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Paul Morphy vs John Owen
Casual game (1858), London ENG, Jul-??
Owen Defense: General (B00)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 9 v010218 (minimum 6s/ply)4...g6 was played in Paulsen vs Blackburne / Kyllmann / La Fontain, 1861 (0-1)better is 5...d5 6.e5 Ne7 7.Be3 Nbc6 8.Nf4 g6 9.O-O Bg7 10.Nd2 = 0.00 (23 ply)better is 6.d5 Ne5 7.O-O Nxd3 8.Qxd3 Nf6 9.c4 d6 10.Nc3 Be7 ⩲ +0.67 (25 ply)= +0.11 (26 ply) after 6...d5 7.e5 Nge7 8.Nf4 g6 9.Nd2 Bg7 10.Nf3 Qd7 11.O-O better is 8...Nb4 9.Bb1 Ba6 10.Nf4 g5 11.Ne2 Ng4 12.Nb3 Rc8 13.a3 = +0.43 (24 ply) ⩲ +1.00 (24 ply)better is 9...Be7 10.a3 Rc8 11.Rc1 d6 12.f4 O-O 13.Nf2 h6 14.Qe2 ⩲ +0.55 (26 ply) ⩲ +1.24 (24 ply) 14.Be3 Qe7 15.Nf2 Rfc8 16.b4 Rxc1 17.Rxc1 Qd8 18.a4 a5 ⩲ +1.00 (27 ply)= -0.01 (24 ply)better is 16.Qf2 Qe7 17.a3 f5 18.Qg3 Kh7 19.Nf4 Nxf4 20.Qxf4 Rac8 = +0.38 (27 ply)= -0.22 (26 ply) after 16...Bc6 17.Be2 Rac8 18.Ba6 Rb8 19.Bc4 d6 20.Qf2 Qxf2+ 17.Qf2 d6 18.Bd3 Qxf2+ 19.Kxf2 dxe5 20.Bxg6 fxg6 21.dxe5 = -0.09 (25 ply) ⩱ -1.24 (29 ply) 18.Bxc6 dxc6 19.Qf2 Rxd4 20.Qxh4 Nxh4 21.Rxc6 Nf5 22.b3 ⩱ -0.81 (26 ply) 18...Rf8 19.Nf2 Qd8 20.Rxc6 dxc6 21.Ne4 Qd5 22.b4 Rfd8 ∓ -2.42 (24 ply)= -0.08 (25 ply) 21.Bd3 Bxf3 22.Nxe6 Qg4 23.Nxf8 Bxg2 24.Nxd7 Bh3+ 25.Kh1 = 0.00 (29 ply) ∓ -2.16 (24 ply) 22.Ba6 Qd8 23.Rxc6 dxc6 24.Qxc6 b5 25.Bb7 Nxd4 26.Bxa8 ∓ -1.72 (26 ply) ⩱ -0.94 (26 ply) 23...Rfe8 24.a3 b5 25.Ng2 Qd8 26.Rxc6 dxc6 27.Qxc6 Nxg2 ⩱ -1.10 (24 ply)= -0.23 (27 ply)better is 25...Qg5 26.Qe4 Rad8 27.Bc4 Kh8 28.Bd3 g6 29.Qe3 Rd7 ⩱ -0.70 (25 ply)= -0.11 (27 ply)better is 27...f5 28.exf6 Qxf6 29.Kg3 g6 30.Nxe6 Qxf3+ 31.Qxf3 = 0.00 (31 ply) 28.Nh5 f5 29.exf6 Qd5 30.Kg3 Qxe4 31.fxe4 gxh5 32.e5 ⩲ +0.67 (28 ply) ⩱ -0.58 (23 ply) 29...Qd2 30.Qe3 Qxe3+ 31.Kxe3 Kg7 32.Be4 Rc4 33.f4 f6 ⩱ -0.89 (25 ply) ± +2.34 (28 ply) 32...Kf7 33.e6+ Kg7 34.Nd5 Rcc8 35.e7 Rfe8 36.f4 Kf7 ± +1.88 (25 ply)+- +5.61 (25 ply)better is 34.e6 g5 35.e7 Rcc8 36.exf8=Q+ Kxf8 37.Ne6+ Ke7 38.f4 +- +6.23 (25 ply)+- +3.22 (25 ply)35...Kf7 36.Rd6 Kg7 37.Ke3 Ra5 38.a3 Rf7 39.f4 Kf8 +- +3.55 (27 ply)1-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

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Given 58 times; par: 56 [what's this?]

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35437 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
May-10-05  Jaymthetactician: Why would Morphy play 4.Nh3? Why not 4.c4?
May-10-05  vinohradska: Or why not anything else? If he wanted to move the knight, then why not Nf3?
May-10-05  Milo: Retain mobility for f-pawn
May-11-05  Jaymthetactician: Milo: Retain mobility for f-pawn

Why not 4.f4 and then 5.Nf3?

I really like Owen's style of play, but can't black play 3...f5! 4.Nc3(not exf5? then Bxg2, winning a rook),fxe5,Nxe5? (or Bxe5,Bxe5 Nxe5 winning the fianchettoed bishop)

May-11-05  Jaymthetactician: Correction:

MCO gives 3...f5? As too ambitious and better for white, and 4.exf5 is strongest.

