1. e4 {At the age of 13, Paul was already a much stronger player than his father Alonzo. So, to keep things interesting, Paul played this game with only one rook.}
Position after 1. e4
1… e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 {A young Paul Morphy was a fan of the Italian Game.}
Position after 3. Bc4
3… Nf6
4. Ng5 d5
5. exd5 Nxd5
6. Nxf7 {The famous Fried Liver Attack!}
Position after 6. Nxf7
6… Kxf7
7. Qf3+ {Paul Morphy develops his queen by simultaneously
attacking the exposed king on f7 and the pinned knight on d5.}
7… Ke6
8. Nc3 {Again, developing with threats against the pinned knight.}
8… Nd4!? {What is normally considered a mistake, instead raises eyebrows when played at rook’s odds.}
Position after 8… Nd4
9. Bxd5+ Kd6
10. Qf7 {Threatening Ne4#!}
Position after 10. Qf7
10… Be6 {Alonzo Morphy makes a crucial mistake. Better was:} (10. .. Qe7 11. Ne4+ Kd7 12. Nc5+ Kd8 {and Paul Morphy is forced to start trading pieces.})
11. Bxe6 {Sometimes the only reasonable response to the fork is to eat off of it.}
11… Nxe6
12. Ne4+ Kd5
13. c4+ {Throwing the kitchen sink at black’s king is preferable to agreeing to a draw by repetition (Nc3+ kd6 Ne4+.)}
Position after 13. c4+
13… Kxe4
14. Qxe6 Qd4?? {The move that seals the deal. What looks to be a strong move for the queen in actuality steals the king’s escape route. If only Alonzo had played Kd3 instead. But then we never would enjoyed this game’s spectacular finish.}
Position after 14… Qd4
15. Qg4+ Kd3
16. Qe2+ {Attacking the king and his escape route on c4.}
16… Kc2
17. d3+ {A cute little discovered check keeps black’s king on the run.}
Position after 17. d3+
17… Kxc1 {Of course with perfect play, black could have survived longer. However, the opportunity to be checkmated by O-O doesn’t occur very often.} (17. .. Kb1 18. O-O Bc5 19. Be3+ Kxa2 20. Bxd4 Bxd4 21. Qc2 b5 22. b4+ Ka3 23. Rb1 bxc4 24. dxc4 Bb2 25. Qxb2+ Ka4 26. Ra1#)
Paul Morphy was a 19th-century New Orleans chess prodigy who was the de facto world chess champion during much of his short life. He rarely lost when he played throughout Europe and the United States. He was also a lawyer who graduated from what is now Tulane Law School. As a student, he was said to have memorized the Louisiana Civil Code in English and French.
The Opera House Game is perhaps the most famous chess game to have ever been played. It’s title is derived from the fact that the great American chess master Paul Morphy defeated the Duke Karl of Brunswick and the Count Isouard while all the parties involved were watching Norma being performed from the box seats at the Paris Opera House. I show this game several times a year to demonstrate the art of attacking in chess. Included below the game are my lesson notes.
