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Opening Moves

All diagrams Ed Scimia, created with Rybka 3

In 1858, Paul Morphy was in the midst of his whirlwind tour of Europe, during which he would defeat nearly all of the greatest European players of the day. However, his most famous game came against two amateurs working together against the American. The game in question happened during an opera (many say it was The Barber of Seville), attended by Morphy along with Duke Karl and Count Isouard in Paris. Morphy had White, with the consultants taking Black. 1. e4 This was by far the most popular opening move of the 19th century, and remains extremely popular today. White stakes a claim to the center, while opening lines of development for his kingside bishop and queen. 1. ... e5

While Black has many good responses to 1. e4, this classical move is simple and effective. Black reestablishes symmetry, shows he plans to fight for the center, and opens lines for his pieces. 2. Nf3 This is White's best and most logical try for an advantage with the second move. White develops a piece with a threat -- if Black does nothing, White can capture the pawn on e5. Thus, Black must respond, rather than beginning his own plans. White has also moved closer to castling, and continued to fight for control of the center. 2. ... d6 Black defends the e5 pawn with another pawn. This particular opening is known as the Philidor Defense. It is solid, but also passive -- which explains why it is rarely seen today. The e5 pawn is secure, but Black's kingside bishop is now hemmed in. More commonly, Black will develop a piece by playing 2. ... Nc6, which also defends the e5 pawn. 3. d4 Morphy opens a fight for the center by creating tension between the pawns on d4 and e5. This also opens more lines for White's pieces -- this time, the queenside bishop has been activated. 3. ... Bg4 This brings us to the diagrammed position on the next page.

The First Mistake

White to move after 3. ... Bg4

3. ... Bg4? Black's third move is often cited as the first mistake in this game, though it was commonly played at the time. Black will lose time in order to avoid losing a pawn, which allows White to gain the initiative and a lead in development. 4. dxe5 White happily grabs a pawn, knowing that Black cannot recapture with 4. ... dxe5, as this loses a pawn due to 5. Qxd8+ Qxd8 6. Nxe5. Black has another option, however. 4. ... Bxf3 By first capturing the knight, Black threatens White's queen, forcing an immediate response if White doesn't want to lose material. 5. Qxf3 White finishes the trade of knight for bishop. Taking with the queen develops a piece and is superior to gxf3, which would ruin White's kingside pawn structure without developing anything. 5. ... dxe5 Black now recaptures the pawn, bringing back material equality. 6. Bc4 White develops another piece, giving him two developed pieces to Black's none. In addition, White is developing with threats; he is threatening to play Qxf7#, a threat Black must answer. 6. ... Nf6? This seems like a logical way to defend against the checkmate threat. Black develops a piece while preventing the White queen from being able to reach the f7 square. However, White has a very strong reply. 7. Qb3 This takes us up to our next diagrammed position.

White Develops With Threats

Black to move after 7. Qb3

7. Qb3 White moves the queen a second time in the opening. While it's usually not advisable to move the same piece repeatedly in the first few moves, this maneuver creates two strong threats: the b7 and f7 pawns are both under attack, and Black has no way to defend both! Both of these attacks threaten much more than a pawn, which makes them very dangerous. Losing the f7 pawn could lead to a mating attack; meanwhile, after Qxb7, Black's rook on a8 is hanging. Black must find a way to minimize the potential damage. 7. ... Qe7 The best move in a tough position (although the computer program Rybka 3 also gives the surprising Bc5 as an option). This queen move directly protects f7, while also limiting White's gains again the b7 pawn. Should White play Qxb7, Black can reply with Qb4+, forcing a queen trade. Unfortunately for Black, Qe7 prevents the bishop on f8 from moving, which in turn stops Black from castling at a time when he'd prefer to get his king away from the center. 8. Nc3 Yes, Morphy could have won material by playing Qxb7 or Bxf7 (in the latter case, Black cannot play Qxf7, as White's reply of Qxb7 now would win the a8 rook), and this material would have been sufficient to win the game. However, Morphy preferred to concentrate on development, coordinating his pieces for a direct assault on Black's king. White's better piece coordination and faster development forces Black to stay on the defensive.

8. ... c6 Black uses his pawn to prevent White's knight from jumping into the b5 or d5 squares. This is the best way to defend against an advancing knight -- use pawns to take away its potential forward squares. 9. Bg5 Pinning the knight, which continues to keep Black's pieces undeveloped and badly coordinated. 9. ... b5 Black attempts to dislodge the White bishop, and brings us to our next diagram.

