The role of White was played here by William Lapham of Ranier, Oregon.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 Bb4 6.e3 b5 7.Bd2 a5 8.axb5 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 cxb5 10.b3 Bb7 11.d5

A highly critical line of the Noteboom.

11...Nf6 12.bxc4 b4 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Qa4+ Nd7 15.Nd4 e5 16.Nb3 Ke7 17.Be2 Rhc8

17...Qd6 18.Nxa5 (18.f4 is also very strong, for example, 18...exf4 19.0-0!) 18...Nc5 19.Qd1 leaves Black with insufficient compensation for his pawn, according to van der Werf and van der Worm, Play the Noteboom Variation, Cadogan 1996.

18.Bg4 Qd6 19.Nxa5

Between White's 11th move and this one, there are a great many options for White, as may be seen from a review of a theory manual. But there are very few alternatives for Black, if White chooses to play this way.

19...Rxa5 20.Qxa5 Ra8 21.Qxa8 Bxa8 22.Bxd7!?

White forces a highly critical ending.

22...Bxd5 23.cxd5 Qxd7 24.0-0 Qxd5 25.Rfb1

I decided that it was necessary to try to save the b-pawn. Without it, I feared that it would be fairly simple for White to engineer an eventual conversion to a winning pawn ending by improving the position of his king and then exchanging the two rooks for a pawn and queen. But to keep the b-pawn ties the king to d6 and the queen more or less to the 4th rank.

25.Rab1 was played in Naumann-Buhr, German under 20 Championships, 1996 (the only other practical example of which I am aware). It continued 25...Qa5?! (25...Qe4!) 26.Rfd1 g6 27.Rb2 Kf6 28.Rdb1 Kg7 29.Rxb4 with advantage to White, who won in 137 moves. Black was wrong to cede the b-pawn so easily.

25...Qe4

25...b3? 26.Rb2;

25...Qb7? 26.Ra4 b3 27.Ra3 b2 28.Ra2;

25...Qc4? 26.Ra4.

26.Rb3 Kd6 27.Rc1 f5!

I now believe this move is indeed part of the correct drawing strategy, which is to blast away at White's e-pawn. But I did not appreciate this during the game, and when I played ...f5, I was merely pushing wood.

28.h3

White creates breathing space for his king.

28.f3 Qd5 (but not 28...Qh4? 29.Rcb1 Kc5 30.e4) 29.Rcb1 (29.Rxb4 Qd2) 29...Qd2 and the weakness of e3 makes it difficult for White to use his rooks effectively.

28...g5?

Pushing wood. I was dreaming of some sort of opening of the kingside, and I was simply unaware of the danger that my queen would run out of squares along the 4th rank.

I believe that 28...f4! was necessary, striving immediately to create a weakness or to obtain the d4 square.

A) 29.f3 Qd5 30.Rxb4 (30.Rcb1 fxe3 31.Rxb4 e2) 30...fxe3 31.Rb6+ Kd7;

B) 29.Rc8 fxe3 30.fxe3 Kd5 31.Rb8 Kc5;

C) 29.exf4 exf4

Black has increased the scope of his queen by making the d4 square available. 30.Rcb1 (30.Rc8 Qe1+ 31.Kh2 Qxf2 32.Rb8 f3 33.Rxf3 Qh4 and it looks like a draw) 30...Kc5 31.Kh2 Qd4 and it's hard to see how White can make progress.

29.Rc8 h5

Still merrily pushing wood, but it is too late anyhow for the more purposeful 29...f4 30.f3 Qb7 (30...Qf5 31.Rc4 fxe3 32.Kf1) 31.Rc4 fxe3 32.Rcxb4 Qc7 33.Re4.

30.Rb8 Kc5 31.f3 Qh4

Now came the painful realization that I was completely lost.

32.Rb1

Zugzwang.

32... Qg3

Black hopes desperately that ...g4 will become possible.

33.Rc1+ Kd5 34.Rb5+ Kd6 35.Rd1+ Ke6

Hopeless is 35...Kc6 36.Rxb4 g4 37.Rc4+ Kb5 38.Rc8.

36.Rb6+ Ke7 37.Ra1

Lapham set up a very challenging ending and then completely outplayed me.

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