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Paul Morphy Conquered the World
Compiled by rbaglini
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"I consider Mr. Morphy the finest chess player who ever existed. He is far superior to any now living, and would doubtless have beaten Labourdonnais himself. In all his games with me, he has not only played, in every instance, the exact move, but the most exact. He never makes a mistake; but, if his adversary commits the slightest error, he is lost." Adolf Anderssen, quoted by Frederick Edge in 1859

"Morphy will not let me." former unofficial world champion Adolf Anderssen, when asked why he did not play as brilliantly as usual against Paul Morphy.

"Paul Morphy was the greatest chess player that ever lived...no one ever was so far superior to the players of his time" Dr. Emanuel Lasker, Lasker's Chess Magazine of January 1905, p.127

"In Paul Morphy the spirit of La Bourdonnais had arisen anew, only more vigorous, firmer, prouder... Morphy discovered that the brilliant move of the master is essentially conditional not on a sudden and inexplicable realisation, but on the placing of the pieces on the board. He introduced the rule: brilliant moves and deep winning manoeuvres are possible only in those positions where the opponent can be opposed with an abundance of active energy... From the very first moves Morphy aimed to disclose the internal energy located in his pieces. It was suddenly revealed that they possess far greater dynamism than the opponent's forces." Emanuel Lasker

"Morphy's principal strength does not rest upon his power of combination but in his position play and his general style....Beginning with la Bourdonnais to the present, and including Lasker, we find that the greatest stylist has been Morphy. Whence the reason, although it might not be the only one, why he is generally considered the greatest of all." José Raúl Capablanca, in Pablo Morphy by V. F. Coria and L. Palau.

"...Morphy, the master of all phases of the game, stronger than any of his opponents, even the strongest of them..." Alexander Alekhine, in Shakmatny Vestnik, January 15, 1914

"To this day Morphy is an unsurpassed master of the open games. Just how great was his significance is evident from the fact that after Morphy nothing substantially new has been created in this field. Every player- from beginner to master- should in this praxis return again and again to the games of the American genius." Mikhail Botvinnik

"A popularly held theory about Paul Morphy is that if he returned to the chess world today and played our best contemporary players, he would come out the loser. Nothing is further from the truth. In a set match, Morphy would beat anybody alive today... Morphy was perhaps the most accurate chess player who ever lived. He had complete sight of the board and never blundered, in spite of the fact that he played quite rapidly, rarely taking more than five minutes to decide a move. Perhaps his only weakness was in closed games like the Dutch Defense. But even then, he was usually victorious because of his resourcefulness." Bobby Fischer

"Morphy, I think everyone agrees, was probably the greatest genius of them all." Bobby Fischer, 1992

"We also remember the brilliant flight of the American super-genius Paul Morphy, who in a couple of years (1857-59) conquered both the New and the Old Worlds. He revealed a thunderous blend of pragmatism, aggression and accurate calculation to the world -- qualities that enabled America to accomplish a powerful spurt in the second half of the 19th century." Garry Kasparov (2003). On My Great Predecessors. Gloucester Publishers plc. Vol. 1, p. 6.

"What was the secret of Morphy's invincibility? I think it was a combination of a unique natural talent and brilliant erudition. His play was the next, more mature stage in the development of chess. Morphy had a well-developed 'feeling for position', and therefore he can be confidently regarded as the 'first swallow' - the prototype of the strong 20th century grandmaster." Garry Kasparov (2003). On My Great Predecessors. Gloucester Publishers plc. Vol. 1, p. 43.

Paul Morphy: The Pride and Sorrow of Chess, pp. 221-22
Morphy vs N Marache, 1859  
(000) Chess variants, 24 moves, 1-0

Pawn mate in 17 moves
Morphy vs T Knight, 1856 
(000) Chess variants, 17 moves, 1-0

Philidor's Legacy in an odds game; Morphy was something else
Morphy vs T Bryan, 1859 
(000) Chess variants, 23 moves, 1-0

Rook odds, Scotch Gambit, mate from the corner by Nh8#!!
Morphy vs Le Carpentier, 1849 
(000) Chess variants, 13 moves, 1-0

Morphy with a fantastic game (Even though he gives black a rook
Morphy vs NN, 1850 
(000) Chess variants, 18 moves, 1-0

Morphy vs Morphy King walks to mate 0 - 0
Morphy vs A Morphy, 1850 
(000) Chess variants, 18 moves, 1-0

