1. Home
  2. Hobbies & Games
  3. Chess

Every Move Explained: Morphy's Opera House Game (1858)

By , About.com Guide

5 of 9

The Black King Under Attack

Black to move after 10. Nxb5!

10. Nxb5!

Rather than find a safe square for his bishop, Morphy finds a way to continue his attack and open lines to the Black king. If Black accepts the knight, White has a powerful attack.

10. ... cxb5?

This is the most logical move, but Qb4+ was better, as it forces the queens to come off the board. Of course, even without the queens, White would have a winning advantage; however, cxb5 is much worse for Black, as it exposes his king to attack.

11. Bxb5+

White claims a second pawn for his knight, while also forcing Black to respond to a check.

11. ... Nbd7

The most reasonable way to block White's check. Kd8 was also possible, but it's hard to justify moving your king into an area where so many pieces will be able to attack it.

12. 0-0-0

White castles to the queenside, bringing us to our next key position.

Explore Chess

About.com Special Features

Holiday Central

What to eat, where to go, fun things to do and how to save money on the perfect gifts. More >

Scrapbook Technique Gallery

Use these ideas to inspire your own uniquely beautiful pages. More >

  1. Home
  2. Hobbies & Games
  3. Chess
  4. Famous Games
  5. Every Move Explained - Morphy's Opera House Game - Every Move of a Chess Game Explained

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.