Why Most Chess Beauty Remains Under the Surface: Revisiting Morphy's Epic Queen Sacrifice

[@in10se777]

Such a powerful video! - yes studying the subvariations in all these games is where the deeper learning and understanding comes in. When I read chess books I'm tempted to just glance over the sub variations, but I force myself to study them deeply and play them out over the board to get the full understanding. Thank you for your amazing teaching!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much for your kind words.

[@DanielDollinger1959]

It's amazing that Morphy pulled off this level of understanding without ever seeing an engine in his life. I suggest another possible title for this video. "The Art of Truly Understanding Your Opponent's Last Move." Morphy sure got the concept.

[@Kenjitsuka]

Merry Christmas! Great video as always!!!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[@Kenjitsuka]

@Dr.CansClinic Thank you, Doc, you too!

[@GaryWalters-tk2lp]

A beautiful game indeed, the queen sacrifice was hard to see for me but the power of having all your pieces able to be involved in the attack shows how we can consider these oppertunities, but for me my calculation isn't quite strong enough, and I'd be hard pushed to play that move, a great game to go through and learn from, very enjoyable episode 👍

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you, Gary!

[@ibiwisi]

BTW, as you may know, that Robert Frost poem is quite famous in the U.S.; I've read it (and heard it) many times. But I never before realized that it was all about chess calculation!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

[@ibiwisi]

@@Dr.CansClinic You got it! BTW, I wrote an earlier post that seems to have disappeared. In that post I thanked you for this video, saying that it was a wonderful chess Christmas present. I included a link to the Robert Frost poem -- I'm happy that you know it!

[@EliDollinger]

The queen sacrifice was very beautiful. The idea of the queen sacrifice is not hard to see. Morphy probably saw the idea within a few seconds. The fact that Morphy spent a significant amount of time prior to making his move means he was probably calculating lines. Given the stakes involved with sacrificing the queen, I'm sure Morphy calculated until he was certain he was winning in all the possible lines.

[@briandwi2504]

Superb game. Thanks for the lesson.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

My pleasure!

[@anthonyjaglal]

Merry Christmas 🎄🎉a wonderful video,it's always amazing the old players with out computers and games so inspirational 👏💯

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Happy New Year to you! Thanks for your continous support and interactions on this channel. Really appreciate it!

[@gaopinghu7332]

Another point to consider is that Morphy played fast for the time - _really_ fast. I believe it was Paulsen that would spend hours on a move, only for Morphy to reply in just a couple minutes. He played Blitz-Rapid while his opponents were taking their sweet Classical time.

[@ChessWithMouselip]

Spending hours on a move is not "Classical" ... it's not even Baroque -- it's Medieval. 🙂

[@MarkPersoonlijk]

Yessssss I am ready! (Answering the question if I was ready for great calculation training haha!) I really like the games of Morphy. I don't get everything, but I do get great new insights here and there about piece coordination and mating nets. Yes, I think that Paul Morphy took the 12 minutes to calculate everything, including variations. Maybe not that necessary with a lower rated opponent? Well, it could be that the opponent has the potential to make one brilliant move and all the mating plans wouldn't work anymore. But no matter what, a great session of calculation can be a great joy for the brain 😋 Thanks for this lesson. I am looking forward to what you will launch in 2025. Videos, courses, everything!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Great feedback, Mark! Thank you for your amazing support and interaction on this channel. Wishing you a great 2025!

[@omamoka63]

The Art of Coordinating Your Pieces.❤️

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Another course idea ❤️

[@MarkPersoonlijk]

Hahaha, that is a nice one @omamoka63!

[@michaelf8221]

Morphy saw f5 against Qd3 alright. Dude never spent 12 minutes on a move. That must have been some serious calculation work for him.

[@DDDelgado]

15:10 the other rook? check mate?

[@Dr.CansClinic]

How?

[@advandepol7537]

I think Morphy didn't calculate the sidelines after Qe6. As black was already making great mistakes in the beginning, he could be confident that Paulsen would not be able to find the refutation.

[@Minerva6699]

Morphy isn't so bad to play hope chess

[@ChillMusic15-z5m]

Let's Start ♟️ ... Today i played the match with white pieces and made my Dark squared Bishop ( A true Monster 💀 ) And deflected the attack of knight and rook that was guarding the King 👑 .... So they don't do chaos in endgame and build a strong attacking position. For my bishop it was passive piece but very powerful ( Like a silent sniper ) hiding in it's position but still protecting the king ... Pro Advice - Do not exchange your pieces blindly ... We advanced players know how to set a devastating traps and making Queen 👑 ( Literally immortal ) Two Rooks will unleash in endgame if use them correctly .. ☠️ 🔥 ☠️🔥🔥

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Congratulations! :)

[@ChillMusic15-z5m]

@Dr.CansClinic Thanks a lot coach ♟️ for your valuable Lessons 🤗🤗 .. I did improved my strategies to understand the positions ... Advice - Hold the attack from enemy pieces as long as you can .... Question - How to be more precise in Positional Chess ( Like best squares to keep the active attacking + Defending pieces )

[@johnh-lk8lw]

Yes. Truly beautiful❤

[@greatdanelegend7001]

I think it's very likely Morphy saw all the details, including Qd3. I will never understand how he got that good. He never studied, he just woke up one day and could play chess better than anyone else on the planet. He's probably the chess equivalent of Mozart, someone so talented that nobody can match it for several centuries. What an amazing game. I really hope I will win a game with a queen sac one day. I do sac my queen sometimes, but never on purpose. But this attack was calculated out in its entirety, I am sure

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[@jjb2004mk2]

Great lesson thanks. It reminds me of Carlsen saying "Your pieces have to work as a team".

[@Dr.CansClinic]

He is a wise man...

[@iceicebaby6980]

True story: Morphy's opponent said, "Sac a rook and win and I'll give you three cows!!" Morphy, who played many games starting down a piece, said, "I'll sac my queen and you will give me 37 cows, 13 chickens and your best lantern."

[@michaelf8221]

You and I have very different definitions of "true story"

[@TymexComputing]

Its strange morphy didnt see Rg2 #-4 :( maybe he better likes the bishops :)

[@jjb2004mk2]

It's easy to see these things in hindsight, especially when you're told that there's a mate to be found.

[@roytwinberrow7956]

Another true story Morphy's dead body was found surrounded by loads of women's shoes .

[@in10se777]

I think he died taking a bath of a stroke. Capablanca had a stroke as well and had horribly high blood pressure like 200's systolic basically bursting blood vessels in his brain is what the autopsy showed. A hot bath may have lowered it on that fateful day that he died.