Morphy, Paul VS Anderssen, Adolf 1858.12.22

Annotations

The third game of the match, a Ruy Lopez (Berlin Defence) and Morphy's first win of the contest, brought home in twenty moves.

1. 6…c6 A weak move, and the cause of all Black's subsequent embarrassment.
2. 7…cxb5 Much stronger play than taking the Knight at once.
3. 8…Be7 The correct rejoinder. If P. to K. R's 3rd, White can play either R. to K's sq. or P. takes Kt., and win easily in each case.
4. 9…Bxf6 P. takes P. would have been equally disastrous, for the reply of White would have been Q. takes P., with a won game.
5. 17.Rae1 Ably and vigorously followed up.
6. 17…g5 Apprehensive of the advance of the K. B's P.
7. 19…Rg8 Losing the game off-hand, but it was previously beyond recovery.

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