KG Odds game #27, A First Book of Morphy by Frisco Del Rosario
Morphy vs Worrall, 1858 
(000) Chess variants, 20 moves, 1-0

Evan's Gambit minus 1kNight and he pulls of Boden's Mate!
Morphy vs J Thompson, 1859 
(000) Chess variants, 26 moves, 1-0

Ends with en passant.
Morphy vs J Thompson, 1859 
(000) Chess variants, 16 moves, 1-0

Chess variants (000) 1/2-1/2 Rather unusual variant start
A Ehrmann vs Morphy, 1859 
(000) Chess variants, 56 moves, 1/2-1/2

KGA Bishop's Gambit Lopez Var (000) 1-0 Knights love a crowd
Morphy vs NN, 1856 
(000) Chess variants, 20 moves, 1-0

Morphy said: "I want to play with the young NAPOLEON ...!"
Morphy vs A Napoleao dos Santos, 1859 
(000) Chess variants, 34 moves, 1-0

Chess variants (000) 1-0 Famous Epaulette Mate
Morphy vs Worrall, 1858 
(000) Chess variants, 19 moves, 1-0

Trapped queen by gaining tempos
Maurian vs Morphy, 1854 
(000) Chess variants, 16 moves, 0-1

Morphy looses odds game miniature
Morphy vs Maurian, 1858 
(000) Chess variants, 12 moves, 0-1


Morphy vs Maurian, 1866 
(000) Chess variants, 27 moves, 1-0

Chess variants / KGA Muzio Gambit (000) 1-0No knights; Pins win
Morphy vs Maurian, 1869 
(000) Chess variants, 16 moves, 1-0

Morphy's shorthanded Bird beats the Dutch
Morphy vs Maurian, 1869 
(000) Chess variants, 19 moves, 1-0

Morphy plays 1.b3
Morphy vs Maurian, 1869 
(000) Chess variants, 17 moves, 1-0

Go figure
Morphy vs T Barnes, 1858 
(B00) Uncommon King's Pawn Opening, 50 moves, 0-1

Spanish Game; Tactics; pawn captures all the way from e5 to a1
T Barnes vs Morphy, 1858 
(C77) Ruy Lopez, 30 moves, 0-1

QxN?
T Barnes vs Morphy, 1858 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 23 moves, 0-1

KGA MacDonnell Gambit (C37)1-0 Sac Minors, Discovered+, QxQ etc
McDonnell vs La Bourdonnais, 1834 
(C37) King's Gambit Accepted, 19 moves, 1-0

Notes by Paul Morphy
McDonnell vs La Bourdonnais, 1834  
(B21) Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4, 25 moves, 0-1

Notes by Paul Morphy
La Bourdonnais vs McDonnell, 1834  
(D20) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 26 moves, 1-0

Notes by Paul Morphy
La Bourdonnais vs McDonnell, 1834  
(D20) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 29 moves, 1-0

Notes by Morphy; Black missed the better move
La Bourdonnais vs McDonnell, 1834  
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 44 moves, 0-1

Notes by Morphy
La Bourdonnais vs McDonnell, 1834  
(C23) Bishop's Opening, 54 moves, 0-1

French Exchange (C01) 0-1 5 consecutive checks w/2 sacs finish
V Goldfarb vs Alekhine, 1909 
(C01) French, Exchange, 27 moves, 0-1

Game 1 in Kasparov Teachess Chess
Kasparov vs Gheorghiu, 1982 
(E12) Queen's Indian, 27 moves, 1-0

Notes by Morphy
McDonnell vs La Bourdonnais, 1834  
(B21) Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4, 51 moves, 1-0

Notes by Morphy
McDonnell vs La Bourdonnais, 1834  
(B21) Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4, 55 moves, 0-1

Semi-Slav, Quiet Var (D30) 1-0 This is a serious knight bully!
Botvinnik vs P Sharov, 1929 
(D30) Queen's Gambit Declined, 29 moves, 1-0

Notes by Morphy
La Bourdonnais vs McDonnell, 1834  
(D20) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 45 moves, 1-0

Black's knight looks ahead to check and fork - white shakes!
J Lewi vs J Adamski, 1969 
(A04) Reti Opening, 29 moves, 0-1

How to Beat Your Dad at Chess
Morphy vs A Morphy, 1848 
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 18 moves, 1-0

Evans Gambit. Accepted (C51) 1-0 Discovered Double Checkmate
Morphy vs A Morphy, 1849 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 21 moves, 1-0

