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Classic game replay

Paul Morphy vs Jules Arnous De Riviere, 1863

This replay preserves the complete 67-ply score of Morphy playing White across 34 numbered moves. The board can be advanced one ply at a time; the notes stick to observable board changes rather than guessing at the players’ intentions.

On this page
  1. Practice positions
  2. Replay with move-by-move board facts
  3. PGN
  4. Sources and checking
  5. Continue with another game
White
Paul Morphy
Black
Jules Arnous De Riviere
Event
Paris m2
Year
1863
Result
1-0
Opening
C53 Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Holding Variation

Opening reference: Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Holding Variation (C53).

In this game, 20 half-moves are labelled opening, 47 middlegame and 0 endgame. The score contains 17 captures and 5 checks or mates; before a recorded move, the position offered a median of 34 legal choices. The source score ends after 34.Qxg6+ with the recorded result 1-0. Its termination tag was not retained, so this record does not infer whether the game ended by resignation, time or another cause.

Practice positions

The daily trainer uses a short set of positions from this complete score. Each link goes to the exact half-move rather than only the numbered move.

  1. 8.Re1 — Improve the rook8.Re1 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  2. 13.Nxc4 — Recapture on c413.Nxc4 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  3. 19.Nxf6+ — Capture with check on f619.Nxf6+ was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  4. 28.Rh8+ — A forcing check28.Rh8+ was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  5. 32.Rxc7+ — Capture with check on c732.Rxc7+ was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.

Replay with move-by-move board facts

The board, fact panel and transcript use the same legal score. “Fixed engine check” means Stockfish 17.1, one thread, a fixed 25,000-node search and 3 candidate lines. It compares moves under one reproducible setting; it does not claim to reconstruct a player’s thoughts.

♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜
Paul Morphy vs Jules Arnous De Riviere, 1863

Start position

Use Previous and Next on the board, or select a move in the transcript. The board fact and fixed engine check remain visible until you choose another move.

Opening · 1.e4 to 10...Nd8

  1. 1.e4 Claim central space

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from e2 to e4; from there it controls d5 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6.

  2. 1...e5 Claim central space

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from e7 to e5; from there it controls d4 and f4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · e5 Nf3 Nc6 d4.

  3. 2.Nf3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from g1 to f3; from f3 it attacks Black's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf3 Nc6 d4 exd4.

  4. 2...Nc6 Develop the knight

    Board fact: Black develops the knight from b8 to c6; from there it controls d4 and e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc6 d4 exd4 Nxd4.

  5. 3.Bc4 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: White develops the bishop from f1 to c4; from c4 it attacks Black's pawn on f7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bc4 Nf6 d3 d6.

  6. 3...Bc5 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from f8 to c5; from c5 it attacks White's pawn on f2.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Bc5 c3 Nf6 d4.

  7. 4.c3 Advance the c-pawn

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from c2 to c3; from there it controls d4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · c3 Nf6 d4 exd4.

  8. 4...Qe7 Reposition the queen

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from d8 to e7; from there it controls e5, c5 and d6.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Nf6 ranked higher · Qe7.

  9. 5.d4 Change the pawn structure

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from d2 to d4; the move changes the central pawn contact; from d4 it attacks Black's bishop on c5 and Black's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d4 Bb6 d5 Nd8.

  10. 5...Bb6 Create pressure on d4

    Board fact: Black moves the bishop from c5 to b6; from b6 it attacks White's pawn on d4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bb6 a4 Nf6 O-O.

  11. 6.O-O Kingside castling

    Board fact: White castles kingside, moving the king to g1 and the rook to f1. The move changes king safety and develops the rook in one turn.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · O-O Nf6 a4 a5.

  12. 6...d6 Advance the d-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from d7 to d6; from there it controls e5 and c5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d6 a4 a6 d5.

  13. 7.h3 Advance the h-pawn

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from h2 to h3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · h3.

  14. 7...Nf6 Develop the knight

    Board fact: Black develops the knight from g8 to f6; from f6 it attacks White's pawn on e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf6 b4 a6 Re1.