May-11-05  Runemaster: <Jaym> yes, if 3...f5, 4.exf5. Greco has all the answers:

Greco vs NN, 1619

May-11-05  Jaymthetactician: Why yes, I have posted there, now I remember.
May-11-05  ranchogrande: 8.- Bb4? .Much better is cxd4.With ideas like Nb4(!)and the threat of Ba6,if the white bishop goes.(Otherwise NxB).
May-11-05  Everett: <Jaym> <Milo> Nh3 allowing a possible f3, blunting the fianchetto bishop,not f4. Further, Nh3 covers the f2 square, blocking Q-attacks on the king if the f-pawn moves.

Maybe we can learn together by watching Morhpy's play here, as, lo and behold, there is 11.f3

May-11-05  Jaymthetactician: I guess a knight on the rim isnt alway's dim after all (my favorite case being 1.Nf3,d5 2.c4,cxd4 3.Na3,e5 4.Nxe5,Bxa3 5.Qa5+,Bd7 6.Qxa3)
May-11-05  RookFile: Or 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Na6
4. Bxa6 Qa5+
May-14-05  Jaymthetactician: Also I have studied a line of the closed sicilian I never encounter (except against computers)involving Nh3.
Dec-02-05  Knight13: All I see is 18. Bxc6 dxc6 19. Rxc6 Rd4 follwed by ... Rd8. Or just simple 19... Rxd4, which I think Rd4 is stronger. Did I miss something?
May-04-07  Pragmatist: Nh3 is inaccurate. As mentioned already, Nh3 is a clever finesse with several purposes. First, since black has fianchettoed his Queen's Bishop, the Nh3 is immune to Bxh3 fracturing his King's future residence. Second, by not blocking the f-pawn, Morphy anticipates a french-type structure after black plays ...d5 and white responds with e5. In this situation, the knight is well placed on f4. If black neglects staking a claim in the center, then the Nh3 can move to e4 via f2 or g5. The problem with Nh3 in this opening is that it leaves the d4-square insufficiently defended. When black plays Nc6, he gains a tempo as white must defend d4 which, after the c-pawns are exchanged, allows black the equalizing maneuvre of Nc6-b4 exchanging white's Bd3. This is exactly what Owen did in his other game with Morphy and in that game Owen won. In this game too, Owen could have played 6...cxd4 7.cxd4 Nb4 transposing to the same position as their other game. Note that if white's knight were on f3, then exchanging on d4 first wouldn't work for black as after he plays Nc6, the d4 pawn is already defended and white just develops with Nc3 and if black plays Nb4, white can play Bb1 followed by a3 ejecting the knight on b4. Or, white can play prevent Nb4 by playing a3 first instead of Nc3. For an example of this latter plan, see Brodsky-Musalov, 1998. Ne2 has most of the same merits as Nh3, but defends the d4-square. This would be better than the main line of Nf3 except there is one serious disadvantage to Ne2. It blocks the e2-square making it hard for white to defend his e4 pawn! This is why the main line is to play Nf3 combined with Qe2 to naturally defend both center pawns.
Mar-05-10  The Rocket: "Nh3 is inaccurate."

absolute nonsense its one of the most efffective ways to play against this opening.

Black cant play normal moves like be7, because of qg4 and if then 0-0 then then bh6 winning the the exchange.. so nh3 is an exellent way to make black start thinking and concidering g6 suddenly..

its a modern approach as well ,my chessmaster gm edition engine plays it at 1 hour time controll and its opening book is from I guess 2007 so I cant be all that bad?.

Mar-05-10  The Rocket: The guys critizing are clearly low rated amatuers, which is often indicated by the fact that they are sooo dogmatic and says well it has to be bad with nh3 because a knight on the edge of the board is bad because thats what the chessbooks told me...

There are very often cases of exceptions in chess which a good player can easily spot out and therefore "think outside of the box" and win positions other would just take a draw in.

Mar-06-10  acirce: <The guys critizing are clearly low rated amatuers, which is often indicated by the fact that they are sooo dogmatic and says well it has to be bad with nh3 because a knight on the edge of the board is bad because thats what the chessbooks told me...>

Oh shut it. There have been several interesting posts on this page about the pros and cons of 4.Nh3, particularly the one you are quoting from and that I assume you didn't even read. The people questioning it don't have to be dogmatic. Perhaps most are low rated amateurs, but so are you. And I don't remember having seen you writing anything remotely as interesting. (I don't generally, either.) Now, it could even be that you are wrong (!!!!) and it's not "absolute nonsense" that 4.Nh3 is inaccurate since it is extremely unusual in that position in games played after 1899.

Mar-07-10  sneaky pete: The early middle game complications deserve more attention. It seems that Owen understood this type of position better than his opponent. Sergeant criticises white's moves 16 and 17, without giving an alternative. Fact is, that from then on Morphy's main concern is guarding his confined rook, first against Ng6-e7-d5, next against .. Qd8.

After 22.g4 ..


click for larger view

black could have played 22... Nxd4 23.Rxd4 Qxe5 24.R(any)xd7 Bxd7 25.Rxd7 g5, indicated by Max Lange. He would win material and should win the game. After 26.Nh5 Qxe2 27.Qc3 ..


click for larger view

27... e5 28.Qc6 R(any)c8 ends white attack.

On move 16 white might have played Qf2 and if ... Qxf2+ not 17.Nxf2 Nf4 but 17.Rxf2 .. with Rf2-c2 and maybe later f3-f4-f5. The control of the c-file should give him a small edge, that a modern GM might grind out to a win in some 50 or 60 more moves. Of course, then it wouldn't be a Morphy-game anymore.

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