1858 (Morphy was 21) · The Duke’s box, Théâtre-Italien, Paris

The Opera Game: Morphy’s queen sacrifice and mate in 17 moves

The Opera Game is a chess game played by Paul Morphy in Paris in 1858. Morphy, playing White, sacrificed his queen on move 16 and mated Black with 17.Rd8#. It is the most famous game of the 19th century, played in the box of a Duke at the Italian Opera.

Date: 1858 (Morphy was 21)
Place: The Duke’s box, Théâtre-Italien, Paris
Players: Paul Morphy (White) vs Duke Karl of Brunswick and Count Isouard (Black)
Result: 1-0 in 17 moves
Opening: Open Game, Philidor’s Defence (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6)
On Chess History: You play Morphy, with Morphy whispering his moves

Play the story Interactive: the moves, the characters, the endings to find.

The moves

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Bg4 4.dxe5 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 dxe5 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.Qb3 Qe7 8.Nc3 c6 9.Bg5 b5 10.Nxb5 cxb5 11.Bxb5+ Nbd7 12.O-O-O Rd8 13.Rxd7 Rxd7 14.Rd1 Qe6 15.Bxd7+ Nxd7 16.Qb8+ Nxb8 17.Rd8#

The key moment is 16.Qb8+!!: Morphy gives his queen. After 16…Nxb8 the rook reaches d8 and mates with 17.Rd8#. Engines rate 10…Qb4+ as the better defence for Black; the Duke’s side played 10…b5.

What happened in the Duke’s box

In 1858 Paul Morphy, an American of 21 from New Orleans, was the strongest chess player in the world. In Paris he was invited to the box of the Duke of Brunswick at the Italian Opera. The Duke and his adviser Count Isouard played together against him, and Morphy sat with his back to the stage, as the account by F. M. Edge tells it.

Morphy’s opponents were not weak, and his play is a lesson in development: his bishop and knight are out early, his rooks reach the centre, and he never gives Black time to castle or to defend the king.

Why the mate works

The combination starts with 13.Rxd7! and 15.Bxd7+, and it ends with the queen sacrifice 16.Qb8+!!. Black takes back with the knight: after 16…Nxb8 the rook on d1 lands on d8 with mate. The Duke’s king is shut in by its own pieces.

The course lets you make the key moves yourself and shows what happens when Black plays the honest defence 10…Qb4+ instead of 10…b5. The mate is built from a rook and a queen sacrifice against a king with no luft.

Questions and answers

Is the Opera Game a real game?

Yes. It was played in Paris in 1858 and the moves are recorded. The name of the opera that night is disputed, so the story never names it.

What is the mate in the Opera Game?

17.Rd8#, after Morphy’s queen sacrifice 16.Qb8+ and the capture 16…Nxb8. The rook on d8 mates the king on e8, which has no escape square.

Can I play the Opera Game for free?

Yes, you can start it free on Chess History, with no account and no card. The full story is in the Chess History Pass.

Sources and checks

Morphy’s game as recorded in the chess press of 1858 and in the standard collections
Account of F. M. Edge (Morphy’s companion in Paris)
Engine check on this site: Stockfish 17, depth 22

The moves on this page are checked for legality, and the engine evaluations come from Stockfish 17. Where a game is more legend than fact, the story says so.