Morphy analyzes!

Game Sixth
Between Labourdonnais and McDonnell
(Giuoco Piano)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 d6

For comments on the opening moves, see the fourth game of the
series.

5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb6 7. d5 Nce7 8. e5 Bg4 9. Bb5+

9 Qa4+ would have been much stronger and would have given rise to
some variations of interest. Suppose 9 Qa4+ Bd7 (9...c6 10 dxc6
Nxc6 - or 10...dxc6 - 11 Qxg4 with the better game; 9...Qd7 10 Bb5
c6 11 e6 and must win.

9...Kf8

This is Black's correct play. We see no better reply for White than 10
Qb3 Bxf3 11 Qxf3 Ng6 and Black's game is quite as good as his
antagonist's. He has a strong and safe position and will have no
difficulty in bringing his pieces into play. If White should move 12 e6,
Black might answer with 12...Ne5, having an excellent game.) 10 Qb3
and White, threatening 11 e6, etc., has the better game.

10. e6 fxe6 11. dxe6 Nf6 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 c6 14. Bd3 Qc8 15. Bf5

15 Qe2 strikes us as a better method of protecting the pawn.

15...Ke8

15...Nxf5 16. Qxf5 Ke7: Black should have captured the Bf5 with the
Knight at once and then continued 16...Ke7, winning the advanced e-
pawn.

16. O-O Rf8 17. Qd3 Nxf5 18. Qxf5 Ke7 19. Bg5

White, by needlessly giving up the pawn and thus enabling Black to
free his pieces, obtains an inferior game. He might have played 19
Re1 and preserved his advantage. He appears to have feared in reply
19...Nd5. The subjoined variation shows that the move apprehended
would have resulted in White's favor: 19 Re1 Nd5 20 Bg5+ Ke8 21
Qxh7 Bxf2+ 22 Kh2 and White ought to win.

19...Qxe6 20. Qxh7 Qf7 21. Nc3 Kd7 22. Qf5+ Kc7 23. Bf4 Rad8 24.
Qc2

24 Rad1 would surely have been much stronger.

24...Kb8 25. a4 Nh5 26. Bg5 Rde8 27. a5 Bc5 28. Na4 Bd4 29. Qd2

This is not a good move, but in every event Black has a greatly
superior position.

29...Ng3 30. Rfd1 Bxf2+ 31. Kh2 Ne4 32. Qc1 Bg3+ 33. Kg1 Qf2+ 34.
Kh1 Be5

McDonnell, certain of victory and seeing a good move, did not give
himself the trouble of looking for a better. Otherwise he would have
observed that 34...Rh8 would have forced the game at once.

35. Rd3 Ng3+ 36. Rxg3 Qxg3 37. Qg1 Qxg5 38. a6 Qg3 39. axb7 Rf2
40. Ra3 Qf4

It is curious the McDonnell should here have overlooked the following
forced mate, given by previous commentators: 40...Rf1 41 Rxg3
(best) 41...Rxg1+ 42 Kxg1 Bxg3 and mates next move.

41. Nb6 Rf1 42. Nd7+ Kc7

Had Black taken the pawn, White would have drawn the game as
follows: 42...Kxb7 43 Rxa7+ Kc8 44 Nb6+ Kb8 (If 44...Kd8 the white
Rook mates.) 45 Nd7+ drawing by perpetual check.

43. b8Q+ Rxb8

And McDonnell wins. 1-0

Taken from Chess Cafe

Dave

I will post more games and analysis from my books as well as from
my games.

SO?

Morphy plays too. 😉

I think I prefer his games over his analysis. Brilliant attacks, quick crushing defeats (albeit against weak opponents), often giving odds. Extraordinary winning percentage, particularly nice, expedient games with the King's Gambit.

I found the game and analysis also here:
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1261697

The game makes me want to cringe but the analysis was good. The score is messed up at the end...as the kibitzing in chessgames described. But white was long lost by then.

You people obviously are aware of the criticism given to his combinations; flawed, unsound etc. But most of the time he was playing patzers who he thinks don't have what it takes to conduct a proper defense. You think he knew they were flawed; or knowingly went on anyway cause they won't be able to do anything?

By the way, it's nice seeing him annotate the game once in a while.

And when Morphy wasn't playing patzers, he was crushing Anderssen, Harrwitz, Lowenthal, Paulsen, et al. The fact is most of the world were patzers compared with Morphy. Give the man his due.

Harrwitz seems to be the only player too somewhat challenge Morphy.

When Morphy arrived in Paris,he visited the Cafe de la Regence, where Daniel Harrwitz and he played an off-hand game. When Morphy lost, Harrwitz said he was willing to play a match with the American Champion. Harrwitz won the first two games. Then Morphy won the next three, whereupon Harrwitz asked for and got ten days rest. Harrwitz lost the sixth and got another rest period. The seventh was a draw. Morphy had a fever due to Paris drinking water (he rarely drank wine), but he played anyway and won the eighth game. Harrwitz refused to go on. Morphy took the stakes (reluctantly) and used it to pay for Anderssen's expenses from Breslau to Paris. Harrwitz was a good player, but appears in a bad light in these procedures, which I extracted from the Sergeant book. There may be other reasons which I'm not aware of but I think he just quit in the face of a superior player. Staunton didn't even try. Anderssen, on the other hand, showed good character in his match with Morphy, but even his brilliant attacking style couldn't make any traction against the young American. Morphy was a notoriously slow starter, but once he did get started, he could have steamrolled anybody in the world at the time.

Originally posted by Schliemann
Game Sixth
Between Labourdonnais and McDonnell
(Giuoco Piano)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 d6

For comments on the opening moves, see the fourth game of the
series.

5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb6 7. d5 Nce7 8. e5 Bg4 9. Bb5+

9 Qa4+ would have been much stronger and would have given rise to
some variations of interest. Suppose 9 Qa4+ Bd ...[text shortened]... fe

Dave

I will post more games and analysis from my books as well as from
my games.

Originally posted by powershaker
Mr. Schliemann, thank you for the game! I analyzed it in my motel room and I think Morphy did a beautiful job with analysis. I only ask that you post more Morphy games that show his analysis possibly his own games???