Ten Hours

Paul Charles Morphy – Séguin
Eight-board blindfold simultaneous exhibition; Paris, September 27, 1858
Philidor Defence C41

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Bd3 0-0 7. f4 c5. “Black leaves himself with a weakness which costs him dear”, writes Philip W. Sergeant in his book “Morphy’s Games of Chess”, New York Dover Publicatons, 1957, p. 185. 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. 0-0. Géza Maróczy regards 9. e5 as more energetic, but Morphy prefers to play on positional grounds. 9. .. Bg4 10. Be3 a6 11. a4 h6 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Nb4 14. Rad1 Qc7 15. b3 Nxd3 16. cxd3 Rfe8. Also after 16. ... b5 17. d4 b4 18. Ne2 White stands better. 17. d4 Qc6 18. dxc5! dxc5. “Morphy has now shifted his opponent’s weakness from the d6-Pawn to the c5-Pawn, and is willing to exchange Queens in order to win the latter – and with it the game”, Philip W. Sergeant wrote in his book “Morphy’s Games of Chess”, New York Dover Publicatons, 1957, p. 185.

19. e5! Morphy disdains the abstract benefit of a space advantage by 19. d5, and scientifically proceeds toward the endgame. 19. ... Qxf3 20. Rxf3 Nh7 21. Rd7 Rab8 22. Nd5 Bf8 23. Bf2 Rbd8 24. Nb6 Rxd7 25. Nxd7 Rc8 26. Rc3 Rc7. Black cannot avoid the loss of the c-Pawn, for if 26. ... Be7 then 27. a5! inexorably tightening the grip. 27. Nxf8 Nxf8 28. Rxc5. Not 28. Bxc5? as after 28. ... Ne6 Black regains the Pawn with equality. 28. .. Rxc5 29. Bxc5 Ne6 30. Be3 g6 31. g4 Nd8 32. Kf2 Nc6 33. Ke2 b5 34. axb5 axb5 35. Kd3 Kf8 36. Bc5+ Ke8 37. Ke4 Kd7 38. Kd5 Nd8 39. f5 gxf5 40. gxf5 h5 41. Bb6 Nb7. On 41. ... Nc6 42. e6+ White wins the Knight. 42. e6+. “Every step is made with the same precision by Mr. Morphy, in this the conclusion of the last game, after ten hours of unexampled mental tension, which he exhibited in the outset of the first partie”, Howard Staunton wrote in Max Lange’s book “Paul Morphy, a sketch from the Chess World”, London, 1860, p. 203. 42. ... fxe6+ 43. fxe6+ Ke7 44. Kc6 Nd8+ 45. Bxd8+ Kxd8 46. Kd6 Ke8 47. e7 1 : 0.

Habanera

Paul Charles Morphy – Placido Domínguez
Three board blindfold simultaneous exhibition; Havana, February 16, 1864
Two Knights Defence C55

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. 0-0 Bc5 6. e5 Ne4? Black wants to avoid the Max Lange Attack, but his remedy is much worse than the hypothetical disease. 7. Bd5! f5 8. exf6 Nxf6 9. Bg5! Of course, 9. Re1+ wasn’t bad either. 9. ... Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6. Not 10. ... gxf6 on account of 11. Ng5! (far stronger than Jude Frazier Acers’ 11. Nh4) 11. ... Ne5 12. Qh5+ Ng6 13. Bf7+ Kf8 14. Qh6 mate (Géza Maróczy’s analysis). 11. Re1+ Ne7? This seems the decisive mistake. Black ought to have played 11. ... Kf8! 12. c3!? g6! aiming to mitigate damages. 12. Ne5! Bxe5. Not 12. ... Nxd5? 13. Qh5+! winning immediately. 13. Qh5+ g6 14. Qxe5 Rf8 15. Nd2 c6. This allows Morphy to finish in style, but after 15. ... d6 16. Qxd4 c6 17. Be6 Bxe6 18. Rxe6 d5 19. Rae1 Rf7 20. Nf3 is busted anyway (Maróczy’s analysis).

16. Nc4! d6 17. Nxd6+ Kd7 18. Be6+ Kc7 19. Nxc8+. 19. Nc4+ is a dual. 19. ... Qd6 20. Qxd6 mate.

Andrés Clemente Vázquez
“La Odisea de Pablo Morphy en la Habana, 1862-1864”
Habana, La Propaganda Literaria, 1893

Lost in the Weekend

Paul Charles Morphy – James Freeman
Eight-board blindfolded simultaneous exhibition; Birmingham, August 27, 1858
Bishop’s Opening C23

