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Paul Morphy vs Jules Arnous de Riviere
Paris (1863)
Italian Game: Evans Gambit. Morphy Attack (C51)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 9 v010218 (minimum 6s/ply)10...Bd7 was played in de Riviere vs Morphy, 1858 (0-1)11.Bxc6 was played in G Neumann vs V Knorre, 1864 (1-0)better is 11...Bxf3 12.gxf3 h5 13.Kh1 Nge7 14.Rg1 d5 15.Bxc6 bxc6 = +0.07 (21 ply)12.Bc4 was played in Schlechter vs Meitner, 1898 (1-0)= +0.39 (18 ply)better is 13.Rc1 Nf6 14.g4 Bg6 15.Nh4 c6 16.Bd3 d5 17.e5 Bxd3 ⩲ +0.62 (18 ply) 13...Nc6 14.g4 Bg6 15.Bc2 h5 16.g5 Nge7 17.Nh4 Qd7 18.Kh2 = +0.07 (18 ply) ⩲ +1.40 (19 ply) after 14.Rb1 Qd7 15.d5 Ng6 16.Be2 Bxf3 17.Bxf3 Ne5 18.Be2 Bxe3 better is 15.Qe2 Ba5 16.Rfc1 Qd7 17.Rab1 b6 18.Na2 Re8 19.Nb4 f5 ⩲ +1.16 (21 ply) 15...d5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.Rfc1 Rc8 18.Ne1 Ba5 19.Ne2 Rxc1 ⩲ +0.58 (21 ply) ± +1.71 (22 ply) 17.Bf4 Qd7 18.Bxd6 Bxc3 19.Bxe7+ Nxe7 20.Qxc3 Kg8 21.a5 ± +1.76 (21 ply) 17...Qd7 18.Rab1 b6 19.Rfc1 h5 20.e5 Rd8 21.exf6 Nxf6 ⩲ +0.92 (19 ply) ± +2.24 (19 ply) after 18.Rfb1 b6 19.d5 c5 20.Nf4 h5 21.Rd1 Nce7 22.Qb2 Ng6 19.d5 c5 20.Nf4 Nce7 21.Rfd1 Ng6 22.Ne6+ Bxe6 23.dxe6 ± +2.11 (21 ply) ⩲ +1.22 (19 ply) 20...Qd7 21.exf6 gxf6 22.Bh6+ Ke8 23.Ng3 Nd5 24.Nd2 Bxd2 ⩲ +1.30 (19 ply) 21.exf6 gxf6 22.Nh4 Ng6 23.Nf5 h5 24.Bh6+ Rxh6 25.Nxh6 +- +2.66 (21 ply) 21...Qd7 22.exf6 gxf6 23.Nh4 Bf7 24.Rfc1 Rg8 25.Qd3 Rg7 ± +1.67 (20 ply)+- +4.32 (20 ply) 25...Qe6 26.Bb5 Kg8 27.Bd7 Qf6 28.Bd4 h5 29.Nc4 Qf7 +- +3.49 (20 ply)better is 26.Bb7 Nce7 27.Bxa8 h6 28.g4 Nh4 29.f4 Kg8 30.Qb5 Kh7 +- +7.21 (21 ply) 26...Nce7 27.g4 Nh4 28.Bg3 Nhg6 29.Rfc1 Qe6 30.Bd3 Kg8 +- +3.74 (24 ply)+- +7.71 (19 ply) after 27.Rfd1 Ncd6 28.Rxd5 Re8 29.Nc4 Qf6 30.Qa3 g6 31.Bxd6+ +- mate-in-7 after 37.Qxf4+ Kxf4 38.g3+ Nxg3 39.fxg3+ Kg5 40.h4+40...Kxe6 41.Qxf4 Nb6 42.Re1+ Kd7 43.Qd4+ Kc6 44.Qc3+ +- mate-in-131-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35437 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Feb-15-05  InspiredByMorphy: Morphy's 10.Bb5 is tricky. Strangely enough blacks best reply seems to be 10. ...Bd7 . The text move allowed a viscous attack against the king.
Feb-15-05  Saruman: <37.h4+> is a very clever move as it gives black a chance to blunder.

<37.h4+> ♔g4 38.♗f3+! ♕xf3(-♔h5 ♗f3+ ♕xf3 ♕g5# or ♗f3+ ♔h4 ♕xf4#) 39.♕g5#.

Oct-14-05  Corwin: yes, but 33. Bxd5 clinch it with the same point 6 moves before
Jul-02-06  Helios727: Hard to believe Morphy would miss that 33.Bxd5 move of yours.
Jul-02-06  MrMelad: <Helios727: Hard to believe Morphy would miss that 33.Bxd5 move of yours.> But it does "clinch" it.. 33. Bxd5 wins the lady. I have no idea why he didn't play it, maybe he thought he had a mate or he was more interested in attacking the king (allways better). Or maybe this is a corrupt game and maybe (just maybe) we all miss a mating pattern (most likely).

As I see it (and it's pretty late here) the queen is gone (after 41 ..Ke6 42 Re8+) and thats the point of our friend from the past <Corwin> because she could of been taken after 33. Bxd5. with less materil loss.

Jul-02-06  MrMelad: I remember reading that Morphy didn't play games without odds after 1858, But I could be wrong..

<Chessgames.com> is this a corrupt game by any chance (sorry for the bother if it's not)?

Jul-02-06  Calli: <33. Bxd5> P.W. Sergeant made the same comment in his book on Morphy. That was 90 years ago. If there is a mistake in the score, it happened before 1915. My guess is that Riviere moved 30...Qf4 or Qh4, but where was this game was originally published?

Morphy did play his friend Riviere on even terms in 1863.

Jul-02-06  MrMelad: <Calli: My guess is that Riviere moved 30...Qf4> Yes, it seems logical because it still blocks most of the white knight's path. In anycase, white has a big advantage before that.(Rook for knight, more developed pieces, safer king and some other threats).
Jul-03-06  RookFile: I had the sense in playing over this game that Morphy was a little off his form here - the absence of 33. Bxd5 confirms this. However, even a Morphy in second gear was more than enough to win this.
May-10-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: <"Morphy's ninth is significant. he develops simply. It is like an orderly and irresistible tide. It advance and penetrates--floods.

"And it is casual chess!"> -- William Ewart Napier

One of the great theoretical disputes in the 19th century concerned White's 9th move in the Evans Gambit: 9.d5 or 9.Nc3? Anderssen preferred the former, Morphy the latter, but that didn't settle the question.

Re: 35.Bxd5+:


click for larger view

Morphy was not infalliable, of course, but I would consider a score error more likely than him missing this move. Or, for that matter, De Riviere falling into it.

In the position after <29...Qa4>:


click for larger view

Neither 30.Rbd1 nor 30...Qe4 are the best moves. If <30.Ra1> is substituted instead, the rest of the game runs much more smoothly and the final combination still works.

Napier comments that the score was supplied by De Riviere, so it might well have been in algebraic and mistaking "d" for "a" would be possible. Something for our Morphy Pros to check into.

Oct-06-13  Calli: Phony is correct! 30.Ra1 is the move. See http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

Correction sent.

Oct-17-20  paulmorphy1969: Morphy in 1863 played with Jules Arnous De Rivier a first series of 3 friendly games which he lost all three then a series of 6 games which won all 6 this is the 6th game of this series of 6

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