Fagernes Round Three

FACED the younger sister of tournament organiser Hans Olav Lahlum.

Spanton (1876) - Ida Lahlum (1755)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7!?

The modern popularity of this move may have something to do with it scoring an excellent 52% in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, while the commoner 3...Bd7 scores a 'normal' 46%.

4.d4 cxd4!?

Black is often advised to throw in 4...Ngf6 before capturing on d4, the idea being to induce White to play 5.Nc3 and so rule out a Maróczy Bind. However Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 prefer the text.

5.Qxd4 Nf6 6.Bg5 h6!?

Komodo14.1 quite likes this, but the mainline in Mega24 runs 6...a6 7.Bxd7+ Bxd7 8.Nc3 e6 9.0-0-0 Be7 10.e5 dxe5 11.Nxe5 Bc6 12.Nxc6 bxc6, with the engines awarding White at least a slight edge.

7.Bxf6 gxf6

Black has won the bishop-pair, but is well behind in development and has a damaged pawn-structure

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Black's unopposed bishop is the dark-square one. It is worth paying attention to this bishop for the rest of the game.

8.Nc3 a6 9.Ba4!?

This may be a novelty. The engines prefer the known 9.Bxd7+, claiming 9...Bxd7 10.Nd5 gives White at least a slight edge.

9...b5 10.Bb3 Bb7

The engines like keeping the bishop-pair with 10...e6!?

11.Bd5 Bxd5 12.exd5 Rg8!? 13.0-0 Qb6 14.Re1 0-0-0!?

The engines strongly dislike this, wanting to keep the king in the centre of the board.

15.a4 b4 16.Ne2 Kb7

The engines suggest 16...Qxd4 or 16...e5, but give White at least the upper hand.

17.a5 Qc5

And here they want Black to swop queens, albeit agreeing White is positionally winning.

How should White proceed?

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18.Ra4!?

This wins a pawn as 18...Qxc2?! is as suicidal as it looks, eg 19.Rxb4+ Ka8 20.Rb6! Nxb6 21.Qxb6 Qc8 22.Rc1 Qb8 23.Rc7! Qxb6 24.axb6 Bg7 25.Nfd4 Rc8 26.Ra7+ Kb8 27.Nc6+ etc. More prosaic, but also winning, is 19.Qxb4+ Ka8 20.Ned4 Qc5 21.Qb3 Rc8 22.g3, after which, with the possibility of bank-rank mate averted, White's much better coordinated pieces should prevail.

18...Qxd4 19.Nexd4 Rc8 20.Rxb4+ Ka8

Black is not 'only' a pawn down, but has major problems getting the kingside pieces into play, and has the less-safe king

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21.Re3 Nc5 22.Rb6 Rb8

Losing a second pawn, but there is nothing better.

23.Rxb8+ Kxb8 24.Nc6+ Kc7 25.b4 Nd7 26.Nxe7 Rg4 27.c3 Ne5 28.Nf5 h5 29.h3 Nxf3+ 30.Rxf3 Re4

Again the engines reckon there is nothing better.

31.Re3 Re5

Or 31...Rxe3 32.fxe3, and the bishop is completely dominated.

32.Rxe5 fxe5 33.f3 Kd7 34.Kf2 Be7 35.Nxe7 Kxe7 36.b5 1-0