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| Aug-03-05 | | The Careful Cat: What strikes me about this game is the surprising way that Morphy abandons the centre so freely by 3.exf5. I had always thought Morphy was a lover of a strong pawn centre. Surely 3.d3, holding his central position was much better. |
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| Aug-03-05 | | arielbekarov: <crafty>
Dear expert!
Thank you for your help!
I hope it will be possible
to get more assistance from you.
This work is very difficult but
surely it will bring a lot of more
understanding for the art/science/sport
that we call chess.
Ariel |
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| Aug-03-05 | | arielbekarov: <The Careful Cat> Too early for me to have a valid opinion on your comment
<I had always thought Morphy was a lover of a strong pawn centre.>
My spontaneous reaction is though that he was not, but your comment is great for me as I now will have an extra eye on this. The great Philidor understood it very well, because the pawns are very particular. One of the problems is that one's own pawns can be one's worst enemy. They can become a hindrance! It is a great art to handle them to one's own benefit. Interesting to see Black's first move 1... e5, where one of the two centre pawns is placed. This pawn will stay there firmly on its post until the very end. Look at how it has become an obstacle when Black is attacking; the black bishop would have had a free diagonal b8-h2, but because of his e5 pawn, the father Alonzo cannot use it. Was the brilliant Paul, just 11-years old, building his whole strategy around this black e5 pawn? I wonder what Nimzovitch would have said about centrepawns regarding this game. What do you all think about the "e5 pawn"?
Ariel |
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| Aug-08-05 | | beatgiant: <crafty: 5... xd5 6.  h5+  e7 7. d4 d6 8. f3 e4 9.  xd5 = (eval -0.18 >I did not consider 7...Qd6 in the above line because the queen wastes a tempo after White's reply 8. Bxd5. For example, 5...Nxd5 6. Qh5+ Ke7 7. d4 Qd6 8. Bxd5 Qxd5 9. Bg5+ Kd7 10. 0-0-0 exd4 11. Nf3 c5 12. Rhe1 with what looks like a very strong attack, e.g. 12...Nc6 13. Qe8+ Kc7 14. Bf4+ Kb6 15. Re3, etc. In this line, White is still making Black's king "run a gauntlet" (<arielbekarov>, is this a good translation of "gatlopp"?) but I'm not sure if it's decisive. |
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| Aug-08-05 | | beatgiant: Black's 2...f5 is a very sharp move that undermines White's center but opens Black's own king. Is this a book move? 2...f5 almost looks like a mistake because White can reply 3. Bxg8 Rxg8 4. exf5, but I wasn't able to find a direct win after 4...Nc6. Instead, Morphy goes for open piece play with 3. exf5 Nf6 4. Nc3!? d5 5. Nxd5. As we discussed above, this piece sacrifice leads to unclear play, but after Black refuses it, White gets a nice position with full control of the long diagonal h1-a8. Black compounds the problem by castling queenside into White's storm. In short, I agree with <arielbekarov> that the e5-pawn is more a weakness than a strength in this game. |
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| Aug-08-05 | | percyblakeney: There are six games in this database with 3. Bxg8 Rxg8 and all of them are black wins, but no games were played later than this one: Fisher vs Steinitz, 1872 |
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| Oct-12-05 | | Makofan: About pawn centres - what Morphy really liked was active piece play, thus opening of lines for his pieces was more his priority than a pawn centre. |
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| Oct-13-05 | | OJC: Comments/analysis
1. e4 e5
2. Bc4 f5
An unusual continuation for good reason (king's gambit down a tempo is not good). 2. ...Nf6 is main line. MCO 14th ed. contains the line 2. ... f5 3. d3 Nf6 4. f4 d6 5. Nf3 fxe4 (5. ... Nc6 suggested by P. Keres) 6. dxe4 Bg4 7. fxe5 from Pereira-Roose correspondence game in 1982 as slightly to white's advantage. 3. exf5 Nf6
4. Nc3 d5
5. Nxd5!?
A bold true sacrifice from the 11 year old. After 5. ... Nxd5 6. Qh5+ Ke7 7. d4 white has some good attacking prospects (as mentioned by <Sneaky>, <beatgiant> and <Crafty> above). Paul probably recognized that his dad could be easily overwhelmed by attacking play. 5. ... Bc5?!
