Coming Down the Seine

Paul Charles Morphy – Jules Arnous de Rivière
Paris, January 8, 1863
Giuoco Piano C53

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Qe7 5. d4 Bb6 6. 0-0 d6 7. h3 Nf6 8. Re1 h6 9. a4 a5. A bit too committal. For 9. ... a6 10. Bd5 0-0 11. Na3 Ba7 see Paoli – L. Kovács, 12th Lajos Asztalos Memorial, Baja 1971. 10. Na3. In spite of the friendly nature of the game, Morphy shows himself to be an innovator and anticipates most of Nicolas Rossolimo’s strategies and maneuvers. 10. ... Nd8. The reckless 10. ... g5 11. Bb5 Bd7 12. Nc4 doesn’t promise any good for Black, Klovans – Shishov, 3rd USSR Team Chess Championship, Riga 1954, whereas instead 10. ... 0-0 – suggested by Géza Maróczy – deserves consideration. 11. Nc2 Be6 12. Ne3 Bxc4 13. Nxc4 Nd7 14. Ne3. White got a clear advantage by classic means. 14. ... g6. No better is 14. ... c6 15. Nf5 Qf6 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Nd6+ (Maróczy’s analysis). 15. Nd5 Qe6. Black knows this cannot be good, but the only other choice 15. ... Qf8 16. Be3 soonly followed by Nd5xb6 would lead him to a positional disaster.

16. Bxh6! f6. Not 16. ... Rxh6 on account of 17. Ng5 brilliantly trapping Her Majesty. 17. Bg7? Morphy unusually plays a careless move! Maróczy rightly recommends 17. Be3 which leaves White with a decisive advantage. 17. ... Rh5! The only move to survive! After 17. ... Rh7? 18. Bxf6! Nxf6 19. Ng5 White wins the Queen. 18. g4 Rxh3 19. Nxf6+ Nxf6 20. Ng5 Qd7? This is the losing move. With 20. ... Qxg4+ 21. Qxg4 Nxg4 22. Nxh3 Kf7 23. f3 Kxg7 24. fxg4 exd4 25. Kg2 Ne6 Black would have gotten enough compensation for the Exchange and therefore good drawing chances (Maróczy’s analysis). 21. Bxf6 Rh4 22. f3 exd4 23. cxd4 Rh6 24. Kg2 Nf7 25. Rh1 Nxg5. If 25. ... Rxh1 then 26. Qxh1 Bxd4!? 27. Qh7! with an irresistible attack. 26. Rxh6 Nh7 27. Qh1 Nxf6 28. Rh8+ Ke7 29. Rxa8 Bxd4 30. Qh6! Qc6 31. Rc1 Qb6. “This was the right moment for giving up the game”, says Maróczy. 32. Rxc7+ Ke6 33. Re8+ Nxe8 34. Qxg6+ Ke5 35. Qf5 mate.

Yours Truly

La Nouvelle Régence, No. 6, June 1863, p. 185

Paris, July 19, 1863 My dear Mr. Journoud, I would be very grateful if, in the next issue of La Nouvelle Régence, continuing the publication of Mr. Dubois’ article on the “State of Chess in Italy”, you’ll be so kind as to remark, where and when the author tells about Mr. Bellotti, that I played with the latter only three games, adopting the Italian mode of Castling. Mr. Dubois should mention the facts without exaggeration, even wishing to praise his countryman more of than he himself ever would dare. Yours truly Jules Arnous de Rivière

Gallicism

Serafino Dubois – Jules Arnous de Rivière
Paris, July 20, 1855
Sicilian Defence B21

Notes by Georges Bertola, “1856 La Régence (2)”, Europe Échecs, December 14, 2015.

