Paul Morphy
Notable Games

Paul Morphy

16 celebrated games · 309 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 309 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1849.06.22 Morphy, Paul vsRousseau, Eugene 1-0 King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Cotter Gambit 17 moves Morphy 12th birthday blindfold New Orleans, 1849 — a twelve-year-old Morphy accepts the King's Gambit and finishes with a clean mating attack, 17.Qc7#, against the strong French-American master Eugène Rousseau: an early flash of the prodigy.
  • 1849 Morphy, Paul vsLe Carpentier, Charles 1-0 Rook odds 13 moves Morphy Odds ♖a1 New Orleans, 1849 — one of the boy Morphy's earliest recorded brilliancies: giving rook odds, he lets his queen be captured and mates with a knight, 13.Nxh8#.
  • 1858.11 Schulten, John William vsMorphy, Paul 0-1 King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Charousek Gambit, Morphy Defense 20 moves USA-01 Casuals Morphy-Schulten +28-1=0 New York, 1857 — a celebrated Falkbeer Counter-Gambit: Morphy sacrifices a rook and drives the white king up the board (…Nf3+, …Qd4+, …Qf2+, …Qxf3+) into a forced mating net. One of his most reproduced attacking games.
  • 1857.11.08 Paulsen, Louis vsMorphy, Paul 0-1 Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Classical Variation 28 moves USA-01 Congress Grand Tournament First American Chess Congress final, New York 1857 — the immortal 17…Qxf3!! queen sacrifice against Louis Paulsen, tearing open the white king in one of the most famous games of the nineteenth century.
  • 1857.10.11 Marache, Napoleon vsMorphy, Paul 0-1 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Pierce Defense 20 moves USA-01 Morphy Casual Games New York, 1857 — from an Evans Gambit, Morphy answers Napoleon Marache's attack with a whirlwind of threats and a picturesque knight mate, 20…Nde2#.
  • 1857.01.30 Morphy, Paul vsMeek, Alexander Beaufort 1-0 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Slow Variation 33 moves New Orleans New Orleans, 1857 — an Evans Gambit against Alexander Meek, one of the strongest American players of the day; Morphy wins material, drives home a passed pawn, and mates by promotion, 33.cxd8=Q#.
  • 1858.11.02 Morphy, Paul vsDuke of Brunswick, Count 1-0 Philidor Defense 17 moves Opera House: Morphy-Duke of Brunswick “A Night at the Opera,” Paris 1858 — the most famous game ever played. In a consultation game against Duke Karl of Brunswick and Count Isouard, Morphy develops every piece with gain of time and mates in seventeen with a queen sacrifice, 16.Qb8+ and 17.Rd8#.
  • 1858.08 Bird, Henry Edward vsMorphy, Paul 0-1 Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit, Zukertort Variation 29 moves Casuals Morphy-Bird +10-1=1 London, 1858 — against Henry Bird, Morphy meets a Philidor with the celebrated exchange sacrifice 17…Rxf2! and a cascade of tactics, hunting the white king down with his queen.
  • 1858.09.23 Morphy, Paul vsHarrwitz, Daniel 1-0 Philidor Defense: Exchange Variation 48 moves Match Morphy-Harrwitz +5-2=1 Match, Paris 1858 — after dropping the first two games to Daniel Harrwitz, Morphy stormed back to win the match; here the queens come off by move six and he gives a masterclass in the resulting queenless struggle.
  • 1858.07.20 Morphy, Paul vsLoewenthal, Johann Jacob 1-0 King's Gambit Declined: Classical Variation 28 moves Match Morphy-Loewenthal +9-3=2 Match, London 1858 — Morphy defeated Johann Löwenthal +9−3=2; this sharp King's Gambit Declined sees him launch a kingside pawn storm and weather the counterattack to win.
  • 1858.09.27 Morphy, Paul vsBaucher, Henri 1-0 Philidor Defense: Exchange Variation 27 moves Morphy blindfold sim +6-0=2 Blindfold game, Paris 1858 — playing without sight of the board, Morphy sacrifices a rook on h6 to drag the king into the open (25.Rxh6+ Kxh6) and forces mate, a showcase of his legendary blindfold strength.
  • 1858.12.27 Morphy, Paul vsAnderssen, Adolf 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation 17 moves Match Morphy-Anderssen +7-2=2 Match, Paris 1858 — Morphy's crowning contest was his decisive win (+7−2=2) over Adolf Anderssen, widely regarded as the world's leading player. Here a Sicilian erupts into a seventeen-move king hunt that forces Anderssen's resignation.
  • 1858.12.24 Anderssen, Adolf vsMorphy, Paul 0-1 Anderssen's Opening 42 moves Match Morphy-Anderssen +7-2=2 Match, Paris 1858 — Anderssen resorted to the offbeat 1.a3 (a move that now bears his name) to sidestep Morphy's opening mastery; Morphy answers it calmly and grinds out the win with the black pieces.
  • 1859.03.31 Morphy, Paul vsSchrufer, F 1-0 Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack 24 moves Morphy casual 1859 — one of Morphy's last brilliancies before he withdrew from serious play: from a Two Knights against F. Schrüfer he sacrifices to strip the black king and hunts it across the board to a knight mate, 24.Nd7#.
  • 1855.03.01 Meek, Alexander Beaufort vsMorphy, Paul 0-1 Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Sarratt Variation 21 moves Morphy casual Mobile 1855 — a 21-move win with Black against Alexander Beaufort Meek. Selected in Irving Chernev, 1000 Best Short Games of Chess, PDF page 416.
  • 1858.08.27 Morphy, Paul vsLyttelton, George Williams 1-0 King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Kolisch Defense 17 moves British CA-02 Morphy blindfd sim +6-1=1 Birmingham 1858 — a 17-move win with White against George Williams Lyttelton. Selected in Irving Chernev, 1000 Best Short Games of Chess, PDF page 221.
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