  15. 8.Re1 Improve the rook

    Board fact: White moves the rook from f1 to e1; from there it controls e4 and e3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Re1 a5 a4 O-O.

  16. 8...h6 Advance the h-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from h7 to h6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · h6 b4 a6 a4.

  17. 9.a4 Advance the a-pawn

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from a2 to a4.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · a4 a5 d5 Nb8.

  18. 9...a5 Advance the a-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from a7 to a5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · a5 Na3 exd4 cxd4.

  19. 10.Na3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from b1 to a3; from there it controls c4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Na3 exd4.

  20. 10...Nd8 Reroute the knight

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from c6 to d8; from there it controls c6 and e6.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; O-O ranked higher · Nd8 Bd3.

Middlegame · 11.Nc2 to 34.Qxg6+

  1. 11.Nc2 Reroute the knight

    Board fact: White moves the knight from a3 to c2; from there it controls d4 and e3.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Bd3 ranked higher · Nc2 O-O Ne3 Re8.

  2. 11...Be6 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from c8 to e6; from e6 it attacks White's bishop on c4 and White's pawn on h3.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; O-O ranked higher · Be6 b3 Bxc4 bxc4.

  3. 12.Ne3 Improve the knight

    Board fact: White moves the knight from c2 to e3; from there it controls d5, c4 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Ne3 Nxe4 Nd5 Bxd5.

  4. 12...Bxc4 Exchange on c4

    Board fact: Black's bishop takes the bishop on c4; from c4 it reinforces the pawn on f7; black is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxc4 Nxc4 Nd7 b3.

  5. 13.Nxc4 Recapture on c4

    Board fact: White's knight recaptures the bishop on c4; from c4 it attacks Black's bishop on b6 and Black's pawn on a5; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxc4 Nd7 b3 Nc6.

  6. 13...Nd7 Reroute the knight

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from f6 to d7; from there it controls e5, c5 and f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nd7 b3 Nc6 Ba3.

  7. 14.Ne3 Improve the knight

    Board fact: White moves the knight from c4 to e3; from there it controls d5, c4 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Ne3 Ne6.

  8. 14...g6 Advance the g-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from g7 to g6; from there it controls f5.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Ne6 ranked higher · g6 Nd5 Qe6 Be3.

  9. 15.Nd5 Create pressure on e7

    Board fact: White moves the knight from e3 to d5; from d5 it attacks Black's queen on e7 and Black's bishop on b6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nd5 Qe6 Be3 Rc8.

  10. 15...Qe6 Create pressure on d5

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from e7 to e6; from e6 it attacks White's knight on d5 and White's pawn on h3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qe6 Be3 Rc8 Nh4.

  11. 16.Bxh6 Exchange on h6

    Board fact: White's bishop takes the pawn on h6; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxh6 f6 Be3 Rc8.

  12. 16...f6 Advance the f-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from f7 to f6; from there it controls e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · f6 Be3 Rc8 b4.

  13. 17.Bg7 Create pressure on h8

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from h6 to g7; from g7 it attacks Black's rook on h8 and Black's pawn on f6.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Be3 ranked higher · Bg7 Rh5.

  14. 17...Rh5 Rook on the semi-open h-file

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from h8 to h5; the rook now works on a semi-open h-file; from h5 it attacks White's pawn on h3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rh5.

  15. 18.g4 Create pressure on h5

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from g2 to g4; from g4 it attacks Black's rook on h5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · g4.

  16. 18...Rxh3 Exchange on h3

    Board fact: Black's rook takes the pawn on h3; the rook now occupies the open h-file; from h3 it attacks White's knight on f3; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxh3 Nxf6+.

  17. 19.Nxf6+ Capture with check on f6

    Board fact: White's knight takes the pawn on f6; the move checks Black's king; from f6 it attacks Black's knight on d7; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxf6+ Nxf6 Ng5 Qxg4+.

  18. 19...Nxf6 Recapture on f6

    Board fact: Black's knight recaptures the knight on f6; from f6 it attacks White's pawn on e4 and White's pawn on g4; black is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxf6 Ng5.

