A Day’s Grace

Adolf Anderssen – Paul Charles Morphy
Match game 2; Paris, December 21, 2017
Spanish Game C77

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6! The Morphy Variation. 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 6. c3 b5 7. Bc2 d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. h3 0-0 10. 0-0 h6. “Steinitz had a field day criticizing White’s last two moves”, Bobby Fischer writes in his book “My 60 Memorable Games”, London, Batsford, 2008, p. 51. 11. d4. Whilelm Steinitz – maybe rightly – recommends here 11. Nxe5 Nxe5 12. d4, even though after 12. ... Qf6! Black doesn’t seem to have any problems. 11. ... exd4. “With a satisfactory game for Black”. (Fischer, ibidem). 12. cxd4 Bb6 13. Nc3 Ndb4 14. Bb1. Géza Maróczy suggests the subtle interpolation of 14. Be4! f5 15. Bb1 as 15. ... Nxd4? 16. Nxd4 Qxd4 (not 16. ... Bxd4?? 17. Qb3+) 17. Qf3 followed by a2-a3 and Rf1-d1 actually seems to give White far better chances for an advantage. 14. ... Be6? “This move is a terrible oversight. He should have taken the Pawn: 14. ... Nxd4 although after 15. Nxd4 Qxd4 (15. ... Bxd4 16. Qf3 Rb8 17. Rd1 c5 18. Bf4 results in approximate equality) 16. Qf3 Rb8 17. Qg3 White has full compensation for the Pawn”, Grandmaster Valeri Beim writes in his book “Paul Morphy Una Prospettiva Moderna”, Roma, Prisma Editori, 2008, p. 174. 15. a3 Nd5 16. Ne2? Grandmaster Rainer Knaak was the first one to provide the obvious refutation 16. Qc2! (followed by an one-word credit: “Fritz”), which gains material (at least a Pawn) in all variations, or – even worse – a clear piece (after 16. ... Nf6?? 17. Ne4!). 16. ... Nf6 17. Be3 Re8 18. Ng3 Bc4. And now, as once Peruvian Grandmaster Esteban Canal said, Black is ready to sit down on the d4-Pawn “with all his family”. 19. Nf5!? Desperation! “This position is strategically very pleasant for Black. White would be ill-advised to play 19. Re1 Nxd4! here; while after 19. Bd3 Bxd3 20. Qxd3 Qd5 White still has his isolated Pawn, but in a passive position. Anderssen, true to his usual active style, gives up the Exchange to retain some counter-chances. He also intended further sacrifices”. (Beim, op. cit., p. 175). 19. ... Bxf1 20. Qxf1 Ne7 21. N3h4 Nxf5 22. Nxf5 Qd7. 22. ... Qd5! (eventually followed by ... Nf6-e4) also seems very strong.

23. Bxh6!? This was clearly Anderssen’s idea when he sacrificed the Exchange: a last-ditch attack against the gigantic Morphy. Such a daring and courageous decision will be rewarded with a peaceful close. 23. ... gxh6. “It is hard to give this move a dubious mark; but 23. ... g6!? 24. Qc1 Ne4 gave Black a much simpler win”. (Beim, ibidem). 24. Qc1 Bxd4. Johannes Hermann Zukertort recommended here 24. ... Nh7 25. Qxh6 f6 26. Ba2+ (not 26. Nh4? Re1+ 27. Kh2 Rxb1!) 26. ... Kh8 27. Nh4 Rg8 28. Bxg8 Rxg8 as a possibly better way to proceed, but, of course, there is nothing wrong with Morphy’s decision. 25. Qxh6 Re1+ 26. Kh2 Ne4? Too nonchalantly sure of himself, Morphy omits to play 26. ... Qxf5! 27. Bxf5 Rxa1 that would ensure Black an overwhelming material superiority. 27. Bxe4 Rxe4. Perhaps Morphy – who, as usual, played very quickly – had overlooked that 27. ... Rxa1?? would have been met by 28. Nxd4! which wins for White! 28. Qg5+ Kf8 29. Qh6+ Ke8 30. Nxd4 Qd6+ 31. Qxd6 cxd6 32. Rd1! Kf8. “Black has fought his way through all White’s brilliancies into and ending where he is the Exchange ahead, only to find that White can nevertheless hold everything”, Richard Nevil Coles wrote in his book “Epic Battles of the Chessboard”, New York, Dover, 1996, p. 31. 33. Rd2 Rae8 34. g4 R8e5 35. f3 Re1 36. h4 Rd5 37. Kg3 a5 38. h5 Kg8 39. Kf2 Re8 40. Kg3 Kh7 41. Kf4 Re7 42. Kg3 f6 43. Kf4 Re8 44. Kg3 Re7 ½ : ½. All in all it has been a lucky escape for Anderssen, but it will be the last one.