The Opera House Game
[Event “The Opera House Game”]
[Site “Paris (France)”]
[Date “1858”]
[Round “”]
[White “Morphy Paul”]
[Black “Duke Karl of Brunswick and the Count Isouard”]
[Result “1-0”]
[Eco “C41”]
[Annotator “Chris Torres”]
[Source “”]
{[ PHILIDOR’S def.,C41] Morphy Paul +8 =1 -1 Duke Karl Count Isouard +0 =0 -1 Morphy Paul-Duke Karl Count Isouard +1 =0 -0}
1.e4 {Paul Morphy’s favorite way to start a game.} e5 2.Nf3 {Knights before bishops.}
d6 {Philidor’s Defense was quite popular during the time of Paul Morphy’s European
adventures and he was quite adept with either color of it.} {%08DA}
3.d4 {Paul Morphy choses to place a second pawn in the center. Of course, developing
a second piece with a move like Bc4 is also good.} Bg4 {?!} {
A questionable choice for black. Generally speaking, it is a good idea to bring
out a knight before the bishop. Here black could have played Nf6 or Nd7. Also
fine is exchanging pawns with exd4. Below are sample games for each move.}
( 3…exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.g3 d5 7.e5 Ng4 8.Bg2 O-O 9.Nxd5
Bc5 10.c3 c6 11.Ne3 Nxe5 12.O-O Re8 13.b4 Bb6 14.a4 a5 15.Bb2
Na6 16.bxa5 Bxa5 17.Qc2 Qf6 18.Rad1 Qg6 19.Be4 Qh5 20.c4 Nc5
21.Bg2 Bh3 22.f4 Bxg2 23.Kxg2 {…0-1, Carlsen Magnus (NOR) 2837 – Mamedyarov Shakhriyar (AZE) 2726 , Astana 7/10/2012 Ch World (blitz) (final)}
) ( 3…Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.O-O {?} ( 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Ng5+
$40 ) O-O 7.Qe2 c6 8.Bg5 ( {‘better is’} 8.a4 {‘better is’} )
h6 9.Bh4 Nh5 10.Bg3 Nxg3 11.hxg3 b5 12.Bd3 a6 13.a4 Bb7 14.Rad1
Qc7 15.axb5 axb5 16.g4 Rfe8 17.d5 b4 18.dxc6 Bxc6 19.Nb1 Nc5
20.Nbd2 Qc8 21.Bc4 g6 ( 21…Qxg4 22.Bxf7+ {!} $18 ) 22.g3 Kg7
23.Nh2 Bg5 24.f3 Qc7 25.Rfe1 Rh8 26.Ndf1 h5 27.gxh5 Rxh5 28.Bd5
Rah8 29.Bxc6 Qxc6 30.Qc4 Qb6 31.Kg2 Ne6 32.Re2 Nd4 33.Ree1 Qb7
{!} 34.Rxd4 ( 34.c3 bxc3 35.bxc3 ( 35.Qxc3 Rc8 $41 ) Qb2+ $19 )
exd4 35.Ng4 ( 35.Qxd4+ Bf6 36.Qxd6 Rd8 ) Qb6 36.f4 Be7 37.Rd1
f5 38.Nf2 fxe4 39.Qxd4+ Qxd4 40.Rxd4 d5 41.g4 Bc5 {!} 42.Rd1
Rh4 43.Rxd5 Bxf2 44.Kxf2 Rxg4 45.Ke3 Rc8 46.Kxe4 Rc4+ 47.Kd3
Rcxf4 48.Ne3 Rg3 49.Re5 Kf6 50.Re8 Kf7 51.Re5 Rf6 52.c4 b3 53.Ke4
Re6 54.Rxe6 Kxe6 55.Nd5 g5 {0-1, Teichmann Richard (GER) – Nimzowitsch Aaron, San Sebastian 1911 It}
) ( 3…Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.Be3 Be7 7.Nc3 Qc7 {‘better is’ Ng8-f6, 0-0, Rf8-e8}
8.a4 Nc5 9.b4 {?} ( {‘better is’} 9.Ng5 {‘better is’} Nh6 10.h3
{!} {=} ) Ne6 10.Rb1 Nf6 11.O-O O-O 12.Ne1 ( 12.Ba2 {!?} )
( 12.Be2 {!?} {(B) Alekhin} ) b5 {!} 13.Bb3 a5 14.axb5
( 14.bxa5 b4 15.Ne2 Qxa5 $17 ) axb4 {} $17 {} 15.b6 Qb7 16.Ne2
c5 17.c3 {!} Bd7 ( 17…Nxe4 {?!} 18.cxb4 cxb4 19.Nc2 {=} ) 18.cxb4
cxb4 19.Ng3 Nc5 20.Bc4 Ncxe4 21.Nxe4 Nxe4 22.Bd5 ( 22.Qd5 $13
Bc6 ( 22…Qxd5 23.Bxd5 Nc3 24.Bxa8 Nxb1 25.Be4 ) 23.Qxe5 Bd6
24.Qf5 Rae8 {} ) Bc6 23.Bxc6 Qxc6 24.Qh5 Nc3 $18 25.Rb2 Qb5 {!}
26.Nf3 ( 26.g3 Ra1 $18 ) Ne2+ 27.Rxe2 Qxe2 28.Qxe5 Bf6 29.Qc5
