The Rabbit in the Hat

Adolf Anderssen – Paul Charles Morphy
Match game 8; Paris, December 25, 1858
Anderssen Opening A00

1. a3 e5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 Be6 6. Nf3 Bd6 7. Be2 0-0 8. d4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 e4 10. Nd2 f5 11. f4 Qh4+. Varying from 11. ... g5!?, such as occurred in the 6th game. Apparently it gives Black satisfactory play, but I would not be so sure that it is due to the actual merit of Morphy’s new idea. 12. g3 Qh3 13. Bf1 Qh6 14. c4 c6 15. c5 Bc7 16. Bc4 Nd7 17. 0-0 b5 18. cxb6 axb6 19. Qb3 Rfe8 20. Bb2 b5 21. Bxe6+ Qxe6 22. Qc2. Géza Maróczy is clearly right in recommending 22. Rfc1! Qxb3 23. Nxb3, but luckily enough 23. ... Rac8! should hold up quite comfortably. 22. ... Qd5. Here 22. ... Nb6! 23. Rfc1 Rac8! might have been even more promising for Black. 23. Rfc1 Ra6 24. a4 Rea8 25. axb5 Qxb5 26. Qc4+ Qxc4 27. Nxc4 Rxa1 28. Bxa1 Nf6 29. Bc3 Ra2 30. Bd2 Nd5 31. Kf1 Bd8. The ending is a bit more comfortable for Black, but not enough to realistically play for a win. Whatever it is, however, Morphy pushes hard to get something. After 31. ... Kf7 32. Ke1 Ke6 everything was more or less balanced. 32. Ke1 Be7 33. Rb1 h6 34. Ne5 c5!? Curiously enough, Grandmaster Valeri Beim puts a question mark to Morphy’s last move, objecting that 34. ... Ra6 35. Rc1 Bb4! would have held an easy balance. He’s right. But Morphy, too, is not wrong! 35. dxc5 Bxc5 36. Rb5

36. ... Nxe3! Of course! Here is the rabbit out of Morphy’s hat! 37. Rxc5 Ng2+ 38. Ke2. If 38. Kd1 there would equally follow 38. ... e3 39. Rc2 e2+ 40. Kc1 Ra1+ 41. Kb2 Rd1 and Black wins back the Bishop with a draw in sight. 38. ... e3 39. Nf3 g6 40. Rd5 Kf7?? Strangely Morphy committs a terrible blunder. He clearly ought to play 40. ... Kg7 in order to answer 41. Ra5 by 41. ... Rb2 (Beim’s analysis). 41. Rd6?? And Anderssen too, incredibly, makes his own blunder, missing the easy win by 41. Ra5! Rb2 42. Ne5+ Kf6 43. Nc4 (Beim’s analysis). They acted as if they wanted to give each other a gift, perhaps because it was their second game in the same day and that day was Christmas Day! 41. ... Kg7 42. h4. 42. Ne5 g5 (Maróczy) leads to a draw as well. 42. ... exd2 43. Rxd2 Ra4! The most elegant way to draw. 44. Kf2. If 44. Nd4 then 44. ... Ra3 and Black cannot lose. 44. ... Nxf4 45. gxf4 Rxf4 46. Rd4 Rxd4 47. Nxd4 Kf6 48. Ke3 g5 49. h5 Ke5 50. Nf3+ Kf6 51. Nd4 ½ : ½.