Morphy’s Queen Sacrifice

The game, move by move

Four Knights

1. 1. e4 King’s pawn
2. 1… e5 Symmetry
3. 2. Nf3 Out
4. 2… Nc6 Out
5. 3. Nc3 Out
6. 3… Nf6 Out The Four Knights: both sides develop knights before anything else, and nobody has committed to anything yet.
7. 4. Bb5 The bishop to b5
8. 4… Bc5 And the other to c5
9. 5. O-O White castles
10. 5… O-O And Black castles Ten half-moves, eight pieces out, two kings safe. Nothing in this position suggests what happens on move seventeen.

A pawn grabbed

1. 6. Nxe5 A pawn taken White wins e5 — and gives Black the open file that decides the game.
2. 6… Re8 The rook to the file at once Morphy does not recapture. The rook goes to e8 and stays pointed at White’s king for the rest of the game.
3. 7. Nxc6 Taking the knight
4. 7… dxc6 Recapturing with the pawn
5. 8. Bc4 The bishop steps back
6. 8… b5 Chasing it
7. 9. Be2 And again
8. 9… Nxe4 Winning the pawn back Black takes on e4, and the piece that recaptures is going to be taken by the rook.
9. 10. Nxe4 Taken
10. 10… Rxe4 And taken again The rook is on e4 in the middle of the board, which is where a rook is not supposed to be and where this one is untouchable.
11. 11. Bf3 Hitting the rook
12. 11… Re6 Sideways, still on the file

Both queens on the wing

1. 12. c3 A quiet pawn
2. 12… Qd3 The queen to d3 Deep in White’s position, holding the rook on e6 and stopping White from ever untangling. She will be given away from this square.
3. 13. b4 Space on the queenside
4. 13… Bb6 The bishop out of the way
5. 14. a4 Another pawn
6. 14… bxa4 Taken
7. 15. Qxa4 The queen recaptures White is a pawn up with both rooks undeveloped and a queen on the wrong wing. Morphy has every piece pointing at g2.
8. 15… Bd7 The last bishop out
9. 16. Ra2 The rook to a2 Defending the second rank, which is the right idea two moves too late.
10. 16… Rae8 Both rooks on the e-file Every black piece is now in the game and every one of them is aimed at the same corner.
11. 17. Qa6 The queen goes hunting a6 attacks a rook. It also takes the queen as far from her king as the board allows, which is what Morphy has been waiting for.
12. 17… Qxf3 The queen, for a pawn Qxf3. Black gives the queen for a bishop and a pawn, with no check and no immediate threat — and White has no way to stop the mate that follows.

The queen offered

1. 18. gxf3 It has to be taken And taking is what opens the g-file.
2. 18… Rg6+ The rook swings across Check, on the file the queen’s death opened.
3. 19. Kh1 Into the corner
4. 19… Bh3 The bishop joins Bh3 threatens mate on g2 and cannot be taken — the pawn that would do it is on f3, pinned to nothing and simply too far away.
5. 20. Rd1 A rook, too late
6. 20… Bg2+ Check

A rook and a bishop

1. 21. Kg1 The king steps back
2. 21… Bxf3+ Taking the pawn, with check
3. 22. Kf1 And back again
4. 22… Rg2 The rook to g2 Quiet, and mate is unstoppable. Black is a queen down and has three pieces on the king.
5. 23. Qd3 A defensive queen move
6. 23… Rxf2+ The rook takes f2
7. 24. Kg1 The king in the corner
8. 24… Rg2+ Doubling on g2
9. 25. Kh1 The last square
10. 25… Rg1# Checkmate A rook and a bishop, eight moves after the queen went. Morphy finished the game a queen and a rook down on material.