Bishop's Opening: Calabrese CG (C23) 1-0 So young, calm, coool!
Morphy vs A Morphy, 1848 
(C23) Bishop's Opening, 31 moves, 1-0

Ernest Morphy is Paul's Uncle
Morphy vs E Morphy, 1856 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 25 moves, 1-0

Blindfolded Paul Morphy defeats his Uncle in 20 moves
Morphy vs E Morphy, 1849 
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 20 moves, 1-0

Evans Gambit. Slow Variation (C52) 1-0 Rob the pin to win
E Morphy vs A P Ford, 1840 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 23 moves, 1-0

Anderssen Opening 1.a3 (A00) 1-0 Plenty of counterplay
Anderssen vs Morphy, 1858 
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 77 moves, 1-0

Scandinavian, Marshall Var (B01) 1-0 Morphy defends sacs well
Morphy vs Anderssen, 1858 
(B01) Scandinavian, 54 moves, 1-0

Notes by Lowenthal; Anderssen Counterattack
Morphy vs Anderssen, 1858  
(B01) Scandinavian, 25 moves, 1-0

Extra Piece
Morphy vs Anderssen, 1858 
(C38) King's Gambit Accepted, 19 moves, 1-0

KGA Hanstein Gambit (C38) 1-0 Attacked on both sides
Morphy vs Anderssen, 1858 
(C38) King's Gambit Accepted, 19 moves, 1-0

KGA, Kieseritsky Gambit Berlin Defense (C39)
Morphy vs Anderssen, 1858 
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 23 moves, 1-0

Notes by Lowenthal; French Fianchetto C00
Morphy vs Anderssen, 1858  
(C00) French Defense, 36 moves, 1-0

Spanish Game: Berlin Defense (C65) 1-0 Notes by Lowenthal
Morphy vs Anderssen, 1858  
(C65) Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, 20 moves, 1-0

Sicilian Paulsen Szen Var (B44) 1-0 2 pawns, 4 pieces, exposure
Morphy vs Anderssen, 1858  
(B44) Sicilian, 17 moves, 1-0

Game 7 Old Benoni/Franco-Sicilian Defense (A43)
Morphy vs A Meek, 1857 
(A43) Old Benoni, 12 moves, 1-0

Is this the correct score?
T Lichtenhein vs Morphy, 1857 
(A80) Dutch, 34 moves, 0-1

Scorching game from Morphy
Morphy vs J L Preti, 1858 
(B21) Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4, 25 moves, 1-0

Game 12: 150 Chess Endings by suenteus po 147
Morphy vs Paulsen, 1857 
(B40) Sicilian, 64 moves, 1-0

Don't grab the b- pawn w/thy queen!
Morphy vs Paulsen, 1857 
(B40) Sicilian, 26 moves, 1-0

Sicilian Paulsen Var (B44) 1-0 The Q is crosspinned
Morphy vs F Perrin, 1857 
(B44) Sicilian, 26 moves, 1-0

Game 46: My Best Games of Chess by Vishy Anand
Ivanchuk vs Anand, 1998 
(B63) Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack, 27 moves, 0-1

White's Queen is mated
J McConnell vs Morphy, 1850 
(C02) French, Advance, 14 moves, 0-1

It aint over 'til it's over!
Morphy vs A Bottin, 1858 
(C20) King's Pawn Game, 9 moves, 1-0

King Pawn Game 1.e4 e5 2.h3 (C20) 1-0 Kside attack
Morphy vs NN, 1848 
(C20) King's Pawn Game, 19 moves, 1-0

KGD Classical Variation (C30) 1-0 Bird gets f-6! w/3 threats
Morphy vs Bird, 1858 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 27 moves, 1-0

King's Gambit: Declined. Classical (C30) 1-0 Pile on the pin
Morphy vs S Boden, 1858 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 30 moves, 1-0

KGD Classical (C30) 1-0 Central battle ends w/Rook on 7th
Morphy vs S Boden, 1858 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 35 moves, 1-0

KGD Classical (C30) 1-0 PM abuses the f-file as usual
Morphy vs Lowenthal, 1858 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 31 moves, 1-0

Notes by J Lowenthal
Morphy vs J Rhodes, 1858  
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 28 moves, 1-0

Notes by Lowenthal; Blindfold Simul!
Morphy vs Bornemann, 1858  
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 32 moves, 1-0