By declining the sacrifice Alonzo seems to acknowledge the immense attacking ability of his son. White has the advantage. 6. Nxf6+ Qxf6
7. d3 Bxf5
8. Nf3 Bg4
9. Bd5 c6
10. Be4 Nd7
11. 0-0 h6
12. c3 0-0-0
13. b4 Bb6
14. a4 a6
15. Qb3 Bf3
16. Bf3 g5
17. Be3 g4?
Overestimating black's chances on the kingside.
18. Bg4 Bc7?
Crafty evaluates Bxe3 as much better. White can now play b5. 19. Bf3
Crafty slightly prefers 19. b5 but still gives white a huge advantage after 19. Bf3 19. ... Rhg8
20. Be4
Prevents 20. ... Qxf3 and locks up black's e pawn
20. ... Rg4?
A waste of time.
21. f3 Rg7
22. b5!
Black's queenside is doomed.
22. ... axb5
23. axb5 Nb6??
The knight does not actually protect a8 from here as Paul Morphy illustrates. Crafty prefers 23. ... Nb8 but black is still objectively lost. 24. bxc6 Rdg8
25. Rf2 Qd8?
Black is under the mistaken impression that the knight can be defended in this manner. After this move, Crafty immediately finds mate in 6 for white. Paul did not start to announce these until later in life. :) 26. Ra8+!
Beautiful. If Nxa8, then Qxb7 is mate.
26. ... Bb8
27. Bxb6
This deviates from the mate earlier mentioned that Crafty has found < 27. Qe6+ Kc7 28. Bxb6+ Kxb6 29. Rb2+ Kc5 30. Ra5+ Qxa5 31. Qd5# > Perhaps Paul preferred the following mate in 10 brought to you by Crafty < 27. Bxb6 Qf6 28. Qb5 Rxg2+ 29. Rxg2 Rxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Qg5+ 31. Kh1 Qc1+ 32. Bg1 Qxg1+ 33. Kxg1 bxc6 34. Qxb8+ Kd7 35. Bf5+ Ke7 36. Qf8# > 27. ... Rxg2+?
This doesn't look constructive. Crafty now proclaims forced mate on move 35. < 28. Rxg2 Rxg2+ 29. Kf1 bxc6 30. Bxd8 Rg1+ 31. Kxg1 Kxd8 32. Qxb8+ Ke7 33. Qf8+ Ke6 34. Bf5+ Kd5 35. Rd8# > 28. Rxg2 Rxg2+
29. Kxg2 Qg5+
30. Kh1 Qc1+
31. Bg1
1-0
A late resignation.
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| Jan-10-06 | | morpstau: a true morphy gem and another example of his fluid and fiece style. |
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Feb-28-06
 | | Richard Taylor: I think that 27 cxb7+ was a quicker win. |
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| Jul-07-06 | | RookFile: Morphy's 9. Bd5 was really something.
What do I mean by this?
This is a celebrated defensive win by Capblanca, where the key move ...Bd4 allows him to neutralize his opponent's threats: Fahndrich / Kaufmann vs Reti / Capablanca, 1914
So - back to the Morphy game: here we have a boy playing essentially the same idea, with the colors reversed! |
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Jul-08-06
 | | KingG: <RookFile> I think you're giving Morphy's move too much credit. |
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| Sep-25-07 | | smarterthanbobby: Jun-13-04
ketchuplover: The game that started it all :)
WHAT DOES HE MEAN the game that started it all I am getting into morphy, capablanca, and others need
a little back drop if I could please? |
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| Sep-26-07 | | savagerules: 3 d3 puts white a move extra with reverse colors in KGD and has to be best, but in those days you were expected to accept gambits else they would call you names such as 'fraidy cat, Yankee scum and the like. |
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| Feb-14-09 | | ariel el luchador: 5) N X N 6)Q5R+ K2K 7)P4Q N3QB 8)N3KB Q3Q 9)0-0 it´s not clear for me 5) CXC 6)D5T+ R2R 7)P4D C3AD 8)C3AR D3D 9)0-0 y la posición no es clara. |
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| May-13-09 | | Jgamazo: If the sac is accepted after 5. ... Nxd5