b3 30.Bf4 Rfe8 {!} 31.b7 Qxf1+ 32.Kxf1 Ra1+ 33.Bc1 b2 {0-1, Von Bardeleben Kurt (GER) – Alekhine Alexander A (RUS), Dusseldorf 1908 It}
) 4.dxe5 {Paul Morphy aims to punish his opponents’ last move.}
Bxf3 {Practically forced because otherwise:} ( 4…dxe5 5.Qxd8+
Kxd8 6.Nxe5 Be6 {and black is a pawn down and has lost their right to castle.}
) 5.Qxf3 {It is fine for Morphy to develop his queen to f3 as it does not block the
already exchanged knight that originated on g1. However, this didn’t stop
Steinitz from criticizing Morphy play here. Steinitz, who enjoyed finding
“mistakes” in Morphy’s games suggested the following:}
( 5.gxf3 dxe5 6.Qxd8+ Kxd8 7.f4 Nf6 8.fxe5 Nxe4 9.Bg2 Nc5 10.b4
{This is obviously good for white but history prefers Morphy’s method.}
) {%09DB} dxe5 {An interesting position where both sides have one pawn in the center and active queens.} {%09DB}
6.Bc4 {White develops with a Scholar’s Mate style threat. However, here Morphy’s
success is not dependent on poor play from his opponent as is the case with the actual Scholar’s Mate.}
Nf6 7.Qb3 {!} {A very powerful move which threatens both the pawn on b7 and the belly-button.}
Qe7 {The Duke and the Count wisely decide to defend the pawn that is attached to their king safety.}
8.Nc3 {Paul Morphy had three good choices here. The butcher’s choice would be to play
“8. Qxb7 Qb4+ 9. Qxb4 Bxb4” and grind out a long endgame victory. A robot could
evaluate 8. Bxf7+ as best and win in a cold fashion. However, it took Paul
Morphy to recognize that 8. Nc3 was the only move with potential to make the game a true artistic masterpiece.}
( 8.Qxb7 Qb4+ 9.Qxb4 Bxb4+ 10.Bd2 Bxd2+ 11.Nxd2 O-O 12.f3 Nc6
13.c3 Rab8 14.O-O-O Na5 15.Be2 h6 16.Nc4 Nxc4 17.Bxc4 Rb6 18.Rd2
Rc6 19.Bb3 a5 20.Rhd1 a4 21.Bxa4 Ra6 22.Bb3 c5 23.Rd8 Ne8 24.R1d7
Rf6 25.Bc4 g6 26.a4 Ng7 27.a5 Nh5 {…1-0, Kunte Abhijit (IND) 2517 – Akshay Vijayan (IND) 1766 , Jalgaon 11/23/2010 It (open)}
) ( 8.Bxf7+ Qxf7 9.Qxb7 Bc5 10.O-O O-O 11.Qxa8 c6 12.Nc3 Qc7
13.Nd5 cxd5 14.exd5 Qb6 15.Be3 Ng4 16.Bxc5 Qxc5 17.b4 Qb6 18.c4
Na6 19.Qc6 Qxc6 20.dxc6 Nxb4 21.h3 Nf6 22.c7 Rc8 23.Rab1 Na6
24.Rb7 Rxc7 25.Rxc7 Nxc7 26.Rb1 a6 27.Rb7 Nfe8 28.f3 Kf7 29.Kf2
Ke7 30.Ke3 Kd7 31.Rb2 Kc6 32.Kd3 Ne6 33.Rc2 Nd6 34.Rb2 Nc5+ 35.Ke2
Nxc4 36.Rb8 Kd5 37.Rd8+ Nd6 38.Rg8 Nf5 39.g4 Nd4+ 40.Ke3 Nde6
41.h4 h6 42.Rb8 Kc4 43.Rb6 Nf4 44.Kf2 a5 45.Rb8 Ncd3+ 46.Kg3
Kd4 47.Ra8 Ke3 48.Rxa5 Ne2+ 49.Kg2 Ne1+ 50.Kf1 Nxf3 51.Ra3+ Kf4
52.Kxe2 Nxh4 53.Ra4+ Kg3 54.Rb4 Ng6 55.Rb7 Nf4+ 56.Ke3 Nd5+ 57.Kd3
Kxg4 58.Rxg7+ Kf5 59.a4 e4+ 60.Kd4 Nb4 61.Rf7+ Ke6 62.Rh7 Kf5
63.Rxh6 Nc2+ 64.Kc3 Ne3 65.a5 Kf4 66.a6 Ng4 67.Rh4 e3 68.Kd3
{1-0, Moeller Stefan – Hertel-Mach Frank, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 12/11/2005 Landesliga 2005/06}
) c6 {Now the black queen defends her pawn on b7. Additionally, the pawn on c6 guards
d5 and b5 from being accessed by Morphy’s knight, bishop or queen.
