Hello everybody,
Well that’s a month or so that whizzed by. It doesn’t seem five minutes since I was celebrating the end of the first week of The Invisible Chess Podcast and yet here we are closing in on 25 episodes and a couple of thousand downloads.
Thanks so much for being part of it.
To end the year I have a few very enjoyable King’s Gambits coming up in the Chernev’s Best Shorts, slot. Here’s another one that didn’t quite fit in this year, but will be coming to the podcast at some point in 2022.
It’s a real belter. It’s an odds game so Morphy starts with a piece down as it is. And by move 8 he’s chucked in a bishop and his second knight. And yet, of course, mate swiftly follows anyway.
I hope you enjoy playing through this one in your mind as much as I did.
Chernev's 1000 Best Short Games of Chess
#289
Morphy - Maurean
New Orleans, 1857
Morphy is playing at KNIGHT odds.
Remove White’s Queen’s Knight from b1 before starting play.
1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 g5
4 Bc4 g4
5 d4 gxf3
6 Qxf3 d5
7 Bxd5 c6
8 Bxf7+ Kxf7
9 Qh5+ Kg7
10 Bxf4 Be7
11 0-0 Qxd4+
12 Kh1 Qxe4
13 Rae1 Qg6
14 Rxe7 Kf8
15 Bd6+
and Black threw in the towel here.
So why does Black resign?
And your Bonus Question: Why does 14 … Nxe7 fail?
Happy chessing everybody.
Thanks by the way!
I think that with best defence: 15. Bd6+ Bf5 16.Rxf5+ Nf6 17.Rxf6+ Qxf6 18.Qe8++
and if 14...Nxe7 15. Bh6+! and 16...Qxf6 17.Qf7++ or 16...Kg8 17.Rf8++