Paris · 1858
The Opera Game
Paul Morphy vs. Duke Karl of Brunswick & Count Isouard — Played in a box at the Italian Opera House in Paris and finished in seventeen moves.
LevelBeginnerElo600–800Moves17
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
♜
♞
♝
♛
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♟
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♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♙
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♙
♖
♘
♗
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♘
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a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Moves · tap to jump
0/330/33
Use ← → keys to step through the game
Starting position
Ready
Press Auto-play to watch the game, or step move by move.
Main lesson
Development and castling
What your student should learn
- Develop a new piece almost every move in the opening.
- Open the centre when your pieces are out and the enemy king is not yet safe.
- Pins freeze defenders; the attack lands where the defender cannot move.
- Two rooks and a bishop on open lines are enough to mate.
Mini tournament checklist
- ✓ Are all my pieces off their starting squares?
- ✓ Is my king safe (castled or clearly safe where it is)?
- ✓ Is the enemy king still in the centre?
- ✓ Do I have an open file or diagonal pointing at it?
Run through this list before you start an attack in a real game. Mostly yes means look for tactics; otherwise improve one more piece first.
Full move list
Opening
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Developing Pieces
6.
7.
8.
9.
Castling and Attack
10.
11.
12.
The Winning Combination
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Note: Moves 12...Rd8 and 13...Rxd7 are included so the position stays legal — in the actual game the rook, not the knight, recaptured on d7.