KGD Classical (C30) 1-0 Which scoresheet version is correct?
Morphy vs Lowenthal, 1858 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 28 moves, 1-0

KG Declined. Classical w/4.b4 (C30) 1-0 Notes by Lowenthal
Morphy vs R Dawson, 1859  
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 29 moves, 1-0

Falkbeer CG Charousek Gambit Morphy Def (C31) 1-0 Center surge
J Schulten vs Morphy, 1857 
(C31) King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit, 23 moves, 0-1

The one time he lost to Schulten
J Schulten vs Morphy, 1857 
(C31) King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit, 18 moves, 1-0

KGA K's Knight Gambit (C34) 1-0 Watch g6-square annihilation
Morphy vs NN, 1858 
(C34) King's Gambit Accepted, 23 moves, 1-0

KGA Cunningham Def Bertin Gambit (C35) 1-0 Brothers & Sisters
Morphy vs Bird, 1859 
(C35) King's Gambit Accepted, Cunningham, 46 moves, 1-0

KGA Cunningham Defense (C35) 1-0 Early surrender
Morphy vs J McConnell, 1849 
(C35) King's Gambit Accepted, Cunningham, 11 moves, 1-0

King's Gambit: Accepted. Modern Defense (C36) 1-0K walk, P mate
Morphy vs T Lichtenhein, 1857 
(C36) King's Gambit Accepted, Abbazia Defense, 28 moves, 1-0

KGA K's Knight Gambit (C37) 1-0 How not to play Fischer's def
Morphy vs B Tilghman, 1859 
(C37) King's Gambit Accepted, 24 moves, 1-0

KGA Muzio Gambit Sarratt Def (C37) 1-0 Royalty tied to pin
Morphy vs NN, 1858 
(C37) King's Gambit Accepted, 28 moves, 1-0

To accept the Muzio Gambit was a piece of chivalry
Morphy vs A Jones, 1859 
(C37) King's Gambit Accepted, 22 moves, 1-0

Superior development matters...it allows you to sacrfice!
Morphy vs NN, 1860 
(C37) King's Gambit Accepted, 18 moves, 1-0

Morphy is destructive like an enormous hurricane
Morphy vs Maurian, 1866 
(000) Chess variants, 18 moves, 1-0

Black delivers Philidor's Legacy
J McConnell vs Morphy, 1849 
(C38) King's Gambit Accepted, 23 moves, 0-1

KGA, Philidor Gambit (C38) 1-0 PM sacs both kNights
Morphy vs A Meek, 1855 
(C38) King's Gambit Accepted, 18 moves, 1-0

KGA Hanstein Gambit (C38) 1-0 PM trails in development!?!
Morphy vs J Schulten, 1857 
(C38) King's Gambit Accepted, 49 moves, 1-0

This is a well know spurious game
F Deacon vs Morphy, 1859 
(C38) King's Gambit Accepted, 46 moves, 1-0

KGA Kieseritsky G Anderssen D (C39)1-0 Old-timers had no clock
Morphy vs Bird, 1858 
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 18 moves, 1-0

KGA Kieseritsky Gambit Long Whip (C39) 1-0 Set-up Gueridon Mate
Morphy vs J McConnell, 1849 
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 29 moves, 1-0

Notes by J. Lowenthal
Morphy vs G Lyttelton, 1858  
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 17 moves, 1-0

The White knight is immune due to the pinned pawn
Morphy vs E Rousseau, 1849 
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 17 moves, 1-0

KGA Kieseritsky Gambit Anderssen Def (C39) 1-0 Full piece coord
Morphy vs G Medley, 1858 
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 26 moves, 1-0

King Pawn Game: McConnell Defense (C40) 1-0 Royal Punishment
Morphy vs J McConnell, 1849 
(C40) King's Knight Opening, 23 moves, 1-0

Elephant Gambit: Paulsen Countergambit (C40) 1-0 Q fork
Morphy vs A Mongredien, 1859 
(C40) King's Knight Opening, 22 moves, 1-0

Elephant Gambit: Paulsen Countergambit (C40)1-0 Q vs 2Rs ending
Morphy vs Paulsen, 1857 
(C40) King's Knight Opening, 54 moves, 1-0

head and shoulders above his contemporaries
Bird vs Morphy, 1858 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 29 moves, 0-1

A different approach to the Philidor; Knight penetration
Morphy vs Harrwitz, 1858 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 35 moves, 1-0