Unfortunately, it is also another slow pawn move for black which gives Morphy
an opportunity to add to his lead in development.} 9.Bg5 {
Momentarily stopped on the queenside, Morphy deploys another piece. Now he has
four pieces in the game versus a pinned knight and an oddly placed queen.}
b5 {?} {This is overly ambitious. Even players well below Morphy’s level would not
hesitate to sacrifice the knight for two pawns and the check.}
( 9…Na6 {Is an improvement over the move the Duke and the Count played.}
10.Bxa6 bxa6 11.O-O Qb4 {Black has prospects to enter a difficult endgame against white.}
) {%09DB} 10.Nxb5 {Of course Paul Morphy does not retreat his bishop.} {%09DB}
cxb5 11.Bxb5+ {The Queen could also capture on b5 with check but why use a $9 piece to do the work of a $3 piece?}
Nbd7 {The Duke and the Count must block with the knight as stepping into the open file with the king would be suicide.}
( 11…Kd8 12.O-O-O+ Kc8 13.Rd3 ) 12.O-O-O {Castling queenside adds the rook’s power to the pinned knight on d7.} {%08DA}
Rd8 {The Duke and Count place the rook on d8 because Knight on f6 and Queen on e7
are not really defending d7. Black’s King is in full turtle mode.}
13.Rxd7 {!} {Paul Morphy fires the cannon for the first time!}
Rxd7 {The only logical response.} 14.Rd1 {Paul Morphy takes advantage of the fact that Black’s rook on d7 is pinned and reloads the cannon.} {%08DA}
Qe6 {This move does a lot of good things for black. First, it threatens to trade
queens and thus take the heat off of the black king. Second, it unpins the
knight on f6 while still having the queen defend the rook on d7. Thirdly, it
creates a roadway for the bishop on f8 and thus gives the black king an escape
rout by castling. Unfortunately for the Duke and the Count, it does not work.}
15.Bxd7+ {!} {The start of a beautiful combination.} Nxd7 {%08DA}
16.Qb8+ {!!} {The shot heard round the world.} Nxb8 17.Rd8# {Paul Morphy only has the bishop and the rook but in the end, that was all that he needed.}
1-0
To celebrate the release of the movie Pawn Sacrifice, I have decided to put the spotlight on Bobby Fischer’s games in many of my group chess lessons. Below, I’ve attached my notes to the Fischer game that I presented this last Saturday at Achiever Institute in Fremont. If you missed this lesson there, I will be delivering a repeat performance at Achievements Academy in Dublin on Sunday, September 27th. Pawn Sacrifice is currently in theaters across the country.
I came across nice article about the NOLA Chess Club and its efforts in Paul Morphy’s hometown.
Chess Club Brings Love of Game to Uptown New Orleans
New Orleans is a city that often brings people together. Our music, cuisine and even our openness to a good conversation all act as binding forces among residents and visitors from all walks of life. The game of chess has historically served as one of these forces, uniting both rich and poor, novice and expert. Over the past decade, the game’s prevalence and reputation have slowly dwindled in New Orleans. In Uptown, however, one organization is working to change this.
