[Event "La Bourdonnais - McDonnell 1st Casual Match"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "1834.??.??"]
[EventDate "1834.00.01"]
[Round "17"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Louis Charles Mahe De La Bourdonnais"]
[Black "Alexander McDonnell"]
[ECO "D20"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "57"]

1. d4 {Notes by Paul Morphy} d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 e5 4. Bxc4
exd4 5. exd4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Be7 {See notes on previous games at
the same opening. } 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Be3 c6 {M'Donnell should
rather had played ...Bg4, and then have brought out his
Queen's Knight. } 9. h3 Nbd7 10. Bb3 Nb6 11. O-O Nfd5
{M'Donnell has now obtained his favorite position in the
Queen's Gambit. It is far from being a commendable one. }
12. a4 a5 13. Ne5 Be6 14. Bc2 f5 {14...f6, with a view of
dislodging the Knight, would have resulted in the same
position; suppose 14...f6 15.Qh5 f5 (best) 17.Qe2 and we
arrive at the position occurring after White's fifteenth move
in the text. } 15. Qe2 f4 16. Bd2 Qe8 17. Rae1 Bf7 {Fearing
the loss of a pawn by 18.Nxc6, etc, Black's proper course was
to retreat the Bishop to d7. } 18. Qe4 g6 19. Bxf4 Nxf4
20. Qxf4 Bc4 {Black foresaw this move when he played 17...Bf7,
but he evidently did not foresee that he could not capture
without immediately losing the game. } 21. Qh6 Bxf1 22. Bxg6
hxg6 23. Nxg6 Nc8 {Black has a lost game, but he might have
considerably prolonged the contest by 23...Bf6. Let us suppose
23...Bf6 24.Rxe8 (best) Rf8xe8 25.Kxf1 Bxd4 and although Black
must ultimately lose, owing to White's passed Pawns on the
King's side, his position is more tenable than that attainable
by any other line of play. } 24. Qh8+ Kf7 25. Qh7+ Kf6 26. Nf4
Bd3 27. Re6+ Kg5 28. Qh6+ Kf5 29. g4# {A contest admirably
managed by Labourdonnais.} 1-0