A mate in two that didn't happen!

Have you ever wondered how to be mated after 14 moves and still win the game? Here you have the answer: The following game was played in the 4th round of Arnold J. Eikrem Memorial.

The game (without comments) is also available in PGN. You could use i.e.CHESSBD to play through the game. Rudolf Steinkjeller has made a help file on how to configure CHESSBD (or other programs which read chess games) as a helper application for your Web-browser.

White: Berge Østenstad, Norway (IM 2465)
Black: Helge A. Nordahl, Norway (2255)
Tournament: Arnold J. Eikrem Memorial 1996, Round 4
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 cxd4
A dangerous gambit...
5. Qxd4 Nc6 6. Qd1 exd5 7. Qxd5 Bd7 8. Bg5 Nf6 9. Qd2 Qa5 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. g3? O-O-O 12. O-O-O Bf5
White is already busted.
13. Qf4!?
Setting up a winning combination... - for who?

[Diagram]

13...Ba3??
Threatening 14...Qxc3 mate, but White has a clever defence:
14.Qxf5+! Qxf5 15. Bh3 Rxd1+ 16. Nxd1 Qxh3 17. Nxh3
and the extra pawn proved decisive in the endgame(1-0, 39). But didn't Black have a better move in the diagram position?
13...Qxc3+! 14.bxc3 Ba3 mate!

[Diagram]

You may think it was two patzers playing? Berge Østenstad (White) is three times Norwegian Champion, and Helge A.Nordahl (Black) was - believe it or not - last year's Norwegian Junior Champion...
It should also be said that White didn't see the mate-in-two either during the game! He couldn't believe it when somebody told him that Black had a mate in two. Anyway, 13.Qf4 was a winning move - both for Black and for White!

Updated 9. September 1996 by Rune Djurhuus.

runed@ifi.uio.no