David — you had it won at move 17
The story of the game
This one stings because you were winning. James's 17.Bd3 was a real blunder: his queen on e4 was loose, his king stuck on e1, and the engine had Black near +5. The win asked you to keep the queens on and pour down the e-file at that stranded king. Instead 17...Bf5 attacked the queen — and let it escape with 18.Qxe7, trading off the very piece your attack depended on. From winning you were back to level, and then the endgame slipped away.
The key moment: 17...Bf5
Attacking the queen feels like the aggressive move, but look at how the queen answers: 18.Qxe7 — it doesn't run, it trades, and it takes your attack with it. When you're the one attacking a king stuck in the centre, the queens are your best pieces; trading them is the defender's dream.
The move was Qd8 — quiet, but it keeps the queens on and reloads the e-file. After Qe3 Rxe3+ fxe3 Qe8, White's king has no shelter and the rooks crash through; the engine has that near +5. The question to carry: before a move that "attacks" something, ask what the target does in reply. If the reply is a trade that helps the opponent, the threat was an illusion.
The endgame: 28...Rh8
Level rook endgame — and here your own profile note came true. James had grabbed the seventh with 23.Rg7 and was pressing; the defence was the active Rg6, challenging the rook and making counterplay. 28...Rh8 was the passive retreat, and passive is exactly what a worse rook endgame punishes. After 29.Rxf5 and 30.Rgxf7 you were two pawns down with nothing active.
Phase notes
- Opening: fine, though 6...Qe7+ was a slightly awkward check — the queen lands on e7 blocking your own rook and inviting the very trade that later saved James. Straightforward development was smoother.
- Middlegame: you outplayed the position into a winning one. The problem was a single conversion move, not the plan.
- Endgame: this is supposed to be your room, and the technique was there; the attitude wasn't. Active defence over passive retreat.
Profile check
Two standing items showed up. Leak #5 — passive defence, retreat before counterplay — is confirmed cleanly by 28...Rh8 over Rg6; this is the recurring one to hunt. And a new sibling to add: when you're attacking, keep the queens on — don't allow the trade that saves the defender (17...Bf5). Your endgame remains a genuine strength; the fix here is disposition, not knowledge.
What to drill next
- "What does the target do in reply?" — before every move that attacks a piece, check whether the reply is a trade or counterpunch that helps the opponent. 17...Bf5 fails this instantly.
- Attack-with-queens-on sets: winning attacking positions where the losing try is a tempting simplification — train yourself to keep the tension.
- Active rook defence: worse rook endgames where the only hold is the active rook (…Rg6 here). "Passive equals lost" is the lesson to overlearn.