Closing credits

Adolf Anderssen – Paul Charles Morphy
Paris, December 1858
King’s Gambit Accepted C39

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 Nf6 6. Nxg4 d5. Morphy adopts here the move commended by Jules Arnous de Rivière, in place of 6. ... Nxe4 as played by Anderssen himself in the previous friendly game. 7. Nxf6+ Qxf6 8. Nc3 Qg6. Max Lange prefers here 8. ... Qg7 in order to answer 9. Qf3 by 9. ... Bd6 10. Nxd5 Nc6 11. c3 Ne5. 9. Qf3 Bd6 10. Bd3? A very bad mistake, perhaps due to Anderssen’s bad mood. Géza Maróczy rightly recommends 10. Nxd5 Nc6 (not 10. ... Bg4?? 11. Qxg4!) 11. Bb5 which gives White excellent play. 10. ... Bg4 11. Qf2 Nd7 12. exd5 f5 13. Bb5. With this and the next move White only helps his opponent’s deployment, but after neutral moves Black would have castled Queenside with consequences not so different from those of the game. 13. ... a6 14. Bxd7+ Kxd7 15. d3 Rae8+ 16. Kf1 Rhg8

17. Rh2. Very ugly-looking, but White’s position was undefendable. 17. Bf4?? Bxf4 18. Qxf4 Be2+ loses right off, while 17. Bd2 is elegantly met by 17. ... Bc5! 18. Qxc5 Be2+ 19. Ke1 Qxg2 with mate coming soon (Maróczy’s analysis). 17. ... f3 18. g3. Or 18. gxf3 Bc5! winning immediately. 18. ... Bh5 19. Bg5. Anderssen launches a desperate and vain counterattack in order to delay the end. If 19. Bf4 then 19. ... Bxf4 20. gxf4 Re2! finis. 19. ... h6 20. Qa7 hxg5 21. Na4 gxh4 22. Qxb7 hxg3 23. Nb6+ Ke7 24. Re1+ Kf7 0 : 1.