[Event "La Bourdonnais - McDonnell 1st Casual Match"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "1834.??.??"]
[EventDate "1834.00.01"]
[Round "5"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Alexander McDonnell"]
[Black "Louis Charles Mahe De La Bourdonnais"]
[ECO "B21"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "91"]

1. e4 {Notes by Morphy} c5 2. f4 {If there is anything to be
regretted in connection with the combats between this
illustrious players, it is the pertinacity with which
M'Donnell persisted in adopting, in two of th debuts which
most frequently occur, a line of play radically bad. Against
such an adversary as Labourdonnais the disastrous affects of
M'donnells early moves in nearly all of the Sicilian Games and
Queen's Gambits could not be overcome even by the best
afterplay. The moves of 2.Nf3, or still better, 2.d4, are
those now generally recognized as the best. The latter move is
indeed so strong that it has gone far toward disabusing the
public mind of that pernicious fondness for the Sicilian
Defence which was displayed during what may be called the
period of close games, extending from about 1843 to some time
after 1851. It was an epoch of uninteresting games and dreary
analytical labors, and with the exception of the contests
ocurring between the great Prussian masters, afforded but
comparitavely few specimens of brilliant play. It should be a
subject of rejoicing with every lover of the game that an age,
in which so much severe labor led to such unprofitable
results, has passed away. There is now a visible tendency to
cultivate a higher style of chess art- to sustitute for the
false taste which has so long prevailed a more elevated
standard of excellence. } e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. e5 Nc6 5. c3 f6
6. Na3 Nh6 7. Nc2 Be7 8. d4 O-O 9. Bd3 c4 10. Be2 Bd7 11. O-O
b5 {Although Black has a very good game at this stage, we do
not approve of the manner in which he has so far conducted the
opening. In advancing the queen pawns and in failing to play
the all important move of ...Qb6 at the proper moment, he has
deviated from the plan which his own subsequent contests
demonstrate to be the best. } 12. Ne3 a5 13. Kh1 fxe5 14. fxe5
Nf5 {The necessity of challenging the exchange of knights is
not at all apparent to us. Black's knight is well-placed,
while White's obstructs the movements of his queen's bishop,
and in a measure prevents the development of his
game. 14...Be8 at once, with the intention of posting the
bishop at g6, and thus commanding an important diagonal, would
have been better. } 15. g4 Nxe3 16. Bxe3 Be8 17. Qd2 Bg6
18. Ng5 Bxg5 19. Bxg5 Qd7 20. h4 b4 21. Kh2 bxc3 22. bxc3 a4
23. h5 Be4 24. h6 g6 25. Bf6 Rab8 26. Bg7 Qe7 27. Kg3 Rxf1
28. Rxf1 a3 29. Rf6 Na5 {29...Rb2, would evidently have been
bad. Suppose 29...Rb2 30.Qf4 Rb8 31.Bxc4 and White must win. }
30. Bd1 Nb3 31. Qf2 Nc1 32. Ba4 Nd3 33. Qf1 g5 34. Bc2 Nc5
35. dxc5 Bxc2 36. c6 Ba4 37. c7 Re8 38. Qc1 Qxc7 39. Qxg5 Bc2
40. Bf8+ Bg6 41. Bxa3 Qd7 42. Bd6 d4 43. Qf4 Qc8 44. Qxd4 Qd7
45. Qf4 Qc8 46. a4 {The latter portion of the game is
capitally played by M'Donnell.} 1-0