The Opera Game was an 1858 chess game, played at an opera house in Paris. The American master Paul Morphy played against two strong amateurs: the German noble Karl II, Duke of Brunswick, and the French aristocrat Comte Isouard de Vauvenargues. It was played as a consultation game, with Duke Karl and Count Isouard jointly deciding each move for the black pieces, while Morphy controlled the white pieces by himself. The game was played in a box while an opera was performed on stage.[a] Morphy quickly checkmated his opponents following rapid development of material, involving a queen sacrifice.
It is among the most famous of chess games.[4] The game is often used by chess instructors to teach the importance of piece development, the value of sacrifices in mating combinations, and other concepts.
- ^ Sergeant, Philip W. (1957). Morphy's Games of Chess. Dover. pp. 149–150. ISBN 0486203867.
- ^ Whyld, Kenneth (1993). Learn Chess in a Weekend. Knopf/DK. p. 87. ISBN 9780679422297.
- ^ Winter, Edward. "Morphy v the Duke and Count". chesshistory.com.
- ^ Marshall, Frank J. (1932). Comparative Chess. Philadelphia: David McKay company. p. 54. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
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