The Invincible

Paul Charles Morphy – George Webb Medley
London, 1858
King’s Gambit C39

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 Nf6 6. Bc4 d5 7. exd5 Bd6 8. d4 Nh5! Howard Staunton’s move. 9. Nc3! Morphy’s own invention, intending Nc3-e2xf4. 9. ... Bf5 10. Ne2 Qf6? No better is 10. ... Bxe5 11. dxe5 f3 12. gxf3 gxf3 13. Bg5! f6 14. exf6 Qd6 15. Qd4 fxe2 16. Bxe2 Qg3+ 17. Kd2 0-0 18. Rag1 1 : 0 Morphy – Bird, London 1858. Géza Maróczy, however, recommends 10. ... Qe7 with a more balanced game, e.g. 11. Bd3 Bc8. 11. Nxf4 Ng3

12. Nh5!! Morphy’s Violin. 12. ... Nxh5 13. Bg5 Bb4+? A fatal mistake! Correct was 13. ... Qg7!, although after 14. 0-0 Ng3 15. Bb5+! (Maróczy sharply suggests 15. Rxf5! Nxf5 16. Qg4 and the attack continues) 15. ... Kf8 16. Qe1! Nxf1 17. Qxf1 Bxe5 18. dxe5 Qg6 (18. ... Qxe5? loses to 19. Re1) 19. Qf4 White stands better. 14. c3 Qd6 15. 0-0 Ng7. Also 15. ... Ng3 would be met by the same blow. 16. Rxf5! Nxf5 17. Qxg4 Ne7 18. Re1 h5 19. Qf3 Rh7 20. Bb5+ c6 21. dxc6 bxc6 22. Nxc6 Nbxc6 23. Bxc6+ 1 : 0.

Paul Charles Morphy as drawn by Winslow Homer from Ballou’s Pictorial, 1859. Courtesy of The Strong, Rochester, New York.