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Paul Morphy vs Duke Karl / Count Isouard
"A Night at the Opera" (game of the day Dec-02-2007)
Paris (1858), Paris FRA
Philidor Defense: General (C41)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
This is a weak move already.--FischerBlack is in what’s like a zugzwang position here. He can’t develop the [Queen’s] knight because the pawn is hanging, the bishop is blocked because of the Queen.--Fischer1-0

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

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 24 OF 30 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jan-22-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  tamar: thanks Nightsurfer, amazing that no one had discovered it before.

translated from the article on Isoard

<Only these five letters left over from those decades -long friendship. The two friends may have written hundreds of such small writing. One of these (dated October 26, 1867) by Charles II to his friend , the Count dIsoard is , :

Dear Count ,

I have every day sent someone to find out news from you , and I'm very sorry to know that you are still suffering .

In the event that you are back on your feet , I inform you that Paul Morphy to come to-night in the box at the opera today, and I 'll send you a card. But please do not come if you are not recovered properly , and you might catch a cold and backslide.>

Feb-19-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: Well of course I have to add this game to my favourites.

The most famous game ever played?
The most reprinted game ever played?

You do know of course know that the game was between Morphy and Count Isouard only.

The Duke was only watching and never actually suggested any of moves. (except those he made the Count take back when Morphy was off buying the choc ices.)

This is all explained quite cleary here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU5...

Feb-20-14  RookFile: Morphy was annoyed because he wanted to watch the Opera instead. As a result, his play is very ruthless and direct here. There's one more thing: it's also very beautiful.
Mar-08-14  Levo: One of my very favorites.
Mar-08-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: < RookFile: Morphy was annoyed because he wanted to watch the Opera instead.>

Can you tell us anything else about Morphy's state of mind?

Mar-08-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <offramp>

From Frederick Edge's account of the evening.

<H. R. H. the Duke of Brunswick is a thorough devotee to Caissa; we never saw him but he was playing chess with some one or other. We were frequent visitors to his box at the Italian Opera; he had got a chess-board even there, and played throughout the performance. On our first visit "Norma" was performed. The Duke's box is right on the stage; so close, indeed, that you might kiss the _prima donna_ without any trouble. Morphy sat with his back to the stage, and the Duke and Count Isouard facing him. <Now it must not be supposed that he was comfortable. Decidedly otherwise; for I have already stated that he is passionately fond of music, and, under the circumstances, wished chess at Pluto.> The game began and went on: his antagonists had heard _Norma_ so often that they could, probably, sing it through without prompting; they did not even listen to most of it, but went on disputing with each other as to their next move. Then Madame Penco, who represented the Druidical priestess, kept looking towards the box, wondering what was the cause of the excitement inside; little dreaming that Caissa was the only _Casta Diva_ the inmates cared about. And those tremendous fellows, the "supes," who "did" the Druids, how they marched down the stage, chaunting fire and bloodshed against the Roman host, who, they appeared to think, were inside the Duke's box.>

http://www.freefictionbooks.org/boo...

Mar-10-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: This is the most famous game of all time, more people know/recognize this game than any other game in chess.
Mar-10-14  Petrosianic: <Sally Simpson>: <Well of course I have to add this game to my favourites. The most famous game ever played?
The most reprinted game ever played?>

Certainly in the Top 5, and certainly a strong candidate for #1. I doubt that any actual polls have been taken to show that more people recognize it than, say the Immortal Game or the Evergreen (or even the Fools and Scholar's Mates).

Mar-10-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: I did not make up the above fact.

Marshall, Reinfeld, Chernev ... and many others, said it first.

Mar-10-14  solskytz: Or Reti-Tartakower, 1910
Mar-11-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: <sol> Reti vs Tartakower, 1910.

Is that the one that you were referring to?

Mar-13-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Since it was first played this game has been repeated many times. So I suppose Morphy may have played this game before.
Mar-13-14  john barleycorn: Morphy had his warm-up in this game

Morphy vs Harrwitz, 1858

Concerning the foolowers of this game - <Rene Gralla> here has seemingly played a copy of almost every spectacular game in chess history. Just see his page.

Mar-20-14  solskytz: Sure, <AJ>
Mar-20-14  RedShield: <‘Paris, 13 Nov. Yesterday, Duke Charles of Brunswick caused a great scandal at the Théâtre des Italiens. He was playing chess with his companions during the performance and making so much noise that the theatre’s director had to demand that he be quiet.’>

http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...

May-12-14  satkul: a very instructive game
Jun-28-14  Nightsurfer: Talking of your last posting, dear <John Barleycorn>, please do not exaggerate! Those very few cases of - partial! - replays that I was lucky enough to recognize OTB are less of one-tenth of a percent of all those games in more or less goofy style that me, a bloody amateur, I have played during those years since I have learned the rules of chess.

On the other hand I firmly believe that those very few cases of - partial!! - replays that can be checked out on my personal page are quite instructive since they help to demystify the game of chess a little bit. For they are proof of the fact that a game of chess can be defined as being a stringing together of recurring so-called "chunks", that is to say: typic constellations of the pieces, and you "only" have to recognise those chunks ... ;-) ... but the latter fact, that is the problem of course, in all too many cases I have overlooked even the most basic chunks.

The tragedy of a hopeless PATZER!

Jun-22-15  MindCtrol9: There was no player, before or now, that can be equal to Murphy in what attack and abilities to conduct it is.The only one close to him M Tal.
Jun-22-15  Mating Net: Love this game. This is my absolute favorite mating pattern, the Opera House mate.
Aug-18-15  kishore4u: Great one!
Aug-28-15  narayase: first class game played by morphy in 1858.he is the world's bestplayer.none of the players can play like him.
Aug-28-15  morfishine: <MindCtrol9> And Super Nez !
Sep-06-15  The Kings Domain: One of the most memorable games, and one of the most instructive. Morphy may have seen victory by move 10.
Sep-06-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: It is probably correct about this game being printed more than any other.

Here is today's question.

Which well known chess book had the score of this game printed in it eight times (yes 8 times) and yet on the 3rd edition of the same book it does not appear at all, not even once?

Sep-07-15  The Kings Domain: Sally Simpson: Interesting, I don't know the answer but I couldn't help but wonder: why would they do that? Reminds me of "The Mammoth book of Chess" which is supposed to be a compilation of the best games recorded and it doesn't include a single game of Morphy!
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