It is a decoy. The pawn you really want to advance is... I like this sort of thing. None of the knight moves are appealing, so the queen is drawn away from its blockading square.

I would have shoved the e-pawn with scarcely a thought, forcing the rook to move, then check with the bishop. The text looks like over-finessing to me. But I have a particular liking for forcing lines.

e7! agreed, It gives B lots to think about, all bad

... and a move too soon!

We have talking before about timing, this is another example right move, but not the right time.

A painful loss, with almost all the hard work done. Don't you just hate it when that happens?

interesting game. I've played a few similar games where one bad move spoiled a lot of good work. a tough loss, but way more good move played by you, than the few bad moves. good job

Many thanks everyone!