As I look back on the past 12-months, I can say it has been quite a year for chess! With a new World Chess Champion and business for my nonprofit booming, I anticipate another fun and exciting year in 2014. To end 2013, I have chosen to recap my most popular chess posts of this past year.
2013 was a Great Year for Chess!
So enjoy this trip down memory lane and feel free to pass along your own highlights from 2013. I wish you a Happy New Year and I look forward to exploring chess with you in 2014!
On November 9, 2013 the world is going to stop. Billions of people around the globe will be watching live as two titans clash in what may be the greatest chess match ever played. Viswanathan Anand, the Pride of India, will be taking on the charismatic “Mozart of Chess,” Magnus Carlsen. By the end of November, the player who utterly destroys his opponent will be crowned “The King of Chess.”
Viswanathan Anand at the chess board.
Viswanathan Anand is more than a World Chess Champion. He is the greatest sportsmen ever produced from the second most populous country in the world. “Vishy,” as his friends call him, became India’s first grandmaster in 1988. Anand was also first to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 1992. In 2007, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honor. Viswanathan Anand has also won the coveted Chess Oscar a total of six times! Indeed, historians tell us that chess has its roots in ancient India, but it was not until Viswanathan Anand became World Champion that chess took a hold of the sub-continent’s imagination.
The charismatic “Mozart of Chess.”
Many consider Magnus Carlsen to be for chess, what Mozart was for music. In the long and distinguished history of chess prodigies, Magnus may be the greatest of them all. Magnus Carlsen, who started chess at the age of five, became a chess Grand Master at thirteen and the number one rated player in the world before the age of twenty. A short while later, Carlsen established the highest rating ever in the game of chess and in doing so surpassed his former teacher, Garry Kasparov. Often mentioned in the same class as Paul Morphy, Jose Raul Capablanca and Bobby Fischer, Magnus is missing only the title of World Champion to establish his residency on Mount Olympus.
Throughout human history, there have been certain events which demonstrate the greatness of human achievement. The Hammurabi Code of 1750 B.C., the dawn of Democracy in 594 B.C., The Wright Brothers taking flight in 1903 are important events on the timeline comparable to what, I believe, will result from the FIDE World Chess Championship of 2013. Chess is about to become “cool” again and our world may never be the same.
When Adolf Anderssen arrived in Paris on December 15, 1858, Paul Morphy was gravely ill. Doctors were treating his influenza with leeches and blood-letting. Despite Morphy being too weak to stand from his bed, the two strongest chess players in the world decided to play a chess match as this encounter would likely be their last. No money was at stake, only honor. While very ill, Morphy outplayed Anderssen and eventually recovered his health. Below is game 7, “The Christmas Miracle”:
1. e4 {Notes by Chris Torres.} d5 {Anderssen, perhaps wisely, avoids 1 e4 e5 against which his opponent had a reputation of superior knowledge. Instead black chooses the Scandinavian Defence.} 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 {On a5 the black queen is hard for white to attack and if white plays d4 will be pinning the knight on c3.} 4. d4 {Black’s most aggressive reply and a specialty of Adolf Anderssen.} e5 5. dxe5 Qxe5+ 6. Be2 {Neither man wanted to trade Queens on e2.} Bb4 7. Nf3 {Paul Morphy prefers sacrificing a pawn to obtain a more speedy development of his pieces. Of course his pawn sacrifice is correct.} Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Qxc3+ 9. Bd2 Qc5 10. Rb1 {Now we can clearly see Morphy’s lead in development.} Nc6 11. O-O Nf6 12. Bf4 {I would have played Bg5. But I am not the greatest attacking chess player who has ever lived.} O-O {Anderssen makes a wise decision not to bother with attempting to defend the c pawn. Doing so would have resulted in too much initiative for white’s attack.} 13. Bxc7 Nd4 14. Qxd4 Qxc7 15. Bd3 Bg4 {That pins nothing. Better would have been rook to e8.} 16. Ng5 Rfd8 17. Qb4 Bc8 {I can not think of any other way of saving the pawn on b7. If Anderssen plays …b6, Morphy could have swiped the h pawn with the knight. Perhaps best was kicking the knight away with …h6.} 18. Rfe1 a5 19. Qe7 {Always be suspicious when Morphy is willing to trade queens.} Qxe7 20. Rxe7 Nd5? {Adolf Anderssen makes a serious mistake. Nd5 may look as though it forces Morphy’s rook to leave the seventh rank but this is not the case. Better was …Rd7.} 21. Bxh7+! {Paul Morphy delivers a very instructive combination and a true Christmas miracle.} Kh8 22. Rxf7 Nc3 23. Re1 Nxa2 24. Rf4 Ra6 25. Bd3 1-0