  19. 20.Ng5 Create pressure on e6

    Board fact: White moves the knight from f3 to g5; from g5 it attacks Black's queen on e6 and Black's rook on h3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ng5 Qxg4+.

  20. 20...Qd7 Create pressure on g7

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from e6 to d7; from d7 it attacks White's bishop on g7 and White's pawn on a4.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Qxg4+ ranked higher · Qd7 Bxf6.

  21. 21.Bxf6 Exchange on f6

    Board fact: White's bishop takes the knight on f6; from f6 it attacks Black's knight on d8 and Black's pawn on e5; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxf6 Rh6 Kg2 Ne6.

  22. 21...Rh4 Rook on the open h-file

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from h3 to h4; the rook now occupies the open h-file; from h4 it attacks White's pawn on g4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rh4 f3 Rh6 Kg2.

  23. 22.f3 Advance the f-pawn

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from f2 to f3; from there it controls e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · f3 Ne6 Nxe6 Rxg4+.

  24. 22...exd4 Exchange on d4

    Board fact: Black's pawn takes the pawn on d4; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the d-file; from d4 it attacks White's pawn on c3; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · exd4 Kg2 d3 e5.

  25. 23.cxd4 Recapture on d4

    Board fact: White's pawn recaptures the pawn on d4; the move changes the central pawn contact; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · cxd4 Nc6 Kg2 Bxd4.

  26. 23...Rh6 Rook on the open h-file

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from h4 to h6; the rook now occupies the open h-file; from h6 it reinforces the pawn on g6.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Nc6 ranked higher · Rh6 Kg2 Ne6 e5.

  27. 24.Kg2 Reposition the king

    Board fact: White moves the king from g1 to g2; from there it controls f3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Kg2 Ne6 e5 Nxg5.

  28. 24...Nf7 Develop the knight

    Board fact: Black develops the knight from d8 to f7; from f7 it attacks White's knight on g5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf7 Qb3 Bxd4 Nxf7.

  29. 25.Rh1 Rook on the open h-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from e1 to h1; the rook now occupies the open h-file; from h1 it attacks Black's rook on h6.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Qd2 ranked higher · Rh1 Rxh1 Qxh1 Qc6.

  30. 25...Nxg5 Exchange on g5

    Board fact: Black's knight takes the knight on g5; from g5 it attacks White's pawn on e4 and White's pawn on f3; black is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxg5 Rxh6 Nh7 Rc1.

  31. 26.Rxh6 Exchange on h6

    Board fact: White's rook takes the rook on h6; the rook now occupies the open h-file; from h6 it attacks Black's pawn on g6; white is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxh6 Nh7 Rxh7 Qxh7.

  32. 26...Nh7 Create pressure on f6

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from g5 to h7; from h7 it attacks White's bishop on f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nh7 e5 Nxf6 exf6.

  33. 27.Qh1 Reposition the queen

    Board fact: White moves the queen from d1 to h1; from h1 it reinforces the rook on a1.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Qh1 Nxf6 Rh8+ Kf7.

  34. 27...Nxf6 Exchange on f6

    Board fact: Black's knight takes the bishop on f6; from f6 it attacks White's pawn on e4 and White's pawn on g4; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxf6 Rh8+ Kf7 Rxa8.

  35. 28.Rh8+ A forcing check

    Board fact: White moves the rook from h6 to h8; the move checks Black's king; the rook now occupies the open h-file; from h8 it reinforces the queen on h1.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rh8+ Ke7 Rxa8 Qe6.

  36. 28...Ke7 Answering the check

    Board fact: Black answers the check by moving the king from e8 to e7; from there it controls d6, e6 and f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ke7 Rxa8 Kf7 Qh6.

  37. 29.Rxa8 Exchange on a8

    Board fact: White's rook takes the rook on a8; from a8 it attacks Black's pawn on a5; white is ahead by 5 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxa8 Bxd4 Qh6 Ke6.

  38. 29...Bxd4 Exchange on d4

    Board fact: Black's bishop takes the pawn on d4; from d4 it attacks White's pawn on b2; white is ahead by 4 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxd4 Qh6 Ke6 Qd2.

