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Paul Morphy vs Ernest Morphy
"Who's Your Daddy?" (game of the day Jun-15-2008)
Casual game (1856), New Orleans, LA USA, Nov-??
Italian Game: Evans Gambit. Pierce Defense (C52)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
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d
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f
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h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
1-0

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

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Given 294 times; par: 36 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jun-15-08  Chessmensch: Giving up those pawns opened the files and diagonals required to press the attack. But, you have to maintain the initiative throughout for it to work (and not be playing someone too strong).
Jun-15-08  Once: <playground player> The chessgames.com database has just 6 games that uncle ernest played. Not really representative of his actual playing strength.
Jun-15-08  Marmot PFL: Morphy was 12 or 13 when this game was played. He played very well, but it is not in the same class as some of Capablanca's early games, not to mention Fischer's great win over Byrne. Or course it's not Morphy's fault that black put up weak resistance.

Supposedly Morphy and Capa were never taught how to play, but learned just by watching there fathers play. The story is that Capa watched his dad play and said he could beat him, and did. he was 4 or 5 at the time I think.

Jun-15-08  mezzieh: It's painful for all material lovers to decline first, second, third pawn sacrifice. But, heh, losing game like this after taking those baits seems to be even more depressing.

Below some in-the-game moves with my alternatives' suggestions: 10...Nh6 (10...Qf6)
13...Bd7 (13...Nf5)
14...0-0-0 (14...Rb8)

But I see no better defense than 15...Na5.

A word about alwazir's lines: after 15...bxa6 I'd examine 16. Red1, instead of immediate 16. Qb2. I agree, there's a lot of mess in this line, but I think cutting off d7 first might be better.

Jun-16-08  kevin86: The bad news:a father is badly beaten while the son is looking away.

The good news,the son IS beating the father-and it's at a chessboard.

Dec-16-08  WhiteRook48: I like Rexe8# better cuz it's not only mate, but also double check
Dec-23-08  WhiteRook48: I thought that Ernest was his uncle
Jan-10-09  WhiteRook48: Morphy sacrifices pawns a lot in this game.
Feb-01-09  WhiteRook48: nice game, it looks like an endgame
Sep-27-09  birthtimes: 15...bxa6 16.Qb3 Bg4 17.Qb7+ Kd7 18.Rbd1+ Ke8 19.Rxd8+ Kxd8 20.Qa8+ Bc8 21. Rd1+ Nd4 22. Nxd4 exd4 23. Qd5+ Bd7 24. Rxd4 wins Blacks queen for a rook...
Sep-27-09  birthtimes: 15...bxa6 16.Qb3 Bg4 17.Qb7+ Kd7 18.Rbd1+ Ke8 19.Rxd8+ Kxd8 20.Qa8+ Kd7 21. Rd1+ Nd4 22. Qd5+ Kc8 23. Qa8+ draws by repetition...
Nov-27-09  meth0dSNK: morphy is the most dynamic player ever, probably the most brilliant player
Apr-16-10  wordfunph: it would have been a murderous finish if Morphy opted for 25.Rexe8# putting emphasis on WBSB check to the hapless black king..
Jul-09-10  kafkafan: Yes,mate 25.Rexe8 would be fabulous. More importantly, it is practically game over by move 9.Ba3, which is, by the way, NOVELTY OF THE STEM GAME AT AGE 11!!
Dec-19-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Benzol: Can someone correct me if I'm wrong here but wasn't Ernest Morphy Paul's Uncle and not his Father? If so a better pun might be "Say Uncle".
Dec-19-11  King Death: <Benzol> His biography here clearly states that what you say is true: Paul Morphy.
Dec-19-13  thomastonk: Max Lange gave in the second edition of his Morphy book 25.♖exe8#.
Feb-21-15  Cactusjuice: Horrorble attack
Jan-29-16  juanhernandez: Character is greater than Beauty;
Feb-13-18  Gambit All: What is wrong w ...16 Qc6; 17. Qxa5, Qxa6; 18. Qxa6,gxa6?
Feb-13-18  Granny O Doul: Uncle Ernie, open the door. Let 'em in.
Jun-24-18  DrGridlock: <15...bxa6 16.Qb3 Bg4 17.Qb7+ Kd7 18.Rbd1+ Ke8 19.Rxd8+ Kxd8 20.Qa8+ Kd7 21. Rd1+ Nd4 22. Qd5+ Kc8 23. Qa8+ draws by repetition...>

Yes ... perhaps White did sac too much material in this one. The irony is that Uncle Ernest accepted every other offer of material, but not this last one (which is the one he should have accepted).

After black takes on a6, it's not clear how White has anything better than draw by repetition.

Aug-25-18  jabinjikanza: Well massacred .morphy have respect to Dady
Aug-25-18  morfishine: <wordfunph: it would have been a murderous finish if Morphy opted for 25.Rexe8# putting emphasis on WDSB check to the hapless black king> This doesn't make sense. How much more "murderous" is mate on the same move?
Sep-01-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  MissScarlett: <Jun-15-08 Marmot PFL: Morphy was 12 or 13 when this game was played.>

Fiske's <The Chess Monthly>, 1857, p.340, dates this game to November 1856, not 1850. The score - I don't know if this marks its first publication - doesn't settle which rook delivered mate.

Correction to be made, pending disputation.

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