A Mistake by Black

White to move after 9. ... b5

9. ... b5? Black was likely trying to relieve pressure on the f7 pawn by forcing White to retreat the bishop on c4. Moreover, White's retreat would cost a tempo, allowing Black to begin catching up in development. Unfortunately for Black, Morphy instead found a way to continue his attack. 10. Nxb5! A nice sacrifice that allows White to continuously keep the Black king under attack. The next diagram shows the results of this sacrifice.

The Black King Under Attack

Black to move after 10. Nxb5!

10. Nxb5! Rather than find a safe square for his bishop, Morphy finds a way to continue his attack and open lines to the Black king. If Black accepts the knight, White has a powerful attack. 10. ... cxb5? This is the most logical move, but Qb4+ was better, as it forces the queens to come off the board. Of course, even without the queens, White would have a winning advantage; however, cxb5 is much worse for Black, as it exposes his king to attack. 11. Bxb5+ White claims a second pawn for his knight, while also forcing Black to respond to a check. 11. ... Nbd7 The most reasonable way to block White's check. Kd8 was also possible, but it's hard to justify moving your king into an area where so many pieces will be able to attack it. 12. 0-0-0

Building Pressure

Black to move after 12. 0-0-0

12. 0-0-0 While castling is normally seen as a defensive move, White's king was in no danger here. Instead, Morphy used castling as an offensive weapon, as he now has a rook placed on the open d-file, placing even more pressure on Black's d7 knight. It's worth noting that this move is stronger than playing Rd1. While the moves initially look similar, castling has the advantage of connecting White's rooks. If White had played Rd1, his king would still prevent the h1 rook from moving to the d-file. This small difference actually has a significant impact on White's attack. 12. ... Rd8 Black tries his best to hold the position, protecting his vulnerable knight. 13. Rxd7 White captures the knight. Weaker players often take with the least valuable piece they have without taking the position into consideration, but in this case, capturing with the rook is a far better move than Bxd7+. By leaving the bishop on the board, White will continue to apply pins and pressure the Black king after Black recaptures. 13 ... Rxd7 Black's only reasonable move is to take the rook and hope his defense holds up. 14. Rd1

This move shows why 12. 0-0-0 was much better than 12. Rd1. Now White can continue to bear down on Black's position and tie up his pieces. A comparison of the two armies is telling. Every White piece is in an attacking position, while Black's pieces are pinned, blocked, or otherwise immobile. 14. ... Qe6 Black attempts to free his pieces somewhat, and brings us to our next diagram.

Black Gets Desperate

joWhite to move after 14. ... Qe6

14. ... Qe6 This move is an attempt to free the f6 knight and the f8 bishop. Black is desperate to get some activity for his pieces, which have been trapped nearly the entire game. While White may appear to be down a rook, the fact that Black's kingside rook and bishop haven't entered the game effectively means that White is playing with more material than Black, not less. 15. Bxd7+ A 0clearly winning move for White, as Black's defense crumbles. 15. ... Nxd7 This move leads to our next diagram, and a stunning conclusion to the game. First, though, we should look at what happens after Black's other try.

If Black plays Qxd7, he avoids getting mated, but will find himself in a completely lost position. White's best line is 16. Qb8+ Ke7 17. Qxe5+ Kd8 18. Bxf6+ gxf6 19. Qxf6+ Ke8 20. Qe5+ Kd8 21. Qxh8 Qxd1+ 22. Kxd1, with a simple win. It's a long line, but one worth playing out on a board if you cannot follow it in your head. Notice how Black's moves are all nearly forced; if Black isn't careful, he can easily be mated.

A Stunning Mate

White to move after 15. ... Nxd7

15. ... Nxd7 Black attempts to hold on to his material advantage, but he misses a beautiful sacrifice that leads to mate. 16. Qb8+! Normally, sacrificing your queen is not recommended! On the other hand, the king is a much bigger target than the queen, and this move leads to a forced checkmate. 16. ... Nxb8 Capturing the queen is the only way to avoid checkmate. 17. Rd8# Black is checkmated; the king cannot capture White's rook, which is protected by the bishop on g5. The final position can be seen on the next page.

The Final Position

Final position

The Opera House Game's final position leaves a strong impression. By a simple material count, White is "losing" badly, but his remaining two pieces are perfectly coordinated to deliver checkmate. This is a microcosm of the game as a whole. Morphy skillfully developed and coordinated his army, while simultaneously preventing Black from ever mobilizing his army through the use of pins and constant threats. It is common for beginners to dismiss the importance of concepts such as development, initiative and piece coordination in favor of seeking a material advantage. However, players of all levels should try to keep these factors in mind, as they can easily be worth more than a pawn or two. In fact, grabbing the initiative and gaining a lead in development to start a strong attack is often an even better strategy for amateur players than for professionals; weaker players are less likely to properly defend against a risky gambit, making the attack worth far more than a pawn or two.