[Event "Icelandic National Ch"] [Site "?"] [Date "2021.??.??"] [Round "1"] [White "Stefansson, Hannes"] [Black "Gretarsson, Hjorvar Steinn"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E15"] [WhiteElo "2532"] [BlackElo "2588"] [Annotator "Goh,Kevin"] [PlyCount "82"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.05.15"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 d5 {This is a slightly rare continuation.} (5... Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 c6 {is the classical mainline and has been seen in thousands of games.}) 6. Bg2 Nbd7 {Again, Black deviates from the well-trodden path.} (6... Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Be7 {has also been seen in many high level games.}) 7. cxd5 ({Delaying 7.cd5 is another approach - for instance} 7. O-O Bd6 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Nd2 {is a typical Catalan way to gain an edge with an eventual e4 but here Black has} Bb4 10. Bb2 c5 {which seems to give Black fine counterplay}) 7... exd5 8. O-O Bd6 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Bb2 (10. Bf4 {was played in a previous encounter between the same players:} Qe7 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. Rc1 Rfe8 13. Re1 Rad8 14. Qc2 c5 15. Qb2 Ne4 16. e3 Ndf6 17. Red1 Nxc3 18. Qxc3 Rc8 { with equal chances. Black's active pieces compensate for the slightly loose hanging pawns structure in ½-½ (109) Stefansson,H (2536)-Gretarsson,H (2576) Tornelo INT 2020}) 10... Re8 11. a3 (11. Re1 Bb7 12. Rc1 a6 13. Rc2 Rc8 14. e3 Qe7 15. Ne2 Ne4 16. Nf4 Ndf6 {with typical Queen's Indian style counterplay 0-1 (66) Tomashevsky,E (2714)-Ponkratov,P (2601) Sochi 2018}) 11... c6 12. Re1 Ne4 13. Rc1 Bb7 $132 {From a practical point of view, Black has gotten everything he could possibly want from the opening, that is a position with a solid pawn structure and some chances to play for the initiative.} 14. b4 { [%CAl Ga7a5]} a5 $1 {further seeking imbalances in the position.} 15. bxa5 Rxa5 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Nd2 Nf6 18. Nc4 Rd5 19. Nxd6 $2 {This logical exchange to capture the bishop was a rather surprising mistake. Black's play became rather easy and straightforward hereafter.} (19. Qb3 {putting pressure on Black's queenside would have been more active:} Rb5 20. Qc2 {[%CAl Ga3a4]} h5 21. a4 Rd5 22. Qb3 Bc7 23. Ne3 (23. Ne5 $5 {with an extremely complex struggle ahead.} )) (19. a4 $5) 19... Qxd6 20. Qb3 h5 $1 {Thanks to NNUE, it seems like every chess player and his dog is charging his h-pawn down the board like there is no tomorrow.} 21. a4 $1 {White found the best way to seek counterplay against the impending kingside attack - a little nudge of a pawn located right on the other side of the board! His immediate threat was to capture on b6 (no more ... Rb5) but the more sophisticated idea was to go Ba3, followed by Rb1, causing some much needed distraction on the queenside.} h4 $1 {I'm not sure how much Hjorvar had calculated but he was never going to sit around was he?} 22. Ba3 ( 22. Qxb6 {was the acid test in this position but here, Black had some fascinating tactics:} e3 $3 23. Rf1 $1 {This would require some near superhuman defence.} (23. Bxd5 $2 {is the first capture that comes to mind but Black wins here comparatively easily:} exf2+ 24. Kxf2 hxg3+ 25. hxg3 Ng4+ $1 ( 25... Qxd5 {was also good.}) 26. Kg2 Ne3+ 27. Kf2 Qxd5 {[%CAl Gd5g2]} 28. Rg1 Qe4 {with a crushing mating attack.}) ({After} 23. fxe3 {, Black has another fantastic resource that was shown to me by my engines of course:} Qe7 $3 { with the idea of ...Ne4 is apparently crushing. I would just show some sample lines here:} 24. Rc3 (24. e4 Nxe4 25. Bxe4 Qxe4 26. Qxb7 h3 $1) 24... Ne4 25. Ba3 Qe6 $1 26. Bxe4 Qxe4 $17 {[%CAl Gh4h3]}) 23... Qd7 $3 {and Black retains some initiative. Perhaps, Hannes Stefansson has seen some of these lines, or he intuitively felt that he would not have time to capture a loose pawn on the queenside.}) 22... Qd7 23. e3 Rh5 {I would never say no to pawn sacrifices in exchange of moving a rook to the h-file but the spoilsport engine claims a huge advantage after} (23... b5 {well, who cares..........}) 24. Qxb6 Nd5 25. Qb2 Re6 $1 {Everyone loves a rook lift but two rook lifts are better than one!} 26. Qe2 {it is already hard to suggest moves for White.} ({For instance,} 26. Rb1 Ba6 {followed by Bd3 in the near future does not seem particularly enticing for White.}) 26... Reh6 $1 27. g4 Rg5 28. h3 f5 $1 {Black is not letting up and is raining blow after blow on his hapless opponent.} 29. f4 exf3 30. Bxf3 fxg4 31. hxg4 Rhg6 $1 {Preparing to sacrifice on g4. Black's play has been ridiculously direct and brutal so far.} 32. Kh1 c5 $3 {I have not spoken to Hjorvar about this game but I am guessing that he did not spend too much time calculating the ramifications over this additional pawn sacrifice. He probably felt that opening up the long diagonal of his light square bishop would prove to be the final nail in White's coffin especially after one accounts for Black's firepower on the kingside.} 33. e4 Rxg4 $1 34. Bxg4 ({ Another beautiful line could be seen after} 34. exd5 Bxd5 (34... Rg3 {also wins in a more trivial manner but we are not interested in this one.}) 35. Qe8+ Kh7 $3 36. Qxd7 Bxf3+ 37. Kh2 Rg2+ 38. Kh3 R6g3+ 39. Kxh4 {and now the final switchback} Rg6 $3 {forces mate.}) 34... Rxg4 35. Rb1 Rg5 {[%CAl Gd7h3]} 36. Qh2 Rg3 (36... Qg4 $19) 37. Rxb7 {Black to play and find the only winning move. } Qg4 $1 {with devastating threats.} 38. Rg1 Qxe4+ 39. Rg2 Ne3 40. Rb8+ Kh7 41. Re8 Qb1+ $1 {and White resigns.} (41... Qb1+ 42. Rg1 Qb7+ $1 {was geometrically pleasing indeed. After} 43. Rg2 Nxg2 {White can resign.}) 0-1