Alexander Beaufort Meek vs Paul Morphy (1855)

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Alexander Beaufort Meek vs Paul Morphy
New Orleans (1855), New Orleans, LA USA
Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit. Saratt Variation (C44) · 0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Given 182 times; par: 48 [what's this?]

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May-03-05		WTHarvey: Fwiw, 21...Bxg2 is mate in 4: 22.Qh8+ Kxh8 23.Bg5 Qxg5 24.b3 Nf3#

Sep-25-05		blingice: Good lord, Morphy. Never, ever accept a sacrifice by Morphy.

Nov-06-05		Rohan: wow - i learn something every time i play a morphy game perhaps he was the greatest of all time

Nov-07-05		chancho: This game appears in Ludek Pachman's "Modern Chess Strategy", to illustrate the dangers of attacking in the opening without having a sufficient advantage.Black had done nothing wrong during the opening phase, so white's decision to play 14. Bxf7+, was a big mistake, because it shifted the equilibrium in favor of black.Once black had gained the initiative as a result,it all went downhill for white in a hurry.

Jan-28-06		morpstau: wow - i learn something every time i play a morphy game perhaps he was the greatest of all time

Jul-02-06		Helios727: I think 12.Nxf7 was the real goof.

Jul-03-06		RookFile: Well, sure it was. Notice something though. Lasker talked about this. A champion boxer, when faced by a punch thrown by his opponent, just barely moves his head just enough to avoid the blow. Then he's punching right back in the face of his opponent. Contrast this with an amateur who shrinks back, and defends more than he has to, or runs. Morphy played like the champion boxer in this game.

Feb-15-07		SBC: In 1855 the "normal" response to 5. Ng5 would have been 5...Ne5 which protects the f7 pawn and also attacks the c4 Bishop. However, there was a built-in trap inherent to that move - 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5 where black will drop e4 and meanwhile his King's exposed and his Queen is locked to the pawn on c7 I even saw this sequence in a simul game by Tal. Morphy avoided all this with a new, and unexpected, move - the clunky looking 5...Nh6 - a Knight- on-the-rim, soon to be a Knight-on-the-move.

Jun-21-07		Manic: <Helios727> sure 12.Nxf7 was not good, but at that point was there anything better? The real mistake is surely 11.Qh5?, and after 11...h6 both white's knight and bishop are under attack and only one can be saved.

Dec-23-07		nimh: Rybka 2.3.1 mp, AMD X2 2.01GHz, 10 min per move, threshold 0.33. Meek 6 mistakes: 11.Qh5 -1.63 (11.Bb3 -0.82) 12.Nxf7 -2.84 (12.Bb3 -1.91) 13.Qg6 -5.02 (13.Bb3 -2.81) 16.Nd5 -5.61 (16.Ne2 -4.39) 18.Qxb7 -10.77 (18.Be3 -5.50) 19.Ne7+ #13 (19.Nf4 -10.77) Morphy no mistakes!

Jan-24-08		JimmyVermeer: Morphy played very impressively this time. He had a faster win on his 21st move though as WTHarvey rightly pointed out, so not sure if that qualifies as a "mistake". After all, a win is a win, regardless of the number of moves it took. From the point of view of a person trying to boost his rating, it's probably best to finish the game off quickly so you can get started on the next stunning victory.

Jun-11-11		lemonadepawn: @WTHarvey You assumed Meek was really dumb.

Nov-20-16		zadgjm: As a novice i can say that was a beautiful game. A gem.

Nov-21-16		ughaibu: But 5...Nh6 wasn't "a new, and unexpected, move". http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

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