Thompson vs Morphy
220
[Event "New York"] [Site "?"] [Round "0"] [White "Thompson"] [Black "Morphy"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C50"] [Opening "Giuoco Pianissimo: 4.d3 Nf6"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Nc3 h6 6. Ne2 {White has hardly developed at all but is already thinking about reorganizing! Either 6.Be3 or 6. O-O would have made much more sense.} 6... d6 7. c3 O-O 8. h3 Kh8 {What is the logic behind this move? Morphy understands that in order to attack he will need to open up the f-file by advancing the pawn at f7 to f5. But the pin on the a2-g8 diagonal would prevent that. So the king moves from g8.} 9. Ng3 Nh7 10. Qc2 { Now that we know what Morphy is up to, we see the point of this move too.} 10... f5 {Here we go!} 11. exf5 d5 {There is no rush to capture this pawn. In fact, it will sit at f5 for most of the game. Instead, Morphy takes control of the center and limits the scope of the bishop at c4, which must now retreat with loss of time.} 12. Bb3 e4 13. dxe4 dxe4 14. Ng1 {Why retreat? Couldn't White capture the pawn? With the king still sitting at e1, the e-file would prove dangerous. Try playing the position as White against Gambit, and capture the pawn. See what happens!} 14... Ne5 15. Be3 Nd3+ 16. Ke2 Bxe3 17. fxe3 { There are three White pieces near the king, but they are not well-posted for defensive duties. Black has only a knight in the attack so far, but it will soon be joined by the queen and, surprisingly, the bishop from distant c8.} 17... Qh4 18. Nxe4 Qxe4 19. Qxd3 Qxg2+ 20. Kd1 Bxf5 {The recapture of the pawn, sitting there for ten moves, is perfectly timed. Now the queen must move, and the bishop can turn to its real task.} 21. Qe2 {The back rank is now very weak, and Black already controls the 7th rank. So Morphy finishes with a nice combination. Some sources give the prosaic capture of the rook as ending the game, but according to Maroczy the finish was...} 21... Bg4 {White resigned . The point is that the Black rook is moving to f1 on the next move.} 0-1
0-1
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1952
HITS
Players
WhiteThompson
BlackMorphy
Game
Moves21
OpeningC50 — Giuoco Pianissimo: 4.d3 Nf6
Result0-1
Date
Tags
Tournament
TournamentNew York
Location?
Round0