6.Qh5+ : 6. ... g6? 7.fxg6 Bg7( not 7. ... hxg6 8.Qxh8) 8.gxh7+ Kf8 9.Nf3 Qe8 ( not 9. ... Nf6 10.Qf7#) 10.Qxe8+ Kxe8 11.Bxd5 Rxh7 12.OO Nc6 13.Re1 Bf5 14.d4 White has a 7 to 4 pawn advantage, a safer King, and an attack on the isolated king pawn. |
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| May-13-09 | | Jgamazo: or 5. ... Nxd5 6.Qh5+ Ke7 7.d4 Qd6 8.Bg5+ :
a) 8. ... Kd7 9.Qxf7+ Be7 10.Bxe7 Nxe7 11.Be6+ Kd8 12.Qxg7 Re8 13.dxe5 Qb4+ 14.c3 Qxb2 15.Rd1+ Nd7 16.Bxd7 Bxd7 17.e6 Qxc3+ 18.Kf1 Qc4+ 19.Ne2 Rg8 20.Rxd7+ Kc8 21.Qxe7 Qb4 22.f3 Qb1+ 23.Kf2 Qxh1 24.Rxc7+ Kb8 25.Rxb7+ Kc8 26.Qc7#b) 8. ... Nf6!? 9.Qf7+ Kd8 10.dxe5 Qxe5+ 11.Ne2 h6 (if 11. ... Qxb2 12.Rd1+ Nd7 13.Nf4 Qb4+ 14.Kf1 Qe7 15.Ne6+! Qxe6 16.fxe6 h6 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.exd7 Bxd7 19.Qxd7#) 12.OOO+ Nd7 13.Nf4 hxg5 14.Ne6+ Qxe6 15.fxe6 Be7 16.exd7 Bxd7 17.Be6 Rf8 18.Qxg7 Nh5 19.Qh6 Nf4 20.Bxd7 c6 21.g3 Ne2+ 22.Kb1 Kc7 23.Bg4 Rf6 24.Qg7 Re8 25.Bxe2 Rff8 26.Qe5+ Kb6 (or 26. ... Kc8 27.Bg4+ Rf5 28.Bxf5#) 27.Rd3 Bf6 28.Rb3#
The point is not that the lines above are perfect, but that White has the advantage and winning chances and Black will have an overwhelming task to defend himself. |
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| May-13-09 | | WhiteRook48: what weird blunders |
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| Oct-14-09 | | dannygjk: 7. d4!? |
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| Apr-30-11 | | prithviraj: no mercy...even wiped out his family member |
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| Aug-30-12 | | TheTamale: Hmm, what was Alonso thinking with 25)... Qd8? Rough, I tells ya! |
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Aug-31-12
 | | Phony Benoni: So what was Alonzo thinking with <25...Qd8> in this position?
click for larger viewI believe the technical term for this maneuver is "desperation". Black is already three pawns down, and the b6 is doubly attacked with nowhere to move. What else is there to play? It's quite possible Black overlooked <26.Ra8+>. I mean, everybody is praising the move as brilliant and tossing around exclams like the Mayans are right after all. If it's that good a move, it would be understandable that Alonzo missed it. But it's also possible that it's a desperate trap. Note that the immediate 25...Rxg2+ 26.Rxg2 Rxg2+ 27.Kxg2 gives Black no chance of a perpetual check, what with White's e3 guarding g5 and his  a1 holding the first rank. So what happens after the game continuation <26.Ra8+ Bb8 27.Bxb6>? Both White's rook and bishop have been lured away from their defensive posts, so Black can try <27...Rxg2+ 28.Rxg2 Rxg2+ 29.Kxg2 Qg5+ 30.Kh1 Qc1+>. Of course this is not a perpetual check. It's not even in the same parish as perpetual check. But does Black have any better idea in the diagrammed position, outside of resignation? Now, this whole diatribe has been less than serious, but I do want to make a point. Chess players make moves--including bad moves--for a reason. It behooves us to look into those reasons instead of dismissing a poor move with a laugh. You never know: some day, that move might turn out to be not as bad as you thought. |
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| Sep-03-12 | | TheTamale: <PB>, your comment is both insightful and entertaining. Thanks for the food for thought. |
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| Nov-18-12 | | Llawdogg: Maybe Paul declared mate in four:
"31 ... Qxg1+ 32 Kxg1 bxc6 33 Qxb8+ Kd7
34 Bf5+ Ke7 35 Qf8#"
And so Dad resigned. |
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| Feb-15-13 | | clownface: Dust of the earth, Retreat like... |
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