The Opera Game was a famous chess game played in 1858 between the American chess master Paul Morphy and two strong amateurs, the German noble Karl, Duke of Brunswick and the French aristocrat Count Isouard, who consulted, playing together as partners against Morphy. Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2005-09-05, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... A chess master is a chess player of such skill that he can nearly always beat players of the general strength found in chess clubs, who themselves typically can nearly always prevail against the level of play generally possessed by the average player in the general population. ... Paul Morphy Paul Charles Morphy (June 22, 1837 - July 10, 1884), The Pride and Sorrow of Chess, is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his time, and was an unofficial World Champion. ... The term duke is a title of nobility which refers to the sovereign male ruler of a Continental European duchy, to a nobleman of the highest grade of the British peerage, or to the highest rank of nobility in various other European countries, including Portugal, Spain and France (in Italy...

The Duke frequently invited Morphy to the Italian Opera House in Paris, where he had a private box that was so close to the stage, according to Frederick Edge, Morphy's associate, that "you might kiss the prima donna without any trouble."

The Duke was a chess enthusiast as well as an opera lover, and kept a chess set in his private box. Morphy was extremely fond of music and opera, and eager to see Norma, which played on his first visit. Unfortunately, his host had seen Norma countless times, and Morphy found himself forced to play chess, and even seated such that his back was to the stage. Norma is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani. ...

As the game progressed, the two allies conferred loudly enough with each other, debating their moves against the American genius, that it attracted the attention of the opera performers. Madame Penco, who had the role of the Druidic priestess in Norma, kept looking into the Duke's box, to see what all the fuss was about, even as she was performing the opera. Then the performers who were the Druids, marched about, "chanting fire and bloodshed against the Roman host, who, they appeared to think, were in the Duke's box," Edge recounted.

It is doubtful if the distracted opera singers had a good enough view of what was going on, to see that what was being created on the chessboard was a game so brilliant, yet so clean and simple in appearance, that it has been remembered long after their opera performance has been forgotten. Comically, Morphy created this brilliant game while spending his time trying to overcome his blocked view of the opera, while the performers tried to catch glimpses of what was going on in the Duke's box!

The game is often used by chess teachers to demonstrate the importance of rapidly developing one's pieces, as well as other lessons. It is given here in algebraic notation. Algebraic chess notation is the method used today by all competition chess organizations and most books, magazines, and newspapers to record and describe the play of chess games. ...

White: Paul Morphy Black: Duke of Brunswick/Count Isouard Opening: Philidor Defense, C41 Site/Date: Paris, France, 1858. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a b c d e f g h

The position after 7. ... Qe7

1. e4 e5

2. Nf3 d6

3. d4 Bg4?

3...exd4 is usual. 3...f5 is a more aggressive alternative.

4. dxe5 Bxf3

If ... dxe5, then 5. Qxd8+ Kxd8 6. Nxe5 and White wins a pawn and Black has lost the ability to castle.

5. Qxf3 dxe5

6. Bc4 Nf6

7. Qb3 Qe7 (diagram)

8. Nc3

White prefers fast development to material. He declines to win a pawn with 8. Qxb7 Qb4+ (the only way to avoid loss of the rook) 9. Qxb4, or to win two with 8. Bxf7+ Kd8 (8. ... Qxf7 9. Qxb7 and now Black cannot avoid loss of the rook) 9. Qxb7, preferring to mass his forces for a quick checkmate and get back to the opera.

8. ... c6

9. Bg5 b5?

10. Nxb5!

Morphy chooses not to retreat the bishop, which would allow Black to gain time for development.

10. ... cxb5

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a b c d e f g h

The position after 12. ... Rd8

11. Bxb5+ Nbd7

12. O-O-O

The combination of the bishop's pin on the knight and the open file for the rook will lead to Black's defeat.

12. ... Rd8 (diagram)

13. Rxd7 Rxd7

14. Rd1 Qe6

Compare the activity of the White pieces with the idleness of the Black pieces.

15. Bxd7+ Nxd7

If ... Qxd7, then 16. Qb8+ Ke7 17. Qxe5+ Kd8 18. Bxf6+ gxf6 19. Qxf6+ Kc8 20. Rxd7 Kxd7 21. Qxh8 and White is clearly winning.

16. Qb8+!

Morphy finishes with a stylish queen sacrifice.

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a b c d e f g h

The final position

16. ... Nxb8

17. Rd8#

Paul Morphy Paul Charles Morphy (June 22, 1837 - July 10, 1884), The Pride and Sorrow of Chess, is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his time, and was an unofficial World Champion. ... The Philidor Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves (in algebraic notation): 1. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... Image File history File links ghjfdjdfjkghjgjghj File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... 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Image File history File links ghjfdjdfjkghjgjghj File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... Image File history File links ghjfdjdfjkghjgjghj File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... Image File history File links ghjfdjdfjkghjgjghj File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... Image File history File links ghjfdjdfjkghjgjghj File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 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Image File history File links ghjfdjdfjkghjgjghj File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This image is originally from xboard. ...

See also

• The game in PGN format (see Portable Game Notation)
• http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1233404

Portable Game Notation (.PGN) is a computer-processable format for recording chess games (both the moves and related data); many chess programs recognize this extremely popular format due to its accessibility by ordinary ascii editors, including word processors capable of importing and exporting plain ascii. ...

References

• The Exploits & Triumphs in Europe of Paul Morphy the Chess Champion by Frederick Milne Edge, with a new introduction by David Lawson. Dover 1973; 203 pages. ISBN 0-48622882-7 (out of print)