The Most Famous Game
Morphy vs Duke Karl / Count Isouard, 1858  
(C41) Philidor Defense, 17 moves, 1-0

Mistakes game
Morphy vs Lowenthal, 1858 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 59 moves, 0-1

Notes by J. Lowenthal
Morphy vs H Baucher, 1858  
(C41) Philidor Defense, 29 moves, 1-0

A kind of delayed Jerome Gambit punished by Morphy
A Meek vs Morphy, 1855 
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 21 moves, 0-1

Get the queen in close and give her some assistance
Morphy vs I Hart, 1854 
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 23 moves, 1-0

Scotch Game: Haxo Gambit (C44) 1-0 Pawn roller
Morphy vs S Boden, 1858 
(C45) Scotch Game, 35 moves, 1-0

Pinning the queen.
Morphy vs NN, 1850 
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 14 moves, 1-0

Game 5 Scotch gambit
T Lichtenhein vs Morphy, 1857 
(C45) Scotch Game, 18 moves, 0-1

Three Knights (C46) 0-1 Exchange off invader then U penetrate
Paulsen vs Morphy, 1857 
(C46) Three Knights, 23 moves, 0-1

Four Knights Game: Scotch (C47) 0-1 P grab drops the exchange
Paulsen vs Morphy, 1857 
(C47) Four Knights, 29 moves, 0-1

Notes by Chernev and many others
Paulsen vs Morphy, 1857  
(C48) Four Knights, 28 moves, 0-1

Giuoco Pianissimo. Italian 4Knights (C50) 0-1 Q sac falls short
de Riviere vs Morphy, 1863 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 33 moves, 0-1

Italian Game (C50) 1-0 Royal attack leads to royal fork
Morphy vs A Bousserolles, 1859 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 31 moves, 1-0

Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo. Normal (C50) 1-0 Tremendous!
de Riviere vs Morphy, 1863 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 64 moves, 1-0

"Morphy, Blackburne and Tal" Chess Artists
Morphy vs Bird, 1858 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 31 moves, 1-0

This 9...d5 Evans Gambit plays like a Max Lange Attack
Morphy vs T Lichtenhein, 1857 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 26 moves, 1-0

Winning Chess Openings by Bill Robertie
Morphy vs J Schulten, 1857 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 34 moves, 1-0

Morphy los comía lentamente. Un monstruo
Morphy vs J Schulten, 1857  
(C51) Evans Gambit, 39 moves, 1-0

A First Book of Morphy by Frisco Del Rosario
Morphy vs T Hampton, 1858 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 17 moves, 1-0

A First Book of Morphy by Frisco Del Rosario
Morphy vs C Golmayo, 1864 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 29 moves, 1-0

Italian Game: Evans Gambit (C51) 1-0 Spearhead final
Morphy vs F Lewis, 1858 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 28 moves, 1-0

Evans Gambit. Pierce Def (C52) 0-1Imprecise attack is tolerable
J Thompson vs Morphy, 1857 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 42 moves, 0-1

Don't blink!
N Marache vs Morphy, 1857 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 20 moves, 0-1

Game 8 Evans Gambit
Morphy vs P Bonford, 1858 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 27 moves, 1-0

Italian Classical, Cntr Attack (C53) 1-0 Notes by J. Lowenthal
Morphy vs J Cunningham, 1859  
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 23 moves, 1-0

Robbing the back rank defender
G Hammond vs Morphy, 1857 
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 28 moves, 0-1

100 "classic" games that came with the Chessmaster 2000
Morphy vs NN, 1858 
(C55) Two Knights Defense, 23 moves, 1-0

Scotch Gambit. Max Lange Attack (C55) 1-0 Blindfold simul, NBQ#
Morphy vs P Dominguez, 1864 
(C55) Two Knights Defense, 20 moves, 1-0

Scotch Gambit Anderssen Attack (C56) 1-0Brilliant smothered#
Morphy vs Schrufer, 1859 
(C56) Two Knights, 24 moves, 1-0

Two Knights Def. Polerio Def Kieseritsky (C58) 0-1 Get in close
de Riviere vs Morphy, 1863 
(C58) Two Knights, 20 moves, 0-1

Resembles a Marshall Attack
G Medley vs Morphy, 1858 
(C60) Ruy Lopez, 39 moves, 0-1

The tournament book ends with 20.Qe2 Qxh1 White resigns.
J Thompson vs Morphy, 1857 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 21 moves, 0-1

125 games

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