What
@tpr and
@MrPushwood said +
with 10. f5 e5, the d6-pawn became backwards. A normal plan would be to occupy the d5-square with a piece.
=> Bishop to c4/b3, trade the dark bishop for the f6-knight, rook on d1, maybe the queen can help out guarding the light squares as well. You nurture and blockade Black's weakness, until you gain the maximum and convert that positional advantage to a material one or an attack. Good piece-Bad piece scenario.
But you choose a plan to attack the king with piece-play. The problem with that was that Black had no weaknesses on the kingside, lots of defenders nearby. And later on, he had the possibility to play d6-d5!
Luckily for you, your opponent folded to the pressure and played 15..h6? and (although your position was already much better by voluntary help from your opponent,) you got the weakness you needed handed to you. Your opponent justified your play, so to say.
I don't know if you calculated 16.Bxh6!, ripping open some files, but - like pushwood said: it was in the spirit of your play, because when you attack with pieces, you need one (or two) to break open the position. Files don't open up for free ;)
My personal gameplan after 10. f5 e5 would be to
a) control the d5-square (the normal plan as stated earlier, but without the actual occupation with a piece. To keep that as a threat in order to keep a game more complex.)
b) meanwhile, I would prevent counterplay by preparing for some b5-b4-push, which would disturb my knight from c3
c) and prepare for some pawn storm on the kingside, with my g- and h-pawn. maybe some rooks on the g-file: that kind of stuff.
Then it's game on...
The point is:
- you have to play the position. In this game, the main factor was the backwards d-pawn.
- In chess, you have to magnify your strong points and diminish your opponent's.
- You have to bolster your own weaknesses, make them irrelevant, or dissolve them.
- Meanwhile, you try to magnify your opponent's weaknesses. You abuse them. Exploit them. Be very, very mean to them. Torture them, but only kill the weakness if you have no better choice.
That is how you find your plans. That's how you diminish the chance of you wasting a perfectly good position by playing unimportant or even bad moves.
A thing that I also noticed about your game, was that you play some hope-chess, or there's work to be done on your timing. This might seem harsh critisism, but my remark is well intended.
Example: With f5, your position would improve after 10..exf5, but would worsen after 10..e5, which was played.
Another example was the ill-timed knight-jump to d5. Had Black not picked that off, it would have been a great move. But he did, and your position got worse.
If it's hopechess, there is a simple fix:
Always assume that your opponent finds the best move. If you cannot make an idea work, find another. Don't hope. Force.
Be objective, so I always say.
Good luck. Hope this helps. Nice games!