Todays lesson examines the Morphy Variation of the Two Knights Defense (Fried Liver Attack.) Adi Kisieu is a talented young chess player from Oakland, California who, in this game, invented an interesting theoretical novelty on move 15 of a very frequently played opening. Unfortunately for his novelty, Adi used unfocused aggression and ended up giving his teacher a nice attack on the “g2” focal point. I am publishing this game in hopes that Adi’s “15. Nc3” is correctly attributed to him.
[Event “Chess Lesson”]
[Date “2012.06.21”]
[White “Kisieu, Adrian (Adi)”]
[Black “Torres, Chris”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “C58”]
[Opening “Two Knights”]
[Variation “Morphy Variation”]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 {White tries for the Fried Liver Attack.} d5 {This is the most common defensive system.} 5. exd5 Na5 6. d3 {The Morphy Variation gets its name by being the favorite of Paul Morphy.} (6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nf3 e4 10. Ne5 Qd4 11. f4 Bc5 12. Rf1 Bb6 {Is another common continuation.}) 6. .. h6 7. Nf3 e4 {This is the best move and is rarely played in scholastic chess.} 8. Qe2 Nxc4 9. dxc4 Bc5 10. O-O O-O 11. Nfd2 (11. Ne5? Bd4 {and white’s mistake costs him a knight.}) 11. .. Bg4 12. Qe1 {White has a much better prospects for an endgame but black has better development right now.} Re8 13. Nb3 {This is a very nice move. I was expecting Nc3.} Qe7 {Black doesn’t want to trade but I was afraid of white playing h3 or c5.} 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 {So far our game is an exact copy of Stefanie Schultz vs Leonid Krugljakow, 2004.} 15. Nc3 {Adi Kisieu invents an interesting innovation. Adi is willing to give back a pawn on c4 in order to gain initiative and development.} Qxc4 16. b3 Qc5 17. Be3 {Adi develops with threats.} Qd6 18. Nb5 {A little too aggressive. The simple h3 keeps the initiative for white and is less of a commitment.} Qd7 19. Qa5 {Adi is being aggressive but lacks real purpose.} b6 20. Qa6 {Now that his queen and knight are tied up, I decide to have a go at Adi’s king.} Bf3 {“g2” is a nice focal point.} 21. gxf3 {In our game, I had calculated far enough to see if I win after this recapture by checkmate. To be honest, the line continued beyong where I could visualize.} exf3 22. Kh1 Qh3 23. Rg1 Rxe3 {It is all about analyzing checks, captures and threats.} (23. .. Ng4 24. Rxg4 Qxg4 25. Rg1 {and white survives.}) 24. fxe3 Ne4 {Threatening Nf2#.} 25. Raf1 f2 {Another easy threat to spot.} 26. Rg2 Ng3+ {Analyze checks first.} 27. Rxg3 Qxf1+ 28. Rg1 Qxg1# 0-1
“Morphy…I think everyone agrees…was probably the greatest of them all.” (Bobby Fischer)
This years chess match between Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik takes place 150 years after one of the greatest world championship matches in history. In 1858, the two best chess players in the world, Paul Morphy and Adolph Anderssen, battled in Paris to determine which player was the greatest. When Morphy arrived in Paris to play Anderssen, he was stricken with a severe flu. His medical treatment was typical for the time period and included being leeched and drained of four pints of blood. Paul Morphy was so weak that he played the match from his hotel bed. Despite the disadvantage of playing while ill, Morphy won the match with a 7-2 score. Many chess writers refuse to admit that Morphy was the world champion. The logic these writers use to deny the fact is rooted in their attitude of European supremacy and is easily refuted by chess historians. Below are the games from the match. If you are an improving chess player who has not seen these chess treasures, you have your homework.
