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Morphy dreamed of playing the chess king of the 1840's - Staunton, and his friends sent the latter an invitation to visit America. But Staunton declined, citing his busy schedule as a playwright and instead inviting Morphy to visit Europe and promising to have a match then. So Morphy himself set off for Europe. In 1858 he arrived in England, where he easily demonstrated his superiority over the local masters, brilliantly winning a match against Lowenthal (spending the prize money on buying the furniture for the flat of his hard-up opponent!), but, alas, after a lengthy discussion and LOTS of excuses from Staunton, the match with the 48-year old English champion never materialized. They did however play in a consultation game where it was Staunton along with another contemporary master paired up against Morphy and another master. Morphy's side won the game. But why did Staunton hide from a match with Morphy? The explanation is obvious - here we can recall the words of Fischer: "Staunton appears to have been afraid to meet Morphy and I think his fears were well-founded. Morphy would have beaten him, but it wouldn't have been the one-sided encounter that many writers now think it would. It would have been a great struggle." The other masters were crushed one after another by the young American prodigy, and in highly spectacular fashion. |
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1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 f5
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(?!) Philidor's move, which was very fashionable at the time, but which is objectively more than dubious, and perhaps even losing. Opening theory has gone A VERY LONG way since those days... |
 
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4. Nc3
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Also good is 4.Bc4, as well as 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6 (6.Nc3!?) 6...Bc5 7.Nc3! (but not immediately 7.Nf7? Qf6 8.Be3 d4 with a counterattack, Barnes-Morphy, London 1858) 7...c6 (7...Qf6 8.Ngxe4 dxe4 9.Qh5+ and Qxc5) 8.Nf7, which was suggested in 1880 by Johann Berger |
1 comment
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4... fxe4
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Black fails to equalise with either 4...nf6 5.dxe5 Nxe4 6.Nxe4 fxe4 7.Ng5 d5 8.e6 Bc5 9.Nxe4 Be7 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qe5 Rg8 12.Ng5, or 4...exd4 5.Qxd4 fxe4 5.Bg5 Nf6 7.Nxe4 Be7 8.Bc4 Nc6 9.Qe3! |
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5. Nxe4 d5
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Or 5...Nf6 6.Nxf6+ gxf6 (if 6...Qxf6, then 7.Bg5 Qg6 8.dxe5 --Zukertort) 7.dxe5 fxe5 8.Bc4 Qf6 9Ng5 with an obvious advantage for White |
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6. Ng3
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(?!) As was shown by Zukertort several decades later, stronger is 6.Nxe5! dxe4 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Nxg6 Nf6 9.Qe5+ Be7 10.Nxh8 Nc6 11.Bb5 Qd5 12.Bg5. And in the event of 9...Kf7 10.Bc4+ Kg7 (10...Kxg6?? 11.Qg5#) 11.Bh6+ Kxh6 12.Nxh8 Bb4+ 13.c3 Qxh8 14.cxb4 (Keres), White advantage is close to being decisive |
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6... e4 7. Ne5 Nf6 8. Bg5
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(?!) Correct is 8.f3!, advantageously undermining the center |
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8... Bd6
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"A typical Morphy move, striving as soon as possible to overcome his lack of development." (Euwe) In Maroczy's opinion, 8...Be7 was more circumspect |
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9. Nh5
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(?!) |
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9... O-O 10. Qd2
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(?!) |
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10... Qe8
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(!) |
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11. g4
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(?) After a series of dubious movies, Bird commits a decisive mistake. "However, had it not been for this move, chess literature would not have been enriched with one of Morphy's most staggering and profound combinations...After 11.Nxf6+! (11.Bxf6 Qxh5) 11...gxf6 12.Bxf6 Rxf6 (12...Qh5 13.g4) 13.Qg5+ Rg6 14.Nxg6 hxg6! 15. Qxd5+ (or 15. h4) =" (Maroczy). Euwe does not agree with this evaluation: "In the resulting open position the strength of the two black bishops should quickly tell." But in Kasparov's opinion, White would have been lucky to reach such a position, since in fact he is destroyed by the interposition of 12...e3! (this Morphy would NOT have missed!) 13.Qxe3 Rxf6 14.0-0-0 (14.Qg5+ Rg6) 14...Bf8 etc.