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. b4!? Bb6 4. Nf3 d6 5. d4!? Wilhelm Steinitz regards 5. c3 followed by d2-d3 as a sounder contnuation. 5. ... exd4 6. Nxd4 Nf6 7. Nc3 0-0 8. 0-0. Steinitz recommends 8. f3, but, in that case, 8. ... d5! would be very strong. 8. ... Nxe4. This bold move has been criticized, but it’s perfectly playable. 9. Nxe4 d5 10. Bg5 Qe8? Here’s Black’s real mistake. Both 10. ... Qd7 (Steinitz) and 10. ... f6 (Max Lange) would have given Black a satisfactory play. 11. ... c6 12. Re1 Qd7 13. Nf6+! Beautifully played. 13. ... gxf6 14. Bxf6 Qd6. If 14. ... Qxd5 then 15. Re5 wins. And if 14. ... cxd5 then 15. Re5 h6 16. Rg5+! Kh7 (16. ... hxg5 17. Qh5 and mate in two moves) 17. Rg7+ Kh8 18. Qh5 and mate in two moves.

15. Ne6!! “The beauty of Mr. Morphy’s play throughout the entire conduct of the attack now culminating, is beyond all praise. And when we consider the circumstances under which the game was played, all we can say is, that such efforts and such successes are more inconceivable to us than to the merest tyro among our Readers”, writes Charles Henry Stantley in his book “Morphy’s Match Games: Being a Full and Accurate Account of His Most Astounding Successes Abroad, Defeating, in Almost Every Istance, the Chess Celebrities of Europe, 1859, Robert M. De Witt Publisher, New York, pp. 89-90. It should be noted, however, that also 15. Be6!! (Steinitz) would have led to the same result: 15. ... Bxe6 (or 15. ... fxe6 16. Qg4+ Kf7 17. Qg7+ Ke8 18. Nxe6 Bxe6 19. Rad1 and wins) 16. Qd2 Bf5 17. Qf5+ Bg6 18. Nf5 and wins. 15. ... Bxe6. Not 15. ... fxe6 on account of 16. Qg4+ Kf7 17. Bxe6+! Bxe6 (or 17. ... Kxf6 18. Bxc8 winning easily) 18. Qg7+ Ke8 19. Rad1 and wins. 16. Qh5? Géza Maróczy rightly commends 16. Qd2! which would have prevented Black’s ... Qd6-f4; for instance: 16. ... Bxf2+ 17. Kh1 Bh4!? 18. Qh6 Bxf6 19. Be4 Rd8 20. Bxh7+ Kh8 21. Bg6+ Kg8 22. Rxe6! Qxe6 23. Bh7+ Kh8 24. Bf5+ and wins. 16. ... Bxf2+? Luckily for Morphy, Dr. Freeman misses his great chance: 16. ... Qf4! 17. Rxe6 Nd7 would have left White without resource. 17. Kh1. Not 17. Kxf2? because of 17. ... Qxd5! 18. Re5 Qd4+ 19. Kg3 Qc3+ with perpetual check. 17. ... Qf4 18. Rxe6! “The Old Guard dies but never surrenders!”. 18. ... Nd7. On 18. ... cxd5 19. g3 wins. 19. Bb2!? Threatening 20. Rg6+ hxg6 21. Qxg6 mate. More energetic was, however, 19. Bg5 Qd4 20. Rd1 (Maróczy) 20. ... Qg7 21. Bh6 Nf6 22. Qf3 with a huge advantage. 19. ... Bd4? The last mistake. After 19. ... fxe6 20. Bxe6+ Rf7 White should have contented himself with 21. Rd1 Nf8 22. Bxf7+ Qxf7 23. Qxf7+ Kxf7 24. Rf1 regaining the piece a Pawn ahead. 20. g3. 20. Re4 is even simpler. 20. ... Nf6. Both 24. ... Qf2 and 24. ... Qd2 are met by 25. Qg4+. 21. gxf4 Nxh5 22. Bxd4. What follows is an impressive display of technique. 22. ... Nxf4 23. Rg1+ Ng6 24. Rexg6+ hxg6 25. Rxg6+ Kh7 26. Rg7+ Kh6 27. Be4 f5 28. Bd3 b6 29. Rg3 Rf7 30. Be5 Re8 31. Bf4+ Kh7 32. Rg5 Re1+ 33. Kg2 Rg7 34. Bxf5+ Kh8 35. h4 Rxg5+ 36. Bxg5 Re8 37. Kf3 1 : 0.