[Event "Paris"]
[Site "07"]
[Date "1858.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Paul Morphy"]
[Black "Adolf Anderssen"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "49"]
1.e4 {Notes by Lowenthal} d5 {We consider this mode of evading
an open game as decidedly inferior to either ...e6 or ...c5,
(the French and Sicilian openings) though but some short time
ago it was in high repute, and was even adopted by
Mr. Staunton at the Birmingham meeting.} 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5
{...Qd8 is frequently played, but the move in the text is
preferable.} 4.d4 e5 5.dxe5 Qxe5+ 6.Be2 Bb4 7.Nf3 {Sacrificing
a pawn to obtain a more speedy development of his pieces.}
Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Qxc3+ 9.Bd2 Qc5 10.Rb1 Nc6 11.O-O Nf6 12.Bf4 O-O
{Attempting to defend the c pawn would only have led him into
difficulty.} 13.Bxc7 Nd4 14.Qxd4 Qxc7 15.Bd3 Bg4 16.Ng5 Rfd8
17.Qb4 Bc8 {There appears to be no other mode of saving the
pawn; for if ...b6, White would have taken the h pawn with the
knight, and won a pawn.} 18.Rfe1 a5 19.Qe7 Qxe7 20.Rxe7 Nd5
{This is an instructive position} 21.Bxh7+ Kh8 22.Rxf7 Nc3
23.Re1 Nxa2 24.Rf4 Ra6 25.Bd3 1-0
[Event "Paris m"]
[Site "08"]
[Date "1858.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[White "Adolf Anderssen"]
[Black "Paul Morphy"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "101"]
1.a3 {Notes by Lowenthal} e5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5
5.e3 Be6 6.Nf3 Bd6 7.Be2 O-O 8.d4 Nxc3 9.bxc3 e4 10.Nd2 f5
11.f4 {Taking means to stop the further advance of the f pawn,
which he evidently apprehended might prove objectionable. The
range of the adverse King's Bishop is also contracted by this
move.} Qh4+ 12.g3 Qh3 13.Bf1 Qh6 14.c4 c6 15.c5 Bc7 16.Bc4 Nd7
17.O-O b5 18.cxb6 axb6 19.Qb3 Rfe8 20.Bb2 b5 21.Bxe6+ Qxe6
22.Qc2 Qd5 23.Rfc1 Ra6 24.a4 Rea8 25.axb5 Qxb5 26.Qc4+ Qxc4
27.Nxc4 Rxa1 28.Bxa1 Nf6 29.Bc3 Ra2 30.Bd2 Nd5 31.Kf1 Bd8
32.Ke1 Be7 33.Rb1 h6 34.Ne5 c5 35.dxc5 Bxc5 36.Rb5 Nxe3 {Very
prettily played.} 37.Rxc5 Ng2+ 38.Ke2 {If Kd1, Black would
equally have pushed on the e Pawn.} e3 39.Nf3 g6 40.Rd5 Kf7
41.Rd6 Kg7 42.h4 exd2 43.Rxd2 Ra4 {This mode of securing the
draw is highly ingenious; his opponent cannot prevent it, play
as he may.} 44.Kf2 Nxf4 45.gxf4 Rxf4 46.Rd4 Rxd4 47.Nxd4 Kf6
48.Ke3 g5 49.h5 Ke5 50.Nf3+ Kf6 51.Nd4 1/2-1/2
[Event "Paris m"]
[Site "Paris m"]
[Date "1858.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Paul Morphy"]
[Black "Adolf Anderssen"]
[ECO "B44"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "33"]
1.e4 {Notes by Lowenthal} c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Nxd4 e6
5.Nb5 d6 {This is better than ...a6; but even now the King's
Bishop is shut in, and the Queen's Pawn rendered weak.} 6.Bf4
{Correctly played, compelling the advance of the e-Pawn, which