Bird's mistake is fully understandable from a psychological standpoint: he already was facing a difficult choice... |
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11... Nxg4 12. Nxg4 Qxh5 13. Ne5 Nc6 14. Be2 Qh3 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. Be3 Rb8
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The prelude to Morphy's combination, although the immediate 16...Bg4 would have been more efficient, when Black is a very healthy pawn ahead. |
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17. O-O-O
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"Safer is 17.c3" (Maroczy) If one can say this about a pretty hopeless position. |
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17... Rxf2
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(?!) I tip my hat to the great chess artist, but the crude 17...Bg4! was correct, or even, according to Euwe, the slow 17...Bf5 and ...Bg6. |
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18. Bxf2 Qa3
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(!!) A bolt out of the blue! A mistake would have been 18...Ba3? in view of 19.Qe3!. Alas, even this brilliant maneuvre by Morphy does not give more than a draw... |
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19. c3
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(!) Bird defends with precision. If 19.Qg5, Maroczy gives the winning variation 19...Qxb2+ 20.Kd2 Bb4+ 21.Ke3 Qa3+! 22.Bd3 (22.Kf4? Bd6+) 22...Ba6 23.Rhg1 Bf8! and ...exd3, while if 19.Qc3 then 19...Qxa2 20.Rdg1 g6 21.b3 Bb4! Instead of 19...Qxa2, even stronger is 19...Bf4+! 20.Rd2 Qxa2 21.Qa3 Qxa3 bxa3 e3 and wins (Euwe), or 21.b3 Bd6! (simpler than 21...e3 22.Bxe3 Bxe3 23.Rf1 a5! etc.) 22.Rdd1 Bb4 winning. |
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19... Qxa2
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GM Murey tried to find a win after 19...e3?! 20.Bxe3 Bf5, but without successL 21.Qc2! Qxa2 22.Bd3 Bxd3 (22...Ba3 or 22...Rxb2 - 23.Bxf5) 23.Rxd3 Ba3 (23...Rxb2 24.Qxb2 Ba3 25.Qxa3!) 24.Qb1! (24.bxa3 Qa1+ 25.Kd2 Qxh1 26.c4! Qxh2+ 27.Kc3 will also do) 24...Bxb2+ 25.Kc2 Qa4+ 26.Kd2 Bxc3+ 27.Rxc3 Rxb1 28.Rxb1 Qa2+ 29.Kc1, diffusing Black's attack while retaining the extra material. |
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20. b4
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Forced, since mate in two was threatened, and if 20.Qc2? there is a choice between 20...Bf4+ ad 20...Rxb2 21.Qxb2 Ba3! 22.Qxa3 Qxa3+ 23.Kd2 Qb2+ 24.Ke1 Qxc3+ |
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20... Qa1+ 21. Kc2 Qa4+ 22. Kb2
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(?) According to Maroczy, 22.Kc1! would have forced a draw by perpetual check (22...Qa1+), since 22...Bxb4? is wrong in view of 23.cxb4 Rxb4 24.Qg5 (24.Qc2 Qa3+ 25.Kd2 Rb2 26.Rc1 is also possible) 24...Qa3+ 25.Kd2 Rb2+ 26.Ke1 Rxe2+ 27.Kxe2 Qf3+ 28.Ke1 Qxh1+ 29.Qg1 Qf3 20.Qg3.
However, with the help of any decent modern engine, we can establish that 22...Bf5! (22...a5 23.Qc2 Qa3+ 24.Qb2 axb4 25.Kc2 Ba6 26.Bf1! is unclear) 23,Be1! Qa1+ 24.Kc2 e3+ 25.Kb3 exd2 26.Rxa1 Re8 27.Ba6 dxe1=Q 28.Raxe1 Rxe1 29.Rxe1 Bxh2 30.Bb7 Be4 31.Bxc6 Kf7 would nevertheless have given Black a minimal advantage (obviously less than after 17...Bg4!: here it is far closer to a draw). This is the present-day level of attack and defense, illustrating the COLOSSAL progress of chess during the past 150 plus years... |
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22... Bxb4
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(!) |
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