  39. 30.Qh6 Create pressure on g6

    Board fact: White moves the queen from h1 to h6; from h6 it attacks Black's pawn on g6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qh6 Ke6 Qd2 c5.

  40. 30...Qc6 Create pressure on a4

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from d7 to c6; from c6 it attacks White's pawn on a4 and White's pawn on e4.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Ke6 ranked higher · Qc6 Rc1 Qxa4 Rxc7+.

  41. 31.Rc1 Rook on the semi-open c-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from a1 to c1; the rook now works on a semi-open c-file; from c1 it attacks Black's queen on c6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rc1 Qxa4 Rxc7+ Ke6.

  42. 31...Qb6 Create pressure on b2

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from c6 to b6; from b6 it attacks White's pawn on b2.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Qxa4 ranked higher · Qb6 Rxc7+ Qxc7 Qg7+.

  43. 32.Rxc7+ Capture with check on c7

    Board fact: White's rook takes the pawn on c7; the move checks Black's king; the rook now occupies the open c-file; from c7 it attacks Black's pawn on b7; white is ahead by 5 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxc7+ Qxc7 Qg7+ Ke6.

  44. 32...Ke6 Answering the check

    Board fact: Black answers the check by moving the king from e7 to e6; from there it controls d5, e5 and d6.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Qxc7 ranked higher · Ke6 Re8+ Nxe8 Qxg6+.

  45. 33.Re8+ A forcing check

    Board fact: White moves the rook from a8 to e8; the move checks Black's king; from there it controls e6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Re8+ Nxe8 Qxg6+ Bf6.

  46. 33...Nxe8 Answering the check

    Board fact: Black's knight takes the rook on e8; from e8 it attacks White's rook on c7; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxe8 Qxg6+ Bf6 Qf5#.

  47. 34.Qxg6+ Capture with check on g6

    Board fact: White's queen takes the pawn on g6; the move checks Black's king; from g6 it attacks Black's knight on e8; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qxg6+ Bf6 Qf5#.

PGN

[Event "Paris m2"] [Site "?"] [Date "1863.??.??"] [White "Morphy, Paul"] [Black "De Riviere, Jules Arnous"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Qe7 5. d4 Bb6 6. O-O d6 7. h3 Nf6 8. Re1 h6 9. a4 a5 10. Na3 Nd8 11. Nc2 Be6 12. Ne3 Bxc4 13. Nxc4 Nd7 14. Ne3 g6 15. Nd5 Qe6 16. Bxh6 f6 17. Bg7 Rh5 18. g4 Rxh3 19. Nxf6+ Nxf6 20. Ng5 Qd7 21. Bxf6 Rh4 22. f3 exd4 23. cxd4 Rh6 24. Kg2 Nf7 25. Rh1 Nxg5 26. Rxh6 Nh7 27. Qh1 Nxf6 28. Rh8+ Ke7 29. Rxa8 Bxd4 30. Qh6 Qc6 31. Rc1 Qb6 32. Rxc7+ Ke6 33. Re8+ Nxe8 34. Qxg6+ 1-0

Sources and checking

Score source: Chess Database, version 1 by Ana Schaigorodsky (2016), licensed under CC BY 4.0. LibreChess selected the exact score identified by sha256:a6ff75b21ab48f20bc1afd5f67ef0b27c305d72e0c0ce376ea3c5c7a23341784 and pins it in the selection manifest.
Exact Figshare tags:
White="Morphy, Paul"; Black="De Riviere, Jules Arnous"; Event="Paris m"; Date="1863.??.??"; Result="1-0".
Reviewed display mapping: event Paris m → Paris m2. LibreChess parsed the main line with chess.js and stores normalised SAN. Source comments, side variations and termination detail were not retained.

LibreChess checks every SAN move with chess.js and compares the result and move sequence with a stored reference. The engine comparison was calculated offline from the fixed settings above; it is not a source for historical claims. No termination is inferred where the imported score does not preserve one.

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