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ANNOTATED GAME
First American Congress, New York 1857
Louis Paulsen vs. Paul Morphy
Annotated by: alex_ratchkov (2458)
Chess opening: Four knights (C48), Bardeleben variation
Louis Paulsen vs. Paul Morphy
Annotated by: alex_ratchkov (2458)
Chess opening: Four knights (C48), Bardeleben variation
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1. e4 |
By 1857, the chess boom reigning after the first international tournament in London had also reached the New World. The First American Congress, which later became the US Championship, took place in the fall of 1857, in New York. It attracted the 16 best players in the country and like the London event, it was held on the KO system: mini-matches of first to win three games, and in the final - five games. This was Morphy's first tournament, and he demonstrated his complete dominance over the field in fine style, as this game against the second-strongest player of the tournament (and likely, the second-strongest player in the US at the time) clearly shows. He easily reached the final (nine wins and one draw!), where he proceeded to crush the as yet little-known German Louis Paulsen, who was then living in the US. Moreover, Morphy played quickly, as usual, whereas his opponent played very slowly, and since the time for thinking was not yet restricted (chess clocks were still a couple of decades away!), the games lasted 10-11 hours, and the drawn second game of the Final as long as 15 hours (out of which Paulsen thought for 12!). This sixth game is probably the most famous game of the match. | ||||
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1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bc5 |
Much quieter is the 4...Bb4, while the Marshall-Rubinstein move 4...Nd4 was still half a century away. | ||||
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5. O-O |
If 5.Nxe5 it is considered quite safe to reply 5...Nxe5 (but not 5...Bxf2+?! 6.Kxf2! Nxe5 7.d4) 6.d4 Bd6 (after 6...Bb4?! 7.dxe5 Nxe4 8.Qd4! Black fails to equalize) 7.f4 (7.dxe5 Bxe5=) 7...Nc6 (worse is 7...Ng6?! 8.e5 as in Janowski-Lasker, Cambridge Springs 1904) 8.e5 Bb4 9.d5 (9.exf6 Qxf6=) 9...Ne4! 10.Qd3 Nxc3+ 11.bxc3 Be7, with a solid game for Black. | ||||
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5... O-O |
True to his style, Morphy sacrifices a pawn. If 5...d6, then 6.d4 exd4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Nf5! (Paulsen-Zukertort, Leipzig 1877). | ||||
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6. Nxe5 Re8 |
(?!) For the pioneers it is always difficult! Later, both 6...Bd4?1 (Schlechter) and 6...Nd4?! (Marshall) were tried in this position, but the main variation became 6...Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6 8.f4 (8.dxe5 Bxe5=, as in Paulsen-Winawer, Baden-Baden 1870) 8...Nc6 9.e5 Be7! (9...a6 10.Be2 Short-Adams, England 1991; after 9...Bb4 10.d5 it is no longer possible to play 10...Ne4, and 10...a6 11.Be2 Bc5+ 12.Kh1 Nxd5 13.Qxd5 d6 nevertheless favors White) 10.d5 (10.exf6 Bxf6=) 10...Nb4 (10...Bc5+ 11.Kh1 Nd4 12.exf6 Qxf6 13.Ne4 Qe7 14.Bd3 Bb6 15.f5 with a strong attack, Paulsen-Anderssen, Leipzig 1877) 11.exf6 (11.d6!? cxd6 12.exf6) 11...Bxf6 12.a3 (12.Ne4!?) 12...Bxc3 13.bxc3 Nxd5 14.Qxd5 c6 15.Qd3 cxb5 16.f5 with a slight initiative. | ||||
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7. Nxc6 |
(?!) 7.Nf3!+- gives an advantage, ex: 7...Nxe4 8.d4 (Nxe4 Rxe4 9.d3 Re8 10.d4 is also good) 8...Nxc3 9.bxc3 Bf8 (9...Be7?! 10.d5 Nb8 11.Bf4 Maroczy-Pillsbury, Nuremberg 1896) 10.d5 Ne5 11.Nxe5 Rxe5 12. Bf4 Re8 13.Qf3 c6 14.Bd3+- or 7...Nd4 8.e5 Nxf3+ 9.gxf3! (Teichmann-Rubinstein, San Sebastian 1912). | ||||