1. e4 c5 2. f4 e6 3. c4!? Nc6 4. Nf3 f5. Sans doute prématuré mais joué sous l’influence du champion de l’époque Staunton. Voici un exemple: 4. ... g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be2 d6 7. 0–0 Nge7 8. a3 a6 9. Rb1 0–0 10. Qc2 f5=/+ Horwitz – Staunton (Londres 1851). 5. e5. Fermer la position n’est pas la suite critique 5. exf5!?. 5. ... Nh6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Be2 0-0 8. 0-0 a6 9. d3 b6 10. b3 Bb7 11. h3 Qc7. “Les noirs développent leur jeu avec beaucoup de soin et de jugement”. (Dubois). 12. Be3 Rad8 13. a3 d5?! Meilleur 13. ... d6!. 14. exd6? “Si les blancs prennent le pion avec 14. cxd5 les conséquences sont avantageuses pour le joueur en second, supposons 14. ... exd5 15. d4 cxd4 16. Nxd4 Nxe5 17. fxe5? Qxc3 18. Bxh6 Bc5 19. Kh1 Qxd4-+”. (Dubois). Puis près de 20 ans plus tard, il renforça la variante avec 17. Ne6! (17. Rc1!) 17. ... Qxc3 18. Bd4! Qc8 19. Nxd8 avec gain de la qualité pour un pion. 14. ... Bxd6 15. Ng5 Rf6 16. Qd2 Nd4 17. Bxd4 cxd4 18. Na4. “Mauvaise place pour le cavalier”. (Dubois). 18. ... Bc6 19. Nb2 e5! 20. fxe5 Bxe5 21. Bf3 Bg3 22. Bxc6 Qxc6 23. Rf3

23. ... f4? “Permet de dégager le cavalier et force l’échange. 23. ... Qd6!”. (Dubois) 24. Ne4 Rg6 25. Nxg3 fxg3 26. Raf1 Qd6 27. Qb4 Qxb4 28. axb4 b5. “Une très bonne répartie et très inattendue, arrêtant la marche des pions et enfermant le cavalier pour fort longtemps”. (Dubois). 29. c5 Re6 30. Rxg3 Re2 31. Rf2 Rxf2 32. Kxf2 Nf5 33. Rf3 Ne3 34. Rxe3. “Hasardeux; 34. Rf4 était plus sûr”. (Dubois). 34. ... dxe3+ 35. Kxe3 Kf7 36. d4 Re8+ 37. Kf4 Ke6 38. Ke4 Kd7+ 39. Kd5? “39. Kd3 eut probablement sauvé la partie”. (Dubois). 39. ... Re3! 40. Nd1 Rxb3 41. Nf2 Rxb4 42. Nd3 Rb3 43. c6+ Kc7 44. Nc5 Ra3 45. Ne6+ Kc8 46. Kc5 Rc3+ 47. Kb6 b4 48. d5 Rd3 0 : 1.

Paul Charles Morphy (L.) and Jules Arnous de Rivière (R.) playing at Paris, 1858. Photo: Wikipedia.

1855年9月5日

---

Notes by Serafino Dubois

---

Jules Arnous de Rivière – Serafino Dubois
Paris, September 5, 1855
Scandinavian Defence B01

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+. Inferior; the best reply, according to the books, is now 4. Bc4, and the game is followed up thus: 4. Bc4 b5 5. Bb3 Bg4 6. Nf3 Nxd5 7. Nc3 Nxc3 8. Ne5 Be6 9. Bxe6 fxe6 10. Qh5+ g6 11. Nxg6 Qd5 12. Qxd5 (or 12. Ne5+ Kd8 13. Nf7+ Kd7 14. Qxd5+ Nxd5 15. Nxh8 Ke8 winning the Knight as before) 12. ... Nxd5 13. Nxh8 Bg7 and Black has the advantage. 4. ... Qxd7 5. c4 c6 6. dxc6 Nxc6 7. Nf3 e5 8. 0-0 e4. The proper move. 9. Re1 0-0-0 10. Ng5

10. ... Qf5. Black purposely leaves the King’s Bishop’s Pawn en prise and proffers the Exchange in order to commence his attack on the adversary’s King with Queen, Knight and Bishop. 11. Nxf7 Bc5 12. Rf1 Ng4 13. Nxh8 Nxf2 14. Qe1 Rf8. The winning move. 15. d4 Bxd4. [Ed. Note: A palpable slip. Black wins simply with 15. ... exd3]. 16. Nd2. The only move to avoid the threatened mate. [Ed. Note: A grave disappointment (for Black) would result from 16. Be3]. 16. ... Nd3+ 17. Kh1 Nxe1 18. Rxf5 Rxf5 19. h3 e3 20. Ne4 Rf1+ 21. Kh2 Be5+ 22. g3 Nd4 23. h4 h5 24. Ng5 Nef3+ 25. Nxf3 Rf2+ 26. Kh3 Nxf3 0 : 1. This unplublished game was played at the Café de la Régence, September 5th 1855. During the visit of Mr. Dubois to Paris he contested thirty-three games with Mr. Rivière, the score standing, Dubois 22, Rivière 8, drawn 3. The notes to the present contest are by Mr. Dubois. (The Chess Monthly, Vol. ii, 1858, pages 331-332).