"New Orleans"]  [Date "1848.??.??"]
[Round [White "Paul Morphy"]/ [Black "NN"]  [Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "?"]  [BlackElo "?"] [ECO "C20"]  [EventDate "?"]
[PlyCount "37"]  ======================

1.e4 e5 2.h3 d5 3.exd5 Bc5
4.Bc4 c6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.d3 a5
7.Bg5 Nbd7 8.dxc6 bxc6 9.Nf3 0-0
10.0-0 h6
11.Bh4 Qc7 12.d4 exd4 13.Nxd4 Bd6
14.Nf5 Bh2+ 15.Kh1 Ne5 16.Bb3 Ba6
17.Re1 Ng6 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Qh5

1-0{{http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1292860
}}
Jgamazo: I think 2.h2 prevents a knight landing on g4 to attack f2. Morphy probably expected his opponent to play d5 too, that leaves the e5 pawn unprotected. If Black castles kingside the bishop on b3 prevents f6. It was also a psych as checkpat says, black would play by classical principles and try to dominate the center.
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Giearth: 2.h3 (or maybe 2.a3, or even earlier if 1.h3 or 1.a3 is played) is 'to play as black' move but with 'a tempo up'. Well, at least in my experience I used to play like this... to have 'a psychological advantage'. :)

For and country!

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Aug-06-05		Averageguy: I find it strange that morphy played 2. h3 when that rejects just about all the opening principles that HE taught.
Oct-01-05		Rory O Rion: I don't understand Black's 16:"BA6"? Doesn't 'BF5' capture Knight: the same Knight, a few moves later, will support Morphy's win?
Oct-02-05		sneaky pete: <Rory O Rion> After 16... Bxf5 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.f4 .. white at least wins back the sacrificed piece. In some lines (for instance after 18... Ra/fd8) he may play 19.Qh5 .. first. All black's minor pieces are in danger, as well as his king.
Oct-13-05		AlexanderMorphy: another great game by Morphy but yes 2. h3 is suprising by him!
Oct-18-05		Makofan: He was probably giving his opponent "a move" (as in odds) so he played the innocuous 2.h3 to waste the move
Dec-01-05		Chopin: The end is near after Qh5.
Jan-11-06		morpstau: Ive never seen 2. h3 and indeed it is weak on account black can easily eualize or steal the advantage. But when you are Paul Morphy you can give queen odds at any age and still mate your opponent in less than 20 moves.
Aug-10-06		thegoodanarchist: 2.h3 is great! Not only could Morphy get all his minors developed and his king castled in less than 10 moves, he also demonstrates in this game that he understands prophylaxis! Perhaps Nimzovich and T. Petrosian were aficianados of Morphy ;-)
Mar-11-08		heuristic: Bxf6 one move earlier: 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Qh5 Bc8 19.f4 if paul was older: 16.Nxh6+ Kh7 (16...gxh6 17.Bxf6 Nxc4 18.g3!; 16...Kh8 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Qh5 Kg7 19.Nf5+) 17.f4 Nxc4 18.Qd3+ Kh8 19.Bxf6 Bxf4 20.Nf5
Mar-22-08		InspiredByMorphy: 7. ...b5 8.Nxb5 axb5 9.Bxb5+ and I don't see why black shouldn't win. In whites defense Morphy was only 11, and probably was unfamiliar at the time with this type of trap. I bet he studied the game afterwards and realized it as I haven't seen a game of his yet where he gets his bishop trapped in a similar fashion.
Mar-22-08		sneaky pete: If 7... b5 8.Ne4 Be7 9.d6.. or 8... Bb6/Bd6 9.Qf3 .. looks interesting.
Mar-25-08		InspiredByMorphy: <sneaky pete> After 7. ...b5 8.Ne4 Be7 9.d6 click for larger view This is actually better for white than I initially thought. A sample continuation could be 9. ...Bxd6 10.Qf3 Be7 click for larger view Now white has a move that just looks like desperation but is not 11.Bxb5 and if 11. ...cxb5 12.Nxf6+ gxf6 13.Qxa8 click for larger view Fritz 8 gives this position an evaluation of +0.88 favoring white! So strange how leaving the bishop trapped can be a playable variation for white. Interesting how easy it was to misinterpret the initial position after 7. ...b5 . In a nutshell white focuses on development, while black pushes too many pawns in the opening. Not too far a stretch from some of his less formidable opponents.
Apr-07-08		Xeeniner: Doesn't 4. ...Bxf2+ 5. Kxf2 Qh4+ offer black the advantage?
Apr-07-08		Judah: ^Objectively, maybe, but it also gives White a few tempos as he kicks Black's Queen around while developing, and an open f-file. For Morphy against NN, I think that would be plenty of compensation.
Apr-07-08		InspiredByMorphy: <Xeeniner> Yes.
Jan-10-09		WhiteRook48: wow, I didn't notice the b3-Bishop pinning f pawn.
Jan-30-09		Gmonster: Here's a newbie questions...what does 'NN' stand for?
Jan-30-09		Calli: Click on the NN for "his" page.
Jan-30-09		Nina Myers: 'NN' stand for <noob noodle>
Jan-30-09		Gmonster: I guess NN means anonymous or unknown? Or does it specifically mean an 'amateur' player?
Jan-31-09		MaxxLange: <GMonster> that's about the size of it, yea often it is used amateur vs. master games
Oct-17-09		WhiteRook48: 2 h3 is weird from Morphy
Sep-26-11		skcin: Someone posted that, in effect morphy's opponents were so weak there wasn't much to learn. I suggest studying his losses, in these cases his opponents were good in these games and you learn how to defeat a morphy.
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