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7... dxc6 8. Bc4 b5 |
Taking the seemingly-hanging pawn e4 immediately with 8...Nxe4? is bad in view of 9.Nxe4 Rxe4 10.Bxf7+! Kxf7 11.Qf3+ | ||||
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9. Be2 |
9.Bb3?! Bg4! 10.Qe1 b4 11.Nd1 Rxe4 12.Ne3 is hardly advantageous for White | ||||
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9... Nxe4 10. Nxe4 |
Not 10.Bf3? Nxf2! 11.Rxf2 Qd4 12.Ne4 (12.Qf1? Qxf2+! 13.Qx2 Re1#) 12...Rxe4 and wins. | ||||
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10... Rxe4 11. Bf3 |
According to Steinitz, 11.c3 is better, when 11...Qh4 is acceptable, ex: 12.d4 Bd6 13.g3 Qh3 (threatening ...Rh4) 14.f4 Bd7 15.Bf3 Re7 (followed by ...Rae8), or 12.g3 Qe7! (inferior is 12...Qh3 13.d3! Re8 14.Bf3 Bd7 15.a4) 13.Bf3 Bh3 14.d4 Bxf1 15.Bxe4 Qxe4 16.Qxf1 Bd6 with a comfortable game. | ||||
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11... Re6 12. c3 |
(??) Positional suicide! 11.c3 a move ago was an appealing option, but now the situation is quite different, since the Black rook is no longer en prise and Black has a free tempo with which to exploit this hideous move, which invites the black Queen to a warm cozy spot on d3 where is it going to absolutely paralyze the Black position! 12.d3 would have been a much better choice. | ||||
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12... Qd3 |
(!) Of course! | ||||
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13. b4 |
(?!) This is also dubious. A better try would have been 13.Re1 Rxe1+ 14.Qxd1, although after 14...Bf5! (14...Bd7 15.Qf1!) 15.Bxc6 (15.Qe2 Rd8!) 15...Rd8 16.Qe5 Qc2! (16...Bd6? right away is bad in view of 17.Qxb5 Qc2 18.Qa4) 17.Bf3 Bd6 18.Qxb5 Bd3 19.Qc6 Kh8! Black still has the advantage | ||||
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13... Bb6 14. a4 bxa4 15. Qxa4 |
White is trying his best to uncramp his position... | ||||
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15... Bd7 |
(?) A mistake in reply. Black could have won by 15...Bb7! (maintaining control of the key square a6) 16.Ra2 Rae8 17.Qd1 Ba6! 18.Rxa6 Qxa6 19.d4 Qc4 20.Bd2 a5. | ||||
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16. Ra2 |
(?) A fatal error. The Q should have been dislodged from d3 by 16.Qa6!, when the advantage could have even passed to White: 16...Qxa6?! 17.Rxa6 Rae8 18.Bg4 (but not 18.d4? c5! 19.bxc5 Bb5) 18...Bc8 (18...R6e7? 19. Bxd7 Rxde7 20.d4) 19.Ra1 Rf6 20.Bxc8 Rxc8 21.d4, or 16...Qf5 (worse yet is 16...Qg6?! 17.d4 Rae8 18.Bf4) 17.d4 Rae8 18.Be3 c5 19.bxc5 Bxc5 20. Qb7 (Not 20.Qa5? Rg6 21.Kh1 Qxf3 22.Bxf5 Rxe2 23.Bxd7=) 20...Bb6 21.c4. Instead of winning, Black would have had to defend... | ||||
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16... Rae8 |
The threat is ...Qxf1+ | ||||
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17. Qa6 |
Also hopeless is 17.Qd1 c5 (17...Re5!? Neishtadt) 18.bxc5 Bxc5 19.Ba3 (19Bg4 f5) 19...Bxa3 20.Rxa3 Bb5. Paulsen found the correct idea after all, but again for some reason a move too late. At that time, tempo play was still quite unusual! | ||||
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17... Qxf3 |
(!!) A beautiful refutation! | ||||
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18. gxf3 Rg6+ 19. Kh1 Bh3 20. Rd1 |
Or 20.Qd3 (20.Rg1? Rxg1+ 21.Kxg1 Re1+ and its over) 20...f5! 21.Rd1 (21.Qc4+ Kf8!) 21...Bg2+ 22.Kg1 Bxf3+ 23.Kf1 Bxd1 and wins | ||||
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