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Paul Morphy vs John William Schulten
Casual game (1857), New York, NY USA
Spanish Game: Classical. Central Variation (C64)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Jun-30-05  lopium: Wow, a Ruy Lopez by Morphy! Strong play.
Jan-10-06  morpstau: Yes strong play indeed. I like how he plays better than fischer and capablanca combined! A true chess genious!
Jan-11-06  syracrophy: The threat is 31.Rg8+ Rxg8 32.Rxg8+ Ke7 33.Re8++ and if black plays 30...Ke7 31.Nd5+ winning a whole rook, because its impossible 31...Kd8 32.Rg8+ and its mate in 2.

Awesome!

May-04-07  Chessmensch: This game is a featured article by Pandolfini in the April 2007 Chess Life mag. Page 36.
Jan-28-08  JimmyVermeer: As those of you who have read my other kibitzes know, I like to see how games would have ended if the losing player hadn't resigned. Morphy claims a win by force here, but Black can prolong the game with any of the following moves: Bc6, h5, Ke7 Nc6, Rc5, or Rc6.
Jan-28-08  Doktorn: <JimmyVermeer>On all moves you suggest, except Ke7, white will reply with 31. Rg8+ Rxg8 (Ke7 32. Rxh8) 32. Rxg8+ Ke7 33. Re8++. On Ke7 white have Nd5+ winning a rook.
Jan-28-08  JimmyVermeer: Doktorn, I'm not claiming that Schulten can avoid losing here, I'm just saying the loss isn't within the next few moves, which is what the statement "winning by force" seems to imply - there is no mate in 6 or less with any of the moves I suggested, and I didn't have the patience to wait any longer for my computer to search for mate. With Ke7, there is no mate in 7 either. But there is a quick win for Morphy with any reply other than the ones I listed.
Jan-28-08  sneaky pete: 30... Ke7 31.Nbxd5+ Ke6 32.Nxc7+ Ke7 33.Nxb5 ..

It's only a scratch ... come back and fight!

Apr-19-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: The theory that I have on the RL give 5..Bb6 so that 6 d4 can be answered with 6..exd 7 cxd..d5. That makes much more sense than what was played here.
Jun-04-09  WhiteRook48: the other Arabian!!
Aug-18-11  loveyou00: any body like to explan me why black never take knight in move number 21 Nxf6 and black replay Bc6 why black never take Knight
Aug-18-11  I play the Fred: <any body like to explan me why black never take knight in move number 21 Nxf6 and black replay Bc6 why black never take Knight>

21 Nxf6 Kxf6
22 Rd6+ (any)
23 Rxb6

This leaves white ahead by a pawn and black has to deal with the threat to his bishop. Certainly black's queenside is a tangled mess in that line.

But I'm sure there's more to it than that. Anyone?

Apr-07-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  Ziryab: 10.Nc3 would have been an improvement.
Oct-01-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: < sneaky pete: 30... Ke7 31.Nbxd5+ Ke6 32.Nxc7+ Ke7 33.Nxb5 ..>

32_Kxe5 33.Re3+ Kxf6 34.Nd5+ Kf5 35.Rf4+ and Black gets mated shortly, if anyone is wondering.

Dec-20-24  kjr63: According to Chess.com's computer, 4...Rge7 is the strongest move. But this variant is a gambit, starting with 5..d5. In the old days d5 was played but it wasn't played like a gambit game.
Dec-20-24  kjr63: In one Steinitz game his opponent after 5..d5 played 6...dxe4 and lost decisively.
Mar-31-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  kingscrusher: This game seems to be a great demonstration of the importance for the battle of central control. Black needed to play 10...d5 to sac a pawn for d6 as one example. After White dominates the center, the rooks can even pivot with central squares.

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