Morphy's Games/Anderssen/Game I

(GAME I.—EVANS' GAMBIT.)

White.	—MR MORPHY.	Black.	—MR ANDERSSEN.
	P K 4 Kt K B 3 B B 4 P Q Kt 4 P Q B 3 P Q 4 Castles P K 5 (c) B Q Kt 5 PxP BXKt Q Q R 4 QxB P B Kt 2 PxB Kt Q 2 (d) K R (f) P K B 4 QxQ P K Kt (g) B Q B 3 Q K B 3 K R Q Kt 2 R K Kt Q R K B (h) Q Q B 6 (k) Q K Kt 2 BxB Kt K B 3 P K R 4 Q Kt 4 R Kt 2 Q B 5 Q B 6 (l) Q B 5 RxR K R 2 R K B 2 Kt Q 2 QxB P ch Kt K 4 KtxR Kt Kt 4 K Kt 3 K R 2 K Kt 3 K R 2 P R 5 Kt B 6 (n) QxP ch Q Kt 6 ch QxP ch Q Kt 6 ch P R 6 P R 7 K Kt P R 8 (becoming a Q.) QxKt		P K 4 Kt Q B 3 B B 4 BxP B R 4 (a) PxP Kt B 3 (b) P Q 4 Kt K 5 Castles PxB B Kt 3 B Kt 5 BxKt Kt Kt 4 R K (e) Kt R 6 Q K R 5 KtxP ch Kt Q 6 KtxB P Kt R 6 ch Kt Kt 4 Q R Q P K R 3 Q R 6 (i) Q Q 2 BxP QxB Q Q 4 Kt K 3 Q Q B 3 R Q 6 K R Q Q Q 4 R Q 8 QxR ch R Q 6 R K 6 R K 7 K R RxR ch Q Q 4 QxR P ch Q Kt 6 ch Q B 7 ch Q B 6 ch Q Q B 3 (m) P R 4 PxKt K Kt K B K K K Q 2 Q Q 4 (o) QxP 2 ch Kt Kt 4 QxQ Q Q 5 ch, and the
game after being prolonged for upwards of seventy moves, was eventually won by Black.

Notes

(a) Since Mr. Waller's analysis of this opening, (C.P.C. vol 9, page 280,) an opinion has gained ground, that of the two defences B R 4 and B B 4 the latter at this point is the better, and the following moves are given in proof of the weakness of the former, namely:

Castles P Q 4 Q Q Kt 8 P X Q P P K 5 P + P Kt Kt 5

B R 4 P Q 8 P X P Q K B 3 B Q Kt 3 P X P Q K Kt 3 Kt K R 3

Mr W. continues his analysis to the 17th move, and quits it, expressing his belief that White has the better game. The author of "Popular Introduction of Chess," coincides with this opinion, but it appears to us that an important defence has remained unnoticed by both, namely, Q Kt Q, which seems not only to ward of the attack, but actually to give Black a strong defensive position, thus:

	P K 6 * R K R K 2		Q Kt Q B x K P Q K B 4 † K Kt K 2 and white's attack
seems parried

* This appears to be White's best move; if R K, Black would reply B K 8, speedily developing his forces and remaining with a Pawn ahead.

†This move was suggested to us by Herr Harrwitz, who concurs with us in our opinion of the goodness of Black;s 12th move, Kt Q.

(b) Mr. Morphy considers this the best move here, and Mr. Anderssen seems to agree with him; though some time ago, in an elaborate analysis, the latter went far to prove that it was a weak defence. The other lines of play available are P x P and P Q 6, and as no analysis of these has ever appeared in any English work on Chess, we refer out readers for it to the Berlin Schachzeitung of 1951, page 54.

(c) B R 3 is the more preferable move; its efficacy was but lately discovered by Mr. Morphy, who thinks the game should be continued by

	P K 5 etc,		P Q 3
with a strong attack

In the table above, the last line should flow on from "etc," (Wikisource contributor note)

(d) We here give the position of the forces on a diagram, as it is very instructive:

BLACK.

WHITE.

(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)

(h)

(i)

(j)

(k)

(l)

(m)

(n)

(o)