Troilus and Cressida

Paul Charles Morphy – Paul Capdevielle
4-board blindfold simultaneous exhibition; New Orleans, May 1864
Evans Gambit C51

Paul Capdevielle (1844–1922) is probably most remembered for playing Paul Charles Morphy rather than for serving as Mayor of New Orleans from 1900–1904, so maybe that was his great luck. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4!? Bxb4 5. c3 Bc5 6. 0-0. “6. d4 is now generally preferred”, Johann Jacob Löwenthal (and Morphy himself) wrote in his (their) book “Morphy’s Games: A Selection of the Best Games Played by the Distinguished Champion, in Europe and America”, New York, D. Appleton and Company, 1860, p. 364. 6. ... Nf6? At the time it was quite a common blunder! 6. ... d6 here was correct. 7. d4. As McDonnell’s and de La Bourdonnais’s games taught Morphy, it may take very little to lose an open game! 7. ... exd4 8. cxd4 Bb4. Capdevielle takes another way from his unlucky predecessor, Theodor Lichtenhein (but only to come to the same end): 8. ... Bb6 9. e5 d5 10. exf6 dxc4 11. fxg7 (in an analysis for the January 1864 issue of the Neue Berliner Schachzeitung, Bernhard von Guretzky-Cornitz gave the following line: 11. Re1+ Kf8 12. Ba3+ Kg8 13. d5 Na5 14. Be7! Qd7 15. fxg7 Kxg7 16. Qd2 Qg4 17. Qc3+ Kg8 18. Qxh8+! Kxh8 19. Bf6+ Qg7 20. Re8#) 11. ... Rg8 12. Re1+ Ne7 13. Bg5 Be6 14. Nc3 Ba5 15. Ne4 Rxg7 16. Nf6+ Kf8 17. Re5 c6 18. Bh6 Nf5 19. Rxe6 fxe6 20. Ng5 Ke7 21. Bxg7 Nxg7 22. Qf3 Qxd4 23. Rd1 Bd2 24. Ng8+ Rxg8 25. Qf7+ Kd8 26. Nf3 1 : 0 P. C. Morphy – Lichtenhein, New York 1857. 9. e5 Ne4 10. Bd5. 10. Qe2 was probably even stronger here, but Morphy maybe let his opponent play a little more. 10. ... Bc3? Capdevielle takes the bait eventually, like most of Morphy’s opponents. Probably best was 10. ... f5 11. Qb3 Qe7, though after 12. a3 Ba5 13. Qc2! White still retains a very large advantage. 11. Bxe4. Also very strong was 11. Bxf7+! Kxf7 12. Nxc3 Nxc3 13. Ng5+ Ke8 14. Qf3 winning back the piece with an irresistible preponderance. 11. ... Bxa1 12. Bg5. Of course, Morphy cannot resist such a developing move. 12. ... f6 13. exf6 gxf6 14. Bxc6. 14. Nh4! (threatening Qd1-h5+) might have been even stronger — or maybe not. 14. ... dxc6. 14. ... fxg5 was probably the most stubborn defence, but then after 15. Re1+ Kf8 16. Ba4! White’s development advantage should still prevail (17. ... g4 18. Na3!). 15. Re1+ Kf7. If 15. ... Kf8 then 16. Bh6+ Kg8 17. Ne5! winning immediately.

16. Ne5+ Kg7 17. Bh6+! Kxh6. Not 17. ... Kg8 on account of 18. Qb3+ Qd5 19. Qg3+ and mate next move. 18. Nf7+ Kg7 19. Nxd8 Rxd8 20. Qh5. Morphy just got what he aimed for, and now finishes the game with his customary machine-like elegance. 20. ... Rd7 21. Nd2 Rf7 22. Rxa1 Be6 23. Re1 Bd5 24. Re3 Kh8 25. Ne4 Rg7 26. Nxf6 Rxg2+ 27. Kf1 Rg7 28. Re8+ Rxe8 29. Qxe8+ Bg8 30. h4 h6 31. Qf8 h5 32. Nxg8 Kh7 33. Nf6+ Kh6 34. Ne8 Kg6 35. Qf6+ Kh7 36. Qxg7# 1 : 0.