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Thomas Wilson Barnes vs Paul Morphy
"Barnes Storming" (game of the day Aug-20-09)
London m1 1858  ·  Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit (C41)  ·  0-1


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sac: 9...Qf5 PGN: download | view Help: general | java-troubleshooting

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing >
Jan-15-05   tacticsjokerxxx: Concerning the 3.-f5 line.

Apparently it was refuted about 100 years ago by 4.Bc4 (4.-fxe4 5.Nxe5!)

4.-exd4 seems to be losing for black too.

but aren't there any other options?

Jan-15-05   ughaibu: 4.Bc4 isn't cut and dried De Riviere vs Adolf Anderssen, 1860
May-28-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  midknightblue: First book of morphy also has 11..Qg2, falling prey to the tactic noted by Mr Cakes. Either they all misquoted the same source, or a mistake was played by morphy (it happens...Morphy vs J McConnell, 1849 13. Nf5??
May-28-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Calli: <First book of morphy also has 11..Qg2>

Probably the author copied it from Chessbase. Easier to use an available PGN than enter it manually, but he should have checked against a published source.

<Either they all misquoted the same source>

There is no book that has the error, AFAIK. It is only a internet phenomenon. The earliest publication of the game is Chess Monthly Sept 1858, vol3 p.267 which also has 11...Nc6. Morphy himself was an editor of the publication.

Its unfortunate that the internet now introduces new errors into books.

Jun-01-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  midknightblue: thx calli
Oct-19-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  playground player: When I try this, I get my head handed to me on a pole. Morphy got away with it over and over again, and against the world's best players. Is it true that Europe's chess greats just didn't play well against Morphy?
Oct-19-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <playground player> He didn't play 3...f5 often, and never in a serious game.

Repertoire Explorer: Paul Morphy (black)

Oct-19-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: ...plus this consultation game:

Staunton / Owen vs Morphy / Barnes, 1858

Feb-16-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: Morphy was an incredible tactical genius: 15 ... Bc8xe6!, 16 ... Nb4-d3+!!.

Leaving your king in the middle of the board like Barnes does in this game was just suicide against Morphy.

Feb-16-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: Black to play: 15 ... ?


click for larger view

15 ... Bc8xe6! 16 Bc4xBe6? Nb4-d3+!!


click for larger view

This is a genius combination by Morphy.

Morphy saw that 15 ... Bc8xe6! 16 Bc4xBe6? <DEFLECTS> the White c4-bishop from the defense of the d3-square.

Well, doesn't the White c2-pawn <DEFEND> the d3-square, keeping the Black b4-knight out? NO! That is what Morphy saw.

After 16 ... Nb4-d3+!!,


click for larger view

the White c2-pawn cannot <DEFEND> the d3-square because this pawn is needed (<OBLIGATION RESTRICTS MOBILITY!>) to advance to c3 in order to meet the threat of ... Bc5-b4+ by <BLOCKING> the line a5-e1 to the <STALEMATED> White e1-king.

That is, 16 ... Nb4-d3+!! 17 c2xd3?? Bc5-b4+ 18 Qd1-d2 Qg2xQd2#, shown below.


click for larger view

What a tactical genius Morphy was!

Oct-10-08   mjmorri: This game was one of the two games featured in the chess article in the Encyclopaedia Britannic (9th edition 1878-1888). The other was Anderssen's Immortal Game. Anderssen vs Kieseritzky, 1851

My great-grandfather had a copy of this marvelous encyclopaedia, which was passed down to my father. When I first became interested in chess, that article was one of the first I read on the subject. I remember being amazed by all the sacrifices.

Aug-20-09   MohdSalah: Morphy is weired! although he is very strong player but he someimes makes silly mistakes!
Aug-20-09   Autoreparaturwerkbau: <MohdSalah> Morphy is dead for a century-or-so, btw ;)
Aug-20-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  kevin86: His body is dead-his spirit lives forever.Another Morphy great!
Aug-20-09   xqdashi: mohdsalah can you please explain your assertion that Morphy is "weird" and makes "silly mistakes"???? Can you give an example?
Aug-20-09   The Lone Banana: Calli: <First book of morphy also has 11..Qg2>

Qxg2 in such a situation is a natural move to make as soon as your opponent allows it. Pawn grabbing is not the point, but rather (a.) aggressive posting of your queen (b.) loss of a tempo by your opponent moving the rook (c.) to an unimpressive posting and (d.) forever destroying the prospects of a castle to that side.

HOWEVER, in the game as listed here, I have to ask: why was the black queen *still* able to capture the g2 pawn on move 12? I can understand capturing the rook and letting the black queen onto the g file on move 10, and removing the B from its post guarding the g2 pawn on move 11 (the d6 pawn and the knight's route of retreat intuitively seem more important). However, IF a black player did not pounce at once on the g2 pawn, why should anyone with the white pieces develop the QN on move 12?

Isn't 0-0 the best developing move?

Aug-20-09   slapshots101: i feel like 10. Nxh8 is wrong, maybe Bh4 is better? here is a possible line 10. bh4 bxe6 11. nxh8 nc6 12. c3 d3 13. nd2 nf6. and this seems a more winnable game for white.
Aug-20-09   AnalyzeThis: This whole gambit is very complex. I rememeber one time I let Fritz 10 run on it for 10 hours, it still didn't understand some of the stuff that I've seen written in books about this.
Aug-20-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  shakespeare: It seems that this opening is perfect for really wild games G Salmon vs D Szabo, 1858
Aug-20-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Calli: <LoneB> on 12. 0-0 Ne5 is too powerful. 12.Nf7 is to stop Ne5.
Aug-20-09   WhiteRook48: 23...Qxf1!!!
Aug-20-09   The Lone Banana: <Calli---12. 0-0 Ne5 is too powerful. 12.Nf7 is to stop Ne5.>

Oops! I totally missed that line. Thank you.

However, it couldn't be much worse than the text. In fact, I think I would prefer

13.Nf7 as a *reply after*

12... Ne5 as opposed to

12.Nf7 to *prevent* it.

After 12. 0-0 Ne5, 13. Nf7, black would still threaten

13... NxB

13... Nf6+

and 13... NxN

but the white threat of 14.NxQ puts the kibosh on most attacks and forces a loss of tempo to defend.

13... NxNf7
14.f7+ K moves
14.pxNb8(Q) [+] wins at once

13... NxBc4
14.NxQg5

13... Nc6+
14. QxNc6 c6
15. NxQg5

Aug-20-09   Gambit All: I'd never viewed this game before. Every time you play through a good Morphy game for the first time - full of surprising, jaw dropping moves conjured up in the face of material deficits in wild positions - it's like reading a good ghost story for the first time when you hadn't thought you could still be scared; or, discovering a good old movie you'd never seen made by a director or starring an actor you'd loved.
Aug-31-09   mandy64: The Philidor countergambit is weak.
The correct reply is 4.Bc4 and white has a better game.
Aug-31-09   shach matov: To see moves like 15 ... Bc8xe6! one really does need to have a special chess brain like Morphy's.
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