Morphy, Paul VS Anderssen, Adolf 1858.12.25

Annotations

The seventh game, an irregular (Centre-Counter) defence. Morphy sacrificed a Pawn for rapid development and won the resulting ending convincingly.

1. 1…d5 We consider this mode of evading an open game to be decidedly inferior to either P. to K's 3rd or P. to Q. B's 4th (the French and Sicilian openings), though some short time ago it was in high repute, and was even adopted by Mr. Staunton in some of his games at the Birmingham meeting.
2. 3…Qa5 Q. to her sq. is frequently played, but the move in the text is preferable.
3. 7.Nf3 Sacrificing a Pawn in order to obtain a more speedy developement of his forces.
4. 12…O-O Attempting to defend the Q. B's P. would only have led him into difficulties.
5. 17…Bc8 There appears to be no other mode of saving the Pawn, for if Black had played P. to Q. Kt's 3rd, White would have taken R's P. with the Knight, and won a Pawn.
6. 20…Nd5 This is an instructive position.

J. Löwenthal, Morphy's Games of Chess (1860) · Public domain · source