kb4 Rd4+ 31. Qxd4 Qxd4+ 32. Ka3 Qd6+) 26... Qe3+ 27. Kd1 h6?? { (-13.91 → 0.00) Blunder. Best move was Qd3+. } (27... Qd3+) 28. Kc2?? { (0.00 → -9.63) Blunder. Best move was Rxc5. } (28. Rxc5 Rxd4+ 29. Kc2 Rd2+ 30. Kb3 Qxc5 31. Qe8+ Kh7 32. Qe4+ Kh8) 28... Bxd4 29. cxd4 Qe4+ 30. Kd2?! { (-10.54 → Mate in 3) Checkmate is now unavoidable. Best move was Kb3. } (30. Kb3 Rb8+ 31. Ka3 Qxb1 32. Rb5 Qd3+ 33. b3 Qxb5 34. Qc4 Qxc4 35. bxc4 Ne3 36. Ka4 Nxc4) 30... Rxd4+ 31. Kc3 { White resigns. } 0-1

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I think there are a few things here.

1. When playing a gambit line that maybe you do not know, the first thing I would recommend is not necessarily taking it. Either 3.Ne5 or even 3.d4 look safer.
2. On move four, you had the choice of taking two pawns, one that developed his N, and the other, which took a center pawn. The center P was easily the right way to go since you could then support it with d4.
3. After that, you totally neglected your king's safety. 5.Bb5 followed by a quick 0-0 was in order.
4. 9.d4 letting him keep your king in the center with Ba6 was close to the fatal mistake practically. Your position according the computer is still OK, and might even have a small plus, but as a human, it is all but impossible to play accurately there. You need to keep that idea in mind: Is a position easy or difficult to play? Tal made a living giving the other guy a position that was tough to play, even if Tal's sacrifices were not always sound.
5. I liked that you played Rb1 instead of b3 weakening the dark squares. That was very good as that additional weakness might have been fatal.
6. When under attack, you should always be looking for ways to trade down, especially trading queens, thus missing the obvious 14.Qc6 hurt. You were virtually winning there.

The rest was really just tactical miss after tactical miss by both sides.

Lastly, after going through that with my computer and Stockfish compared to the lichess engine, I would say that you need to take some of the evals with a grain of salt.

  [FEN ""]
  1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 c6 4. dxc6 (4. Nxe5) 4... Nxc6 5. Nc3 (5. Bb5) Nf6 6. Bb5 e4 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. Ne5 (8. Qe2) 8... Qd6 (8... Qd4 9. Nxc6 Qc5) 9. d4 (9. Nc4) Ba6 10. Be3 Rb8 11. Rb1 Be7 12. f3 exf3 13. Qxf3 c5 14. Ne2 (14. Qc6+) cxd4 15. Bf4 (15. Qc6+) 15... Qb4+ 16. Kd1 (16. Bd2) 16... O-O Nc6 Bb7 18. Bxb8 (18. Nxb4 Bxf3 19. Bxb8 Bxg2 20. Rg1 Rxb8 21. Na6 Rb6 22. Rxg2 Rxa6 23. Nxd4) 18... Bxc6 19. Qxc6 Qxb8 20. Nxd4 Rd8 (20... Qf4 21. c3 Ne4 22. Nf3 Rd8+ 23. Kc2 Qf5) 21. c3 Qf4 22. Qf3 Qg5 (22... Rxd4+ 23. cxd4 Qxd4+ 24. Kc2 Qc4+) 23. Rf1 Bc5 24. Ke1 Ng4 25. Qxf7+ Kh8 26. Rf5 Qe3+ 27. Kd1 h6 28. Kc2 (28. Rxc5) 28... Bxd4 29. cxd4 Qe4+ 30. Kd2 Rxd4+ 31. Kc3 0-1

Answer 2

After 13...c5 white had a pretty big advantage. After that there are wide swings between both sides for the rest of the game with the advantage changing 6 times. That means the opening had zero effect on the outcome of the game.

That being said, 8. Ne5 was a pretty weak move. After 8...Qd4 how are you going to both protect the knight and prevent black playing Bc5 threatening mate? 9. f4 is the only reasonable answer but white is struggling at point. Black has a strong initiative and white is playing for equality. Better is either 7. Qe2 or 8. Qe2. In both cases, white is eliminating the threat of capturing the knight by pinning the pawn and creating his own threat by bringing two pieces (and potentially a third w/Ng5) against black's pawn which is only defended once. Since the f8 bishop is dark squared it can't develop and defend the pawn at the same time. Black is forced to either develop and get his king to safety (losing the pawn) or try and protect the pawn which will likely leave him with an overextended attack and lagging behind in development. Long story short, after Qe2 white has the initiative and an advantage but after 8. Ne5 is handing over the initiative and struggling for equality.