Lessons Not Learned

In an online game I was playing over the course of about a week, I achieved a position that I thought was completely lost.

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nf6
3. Nxe5 Qe7
4. d4 Nc6
5. Nxc6 Qxe4+
6. Qe2 Qxe2+
7. Bxe2 dxc6
8. O-O Bd6
9. Bg5 Bf5
10. Bxf6 gxf6
11. c3 O-O-O
12. Nd2 h5
13. Rae1 Rdg8
14. Kh1 Be6
15. Bc4 Bd5
16. Bxd5 cxd5
17. Nb3 Rg5
18. g3 h4
19. Kg2 f5
20. f4 Rg4
21. Re3 Rhg8
22. Rff3 Bxf4
23. Re7 hxg3
24. h3 Rh4
25. Rxf7 Rxh3

I had the White pieces and at this point, I resigned the game. Following that resignation, my opponent ask me why I resigned because he didn't think I was lost. This makes for a few really good lessons that I have an issue learning.

1) Never resign unless it is obvouse that I'm lost. In this game, it wasn't evident to my opponent that he had won.

2) Use all of your time. In this game I had a few days left to make a move so I should have studied longer and harder.

3) Always look for a better move. I looked at three or four options than resigned. I need to look deeper at other things.

Options:

a) 26. Rxf4 Rh2+ (27. Kf1 g2+ 29. Kg1 Rh1+ 30. Kf2 g1=Q+) (27. Kg1 g2 28. Rf2 Rh1#) So, the rook cannot take the Bishop.

b) 26. Rg7 just loses the rook after Rxg7 and then Black is up a rook and should still obtain his queen.

c) 26. Rxg3 and White trades his rook for the pawn and is in a lossing position.

d) 26. Kxh3 g2 Here 27. Rg3 loses to 27. ... Rxg3+, 28. Kh2 g1=Q#. 27. Rxf4 loses to g1=Q and a mate threat at Qh1#.

e) 26. Nc5 (or anywhere for that matter) and Rh2+ will allow Black to push the g pawn using checks to the end of the board.

f) 26. Rf8+ is the only last option, I believe. 26. ... Rxf8 27. Rxf4 Rh8. (Now if White plays Rf3 here, he will be losing after Black will be able to play f4 then Rh2+ with solid play and chances for that g pawn. However, if he plays Rxf5 then after 28. ... Rh2+, 29. Kxg3 Rxb2. Black will be ahead but White will still have some life left in him if he can mount a good defense.

So, I should have looked harder to find this last option. I still think that it will be a loss for White in the end but I should have looked harder before resigning. Of course, I still might be missing something so I sent this same information to him so he can tell me if there was another defense that I might have missed.