The role of White was played here by Ron Lifson of Buffalo, Minnesota.

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.bxc4

11.d5 as played in Lapham-Morss, 1997 U.S. Absolute, will be treated in next month's column.

11...b4 12.Bb2 Nf6 13.Bd3 Nbd7 14.0-0 0-0

The innocent-looking 14...Qc7 fails to 15.d5!

Analysis position after 15. d5

A) 15...exd5?! 16.cxd5 Bxd5 (16...Nxd5 17.Bxg7 Rg8 18.Rc1 Qd6 19.Bd4) 17.e4 Bc6 18.Rc1 Qb7 19.Ng5 with more than adequate compensation for the pawn, according to van der Werf and van der Vorm;

B) 15...e5 16.e4 0-0 (Novik-Karasev, St Petersburg 1994) 17.Rc1! and c4-c5 comes soon.

15.Re1

Within the past few years, this has become the leading method for meeting the Noteboom, and it is treated as the critical path in ECO-3.

15.Qc2 is the main alternative, and I suspect it is no worse than the fashionable text. It is extensively considered in ECO and by van der Werf and van der Vorm in their excellent Play the Noteboom Variation, Cadogan, 1996.;

15.Nd2 e5! (White would otherwise play f2-f4 with an enormous clamp)

A) 16.d5 Nc5 (the ideal post for a Black knight in the Noteboom, commanding the squares in front of both passed pawns) 17.Bf5 Qd6 and Black has a significant advantage;

B) 16.Re1 Re8 17.Bc2 Qe7!? (Black attempts to force an ending, but 17...Qc7 looks safe enough) 18.Ba4 exd4 is presently being contested in Duliba-Morss, 1998 U.S. Absolute;

C) 16.dxe5 16...Nxe5 17.Bxh7+ Nxh7 18.Bxe5 Qg5 offered Black excellent compensation for his pawn in Forgo-Scholten, corr 1986.

15...Re8

Alternatives see Michelman-Morss.

16.e4 e5 17.c5 exd4 18.Rc1

Position after 18. Rc1

18...Rc8!

It seemed best to confront White's c-pawn, which otherwise goes on a rampage. Also, van der Werf and van der Vorm opine that Black in the Noteboom should play his rooks to the same files that White does - advice that I am inclined to trust.

Terribly dangerous but not necessarily losing is 18...Bxe4 19.c6

Analysis position after 19. c6

A) In Krivoseja-Bogdanovic, Leutersdorf 1998, Black went from worse to worse with 19...Bxf3 20.Qxf3 Rxe1+? (better according to Krivoseja was 20...Nb6 21.Rxe8+ Nxe8 22.Qf4 Nd5 23.Qxd4) 21.Rxe1 Nb6 22.c7! Qxc7 23.Bxd4 and soon lost;

B) 19...Nb6 20.Bxe4

B1) 20...Rxe4 21.Rxe4 Nxe4 22.c7 Qd7 (22...Qd5 23.Bxd4 Nc8 24.Qa4 Krivoseja; 22...Qd6 is analogous) 23.Bxd4 Nc8 24.Ne5 Qd5 "unclear" - Krivoseja;

B2) 20...Nxe4 21.c7 Qd5 (21...Qd7 22.Bxd4 Nc8 23.Ne5 Qd5 24.Nc6 "with compensation" - Krivoseja. ) 22.Bxd4 Nc4 (22...Nc8 23.Rc5 Qb7 24.Ng5! Krivoseja) 23.Qb3 (23.Bxg7 Qxd1 24.Rexd1 Kxg7 25.Rxc4 b3 and Black's queenside pawns appear to give sufficient counterplay - Morss) 23...Ned6 24.Be5 a4 (but Krivoseja does not say what White should do after 24...Qb5!) 25.Qxb4 Nxe5 26.Nxe5 Rxe5 Krivoseja, and now 27.Qb8+!

19.Bb5

This is given as good by Krivoseja in Informant 72 (Game 363), but with no further analysis.

19...Bxe4 20.c6

Position after 20. c6

20.Nxd4 Qc7 21.c6 Nb6 22.f3 Bg6 23.Rxe8+ Rxe8 and White doesn't seem to have enough for his pawn.;

20.Bxd4? Bc6

20...Ne5!

This strong, centralizing move, seeking play on the kingside, should have been obvious. But it didn't occur to me right away.

I first analyzed 20...Nb6 21.c7 Rxc7 22.Bxe8 Rxc1

Analysis postion after 22...Rxc1

(22...Bxf3 23.Qxd4 Rxc1 24.Rxc1 Bd5 25.Bb5 is probably best, but Black's queenside pawns don't seem to have enough mobility to offset the lost exchange.) I thought for a while that I would have the advantage here, but then I noticed 23.Bxf7+ Kxf7 24.Ng5+ Kg8 25.Qxc1 and the game is complicated, but it isn't clear that Black's pawns are all that much of an antidote to White's exchange. For example 25...Bf5 (or 25...Ba8 26.Ne6 Qd5 27.f3) 26.Qc5.

21.c7?

Highly consistent, but fatal.

21.Nxe5 Rxe5 22.Ba6 Rg5 23.Bxc8 Rxg2+ 24.Kf1 Rxh2 and Black is winning;

Necessary was 21.Nxd4 Qc7 22.f3 Bd5 with a very complicated game in view of White's possibly dangerous c-pawn, but Black undoubtedly has some advantage with his extra pawn and his piece activity.

21...Qd5!

Position afer 21...Qd5

White is now in terrible difficulty. Black's position is a model of centralization.

22.Bxe8?

Consistent to the last.

22.Nxd4 Bxg2 23.Bxe8 Bh3 24.f3 Nd3! and Black has a powerful initiative;

22.Nxe5 Qxb5 23.Qxd4 Qd5 24.f3 Qxd4+ 25.Bxd4 Bd5 and Black's passed a- and b-pawns are dangerous, while White's c-pawn is merely weak.

22...Nxf3+ 23.gxf3 Bxf3 24.Rc5

Desperation.

24.Qd2 Qf5 25.Bd7 Qg6+ and mates in three.

24...Qxc5 25.Qxf3 Nxe8 26.Qb7 Nd6

The ending is hopeless for White.