Automatically Bad

PLAYED in division one of the Central London League last night on board four for Battersea 2 against Rangers.
Carsten Pedersen (192) - Spanton (168)
Vienna Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.fxe5 Nxe4 5.Nf3 Be7 6.Qe2 f5!?
6...Nxc3 is overwhelmingly most popular.
7.d3
The normal move, presumably at least partly because the white queen looks awkwardly placed if the e file is opened by 7.exf6 Nxf6.
7...Nxc3 8.bxc3 0-0 9.Be3?
A novelty, and not a good one as it lets Black play a desirable move with tempo. Tartakower in a 1929 game at Scarborough chose 9.d4.
9...f4 10.Bf2 Nc6 11.d4 Bf5 12.Qd1 Qd7 13.Bd3 Kh8 14.h3 g5 15.Nh2 Qe6 16.Bxf5 Rxf5 17.0-0 Raf8?
An 'automatic' move, played almost immediately, to add pressure on the f file, but much better was 17...Na5.

Position after 17...Raf8?

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
18.c4!
Now White is equal.
18...Na5 19.cxd5 Qxd5 20.Qf3 Rd8 21.Rfe1 Nc4 22.Rab1 b6 23.Qg4 Rdf8 24.Nf3 Qf7 25.Nh2
Black threatened the devastating 25...h5.
25...Qd5 26.Qf3 Rd8 27.Qg4 Rdf8 28.Qf3 Rd8 29.Qg4 ½–½
Rangers won the match 3-2.
My updated Battersea statistics for 2019-20
Event*..Colour...Grade...Opponent's Grade...Result
CLL..…...B....…..168...………169...……….....W
CLL...…..B...…...168...………196...…………..D
CLL...…..W...…..168...………176...…………..L
LL....……W...…..168...…....…175...………….D
CLL...…..B...…...168...………192...…………..D
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +1=3-1 for a grading performance of 182.
In season 2018-19 I scored +12=12-13 for a grading performance of 169.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.
*CLL: Central London League; LL: London League