leaves the Queen's Pawn weak and unsupported.} e5 7.Be3 f5
{...a6 would have been sounder play, but even then the game
would have been in favor of the first player.} 8.N1c3 {A fine
conception.} f4 {Had Black played ...a6, White's reply would
still have been Nd5, with a winning game.} 9.Nd5 fxe3 10.Nbc7+
Kf7 11.Qf3+ Nf6 12.Bc4 {The attack is now irresistable.} Nd4
13.Nxf6+ d5 {If the Bishop had been interposed, White would
have taken it, checking; and on Knight retaking have played
Nd5 discovering check, and won without difficulty.} 14.Bxd5+
Kg6 {Had the Queen captured the Bishop, White would have taken
with Knight, discovering check, and have remained eventually
with a Pawn ahead and a winning position.} 15.Qh5+ Kxf6
16.fxe3 {Ne8+, seemingly a good move, is only in appearance,
as Black might have taken it when placed there; and on White
taking Queen, have answered with ...Bb4+, obtaining a winning
game.} Nxc2+ 17.Ke2 1-0
[Event "Paris m"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1858.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Paul Morphy"]
[Black "Adolf Anderssen"]
[ECO "C00"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "71"]
1.e4 {Notes by Lowenthal} e6 2.d4 g6 3.Bd3 Bg7 4.Be3 {The
student cannot fail of observing that in almost every French
game Mr. Morphy plays his Bishops to e3 and d3, and they
appear well placed here, and come into efficient action when
called upon. It is a novelty, however, in Chess play, and
will, doubtless, meet with attention at the hands of authors
on the game.} c5 5.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 Nc6 7.Ne2 Nge7 8.O-O O-O
9.Nbc3 d5 10.e5 f6 11.f4 fxe5 12.fxe5 a6 13.Qd2 Nb4 14.Bg5
Nxd3 15.Qxd3 Bd7 16.Qh3 Qe8 17.Ng3 Rc8 18.Rxf8+ Qxf8 19.Rf1
Qe8 20.Qh4 Nf5 21.Nxf5 gxf5 22.Rf3 {This Rook is now well
posted, and ready for effective co-operation with the rest of
the attacking pieces.} Bb5 23.Rg3 {Rh3 would have been weak,
while by the move in the text White gains an undeniable
advantage in position.} Rc7 24.Bf6 f4 {This, says Mr. Morphy,
appears the only move to ward off the attack, if 24...Kh8
25.Rxg7 Rxg7 26.Nxb5 Qxb5 27.Qh6 Qd7 28.h4 Qf7 29.h5 Qc7 30.a3
Qd7 31.Kf2 Qf7 32.Kf3 Qc7 33.g3 Qd7 34.Qxg7+ Qxg7 35.h6 Qxf6
36.exf6 Kg8 37.Kf4 Kf7 38.Ke5 and must win.}- 25.Qxf4 Qf8
26.Nxb5 axb5 27.Qh6 Kh8 28.Rxg7 Rxg7 29.Kf2 {Contemplating the
exchange of pieces, and the bringing of the King to attack the
isolated Pawns; the game, however, was an easy one to win.}
Kg8 30.Qxg7+ Qxg7 31.Bxg7 Kxg7 32.Kf3 b4 33.g4 b6 34.h4 b5
35.Ke3 b3 36.a3 1-0
A photograph of Alonzo Morphy (Paul Morphy’s father.)
Position after 1. e4
Position after 3. Bc4
Position after 6. Nxf7
Position after 8… Nd4
Position after 10. Qf7
Position after 13. c4+
Position after 14… Qd4
Position after 17. d3+
Position after 17… Kxc1
Position after 18. 0-0#, Mate
Chess Musings 