Editing Paul Morphy (section)

==Notable games==
=== Louis Paulsen vs. Morphy, First American Chess Congress final (1857) ===
Morphy defeats his main rival in the First [[American Chess Congress]]. Notes are excerpted from those by Kasparov.{{sfn|Kasparov|2003}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Louis Paulsen vs. Paul Morphy, New York 1857 |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1242884 |website=[[Chessgames.com]] |access-date=April 4, 2006 |archive-date=September 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903070407/http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1242884 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{block indent|1='''1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bc5 5. 0-0 0-0''' Morphy sacrifices a pawn. '''6. Nxe5 Re8 7. Nxc6{{chesspunc|?!}}''' 7.Nf3{{chesspunc|!}} gives an advantage. '''7... dxc6 8. Bc4 b5''' But not immediately 8...Nxe4{{chesspunc|?}} in view of 9.Nxe4 Rxe4 10.Bxf7+ Kxf7 11.Qf3+ '''9. Be2 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 Rxe4 11. Bf3 Re6 12. c3?''' A simply hideous move: who would think of allowing the queen in at d3? Especially since 12.d3 retains a normal position. '''12... Qd3! 13. b4 Bb6 14. a4 bxa4 15. Qxa4 Bd7?''' Black could have played 15...Bb7! maintaining control of a6. '''16. Ra2?''' The queen should have been dislodged from d3 by 16.Qa6!. '''16... Rae8''' With the threat of ...Qxf1+. '''17. Qa6 Qxf3{{chesspunc|!!}} 18. gxf3 Rg6+ 19. Kh1 Bh3 20. Rd1''' 20.Rg1? Rxg1+ 21.Kxg1 Re1+ '''20... Bg2+ 21. Kg1 Bxf3+ 22. Kf1 Bg2+''' The 'quiet' 22...Rg2! would have won more quickly: 23.Qd3 Rxf2+ 24.Kg1 Rg2+ 25.Kh1 Rg1 mate ([[Johannes Zukertort|Zukertort]]). '''23. Kg1 Bh3+''' Black could have mated by 23...Be4+ 24.Kf1 Bf5! 25.Qe2 Bh3+ 26.Ke1 Rg1 (Bauer). '''24. Kh1 Bxf2 25. Qf1 Bxf1 26.R xf1 Re2 27. Ra1 Rh6 28. d4 Be3 {{chessAN|0–1}}''' White [[Rules of chess#Resigning|resigned]].}}

=== The Opera Game: Morphy vs. Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard (1858) ===
{{Main|Opera Game}}
During Morphy's stay in Paris, he played a casual game at the Italian [[Opera House]] against the [[Duke of Brunswick]] and [[Count Isouard]]. While Morphy's opponents were not the strongest, this later became a well-known game due to its beauty and instructive value, often used by chess teachers to demonstrate how to use {{chessgloss|tempo}}, develop pieces, and generate threats.

=== Morphy vs. Adolf Anderssen, game 9 (1858) ===
In the ninth game of their match, Morphy launches a sacrificial attack against Anderssen's Sicilian defense, winning in 17 moves. Notes are excerpted from those by Kasparov.{{sfn|Kasparov|2003}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paul Morphy vs. Adolf Anderssen |url=https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1019056 |website=[[Chessgames.com]]}}</ref>
{{block indent|1='''1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Nb5 d6''' It is hard to believe that this modern ''[[Glossary_of_chess#tabia|tabiya]]'' occurred a century and a half ago! '''6. Bf4''' Fischer's favourite, but later everyone began preferring Karpov's favourite move 6.c4. '''6... e5 7. Be3 f5?''' More than a hundred years were required, in order to show that after 7...Nf6 8.Bg5 Be6 Black has nothing to worry about, for example: 9.N1c3 a6 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Na3 d5! etc. (Fischer–Petrosian, Buenos Aires 1st match-game 1971). However, Anderssen with his aggressive style wanted to hasten a crisis in the centre: previously such methods had always worked for him. '''8. N1c3!''' Morphy sensed that chess logic was on his side, and he found an immediate refutation of Black's premature activity. '''8... f4''' If 8...a6, then 9.Nd5! axb5 10.Bb6 Qh4 11.Nc7+ Kd7 12.Nxa8 Qxe4+ 13.Qe2 is decisive. '''9. Nd5! fxe3 10. Nbc7+ Kf7 11. Qf3+''' 11.Nxa8 was probably stronger, but Morphy did not want to divert his sights from the enemy king. '''11... Nf6 12. Bc4 Nd4! 13. Nxf6+ d5! 14. Bxd5+ Kg6?''' White would have been caused more problems by Zukertort's suggestion of 14...Ke7. '''15. Qh5+ Kxf6 16. fxe3! Nxc2+''' This loses immediately, but 16...Qxc7 would merely have prolonged the agony: 17.Rf1+ (much clearer than Maróczy's suggestion of 17.exd4 Ke7 18.0-0-0) 17...Nf5 18.Rxf5+! Bxf5 19.Qxf5+ Ke7 20.Qe6+ Kd8 21.0-0-0! Bd6 22.Bxb7 etc. '''17. Ke2 {{chessAN|1–0}}''' Black resigned in view of the continuation 17...Nxa1 18.Rf1+ Ke7 19.Qxe5+ Kd7 20.Be6+ Kc6 21.Rc1+ Kb6 22.Qb5 mate.}}