The Opera Game — Morphy's final chord

Mate in 2 White to move · Mate with the rook · Difficulty about Elo 1500

The plan

The most famous finish in chess history, played in a box at the Paris Opera while singing carried on on stage. The situation is clear: the black king still stands in the centre, the only open file belongs to the white rook, and a knight is all that still blocks that file. So this knight is DEFLECTED — with the queen, and in such a way that it MUST capture. It is a check the knight can only answer by capturing, and in that very moment it clears the file. The rook takes up position at the far end, defended by the bishop, which at the same time holds the flight square next to it. Remember: a piece guarding something important gets deflected, not captured.

Why this level: Short and forced, but the idea of deflection through sacrifice has to be second nature; as a classic, the position belongs in every collection.

The solution, move by move

1. 1. Qb8+ The queen sacrifice is not a combination shot in the dark but pure deflection: the knight guards the mating square and is forced to leave it.
2. 1… Nxb8 The only legal move. The whole sacrifice rests on exactly this.
3. 2. Rd8# The rook takes the file that has just opened up. The king cannot capture, the bishop defends — and that same bishop also takes away the square next to it.

More in Mate with the rook

• Anastasia's mate — knight and rook in tandem Mate in 3
• Staircase mate — two rooks climb up Mate in 3
• Back-rank mate — the forgotten air Mate in 1