Paul Charles Morphy

Yes We Can

Paul Charles Morphy – Pierre Emile Bonford
Blindfold simultaneous exhibition; New Orleans, March 24, 1858
Evans Gambit C52

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4!? Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. 0-0 dxc3 8. Ba3!? According to chess theory the best move is 8. Qb3 – obviously well-known to Morphy. Given the circumstances, he probably wanted to try something different. 8. ... d6. Here 8. ... Qf6 9. e5 Qg6 10. Qb3 Nge7 11. Nxc3 b5 is another interesting modus vivendi, Blydenstein – Zukertort, London 1874. 9. Qb3 Nh6 10. Nxc3 Bxc3 11. Qxc3 0-0 12. Rad1 Ng4. Preventing e4-e5. 13. h3 Nge5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Be2! A move which shows Morphy’s deep understanding of positional concepts. The stereotyped 15. Bb3 after 15. ... Be6 leads nowhere for White. 15. ... f5? Black unwisely opens up the position – in particular the diagonal a1-h8 – while behind in development. Géza Maróczy recommends 15. ... f6 eventually followed by ... Ne5-g6. 16. f4 Nc6 17. Bc4+ Kh8 18. Bb2 Qe7. 18. ... Rf6 loses to 19. e5 Rg6 20. Bf7 (Maróczy’s analysis). 19. Rde1 Rf6 20. exf5 Qf8

21. Re8! More solito, Morphy’s refutation offers the highest standard of aesthetic pleasure. 21. ... Qxe8 22. Qxf6! Qe7. Taking the Queen runs into mate with two Bishops: 22. ... gxf6 23. Bxf6 mate. 23. Qxg7+! Of course White can win prosaically by 23. Qxe7 Nxe7 24. Re1, but Morphy, in his search of the Holy Grail, always looked for a masterpiece. 23. ... Qxg7 24. f6 Qxg2+. Desperation; if 24. ... Qf8 then 25. f7+ Ne5 26. fxe5 would crown Morphy’s grandiose attack, e.g. 26. ... h5 (or 26. ... Kg7 27. e6+ Kh6 28. e7 and wins) 27. e6+ Kh7 28. Bd3+ Kh6 29. Rf6+ Kg5 (or 29. ... Kg7 30. Rg6+ Kh7 31. Rg8+ Kh6 32. Bc1 mate) 30. Rg6+ Kf4 31. Kf2! and mate next move. 25. Kxg2 Bxh3+ 26. Kxh3 h5 27. Rg1 1 : 0.

Simultaneous blindfold chess exhibition, given by Paul Charles Morphy at the Café de la Régence in Paris on September 27, 1858. Courtesy of the John G. White Collection, Special Collections, Cleveland Public Library. Photograph by the Cleveland Public Library Photoduplication Service.

贵族政治

Paul Charles Morphy – C. A. Seguin
Eight-board blindfolded simultaneous exhibition; Paris, September 27, 1858
Philidor C41

Notes by Johann Jacob Löwenthal, “Morphy’s Games of Chess”, New York, D. Appleton and Company, 1860, pp. 227-229, and by Philip W. Sergeant, Morphy’s Games of Chess, New York, Dover Publications, 1957, p. 185.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Bd3 0-0 7. f4 c5. Black leaves himself with a weakness which costs him dear. (Sergeant). 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. 0-0 Bg4 10. Be3 a6 11. a4 h6 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Nb4 14. Rad1 Qc7 15. b3 Nxd3 16. cxd3 Rfe8 17. d4 Qc6 18. dxc5 dxc5 19. e5!! Morphy has now shifted his opponent’s weakness from the Pd6 to his Pc5, and is willing to exchange Queens in order to win the latter – and with it the game. (Sergeant). 19. ... Qxf3 20. Rxf3 Nh7 21. Rd7 Rab8 22. Nd5 Bf8 23. Bf2. Not only to enable him to push on the Pf4, but also to bring the Rf3 to attack the adverse Pc5. (Löwenthal). 23. ... Rbd8 24. Nb6 Rxd7 25. Nxd7 Rc8 26. Rc3 Rc7 27. Nxf8 Nxf8 28. Rxc5 Rxc5 29. Bxc5 Ne6 30. Be3 g6 31. g4 Nd8 32. Kf2 Nc6 33. Ke2 b5 34. axb5 axb5 35. Kd3 Kf8 36. Bc5+ Ke8 37. Ke4 Kd7 38. Kd5 Nd8 39. f5 gxf5 40. gxf5 h5 41. Bb6 Nb7 42. e6+ fxe6+ 43. fxe6+ Ke7 44. Kc6. This game does not, on the whole, exhibit such numerous points of interest as many of the foregoing, contested on the same occasion; but is yet worth studying, as Mr. Morphy’s accuracy is most remarkable, and without that winning would have been no easy task. We give a diagram of the position after Black’s 43rd move:– (Löwenthal).

Position after 43. ... Kd7-e7

44. ... Nd8+ 45. Bxd8+ Kxd8 46. Kd6 Ke8 47. e7 1 : 0. Ed. Note; For if 47. ... h4 then 48. b4 or, viceversa, 47. ... b4 48. h4. The game lasted ten hours!

Morphy’s eight boards blinfold simultaneous exhibition
Paris (Café de la Régence), September 27, 1858