A Friendly Game

Adolf Anderssen – Paul Charles Morphy
Paris, December 1858
King’s Gambit Accepted C39

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 Nf6 6. Nxg4 d5 7. Nxf6+ Qxf6 8. Qe2. Varying from 8. Nc3, as played earlier by Anderssen in the same day. 8. ... Bd6 9. Nc3 c6 10. d4! Finally, Anderssen got a good opening, which gave him courage and strength to play according to his brilliant tactical style. 10. ... Qxd4 11. Bd2 Rg8 12. exd5+ Kd8

13. 0-0-0! “Giving up the Exchange and securing in return a tremendous attack. In none of his other games against Morphy does Anderssen show his skill so brilliantly”, Philip W. Sergeant writes in his book “Morphy’s Games of Chess”, New York, Dover, 1957, p. 279. 13. ... Bg4 14. Qe4 Qxe4 15. Nxe4 Bxd1 16. Nxd6 Bh5 17. Bxf4 cxd5 18. Nxb7+ Ke7 19. Bb5! A terrific blow, threatening the Rook check on e1. 19. ... Rxg2 20. Re1+ Kf6 21. Re8 Bg6 22. Nd6 Nc6. Black has no defence. As Géza Maróczy points out, 22. ... Be4 is met by 23. Be5+ Kg6 24. Nxe4 dxe4 25. Rg8++−, while 22. ... Kg7 23. Rc8 f6 (Sergeant) 24. Ne8+ Bxe8 25. Rxe8, however horrible-looking, is probably a bit stubborn. Finally, if 22. ... Rxc2+ then 23. Kd1 Kg7 24. h5 Rf2 25. h6+! Kf6 26. Bg3 (Δ Bg3-h4 mate) 26. ... Rg2 27. Bh4+ Rg5 28. Rd8! and Black ends up in Zugzwang. 23. Rxa8 Rxc2+ 24. Kd1 Nd4 25. Re8 Bh5+ 26. Ke1 Nf3+ 27. Kf1 Rxb2 28. Be2 Rxa2 29. Bg5+ Nxg5 30. hxg5+ Kxg5 31. Re5+ Kf6 32. Rxh5 1 : 0. Finally Anderssen won a game!