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Classic game replay

Paul Morphy vs George Webb Medley, 1858

This replay preserves the complete 51-ply score of Morphy playing White across 26 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
George Webb Medley
Event
London m4
Year
1858
Result
1-0
Opening
C39 King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Anderssen Defense

Opening reference: King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Anderssen Defense (C39).

In this game, 20 half-moves are labelled opening, 31 middlegame and 0 endgame. The score contains 17 captures and 4 checks or mates; before a recorded move, the position offered a median of 37 legal choices. The source score ends after 26.Bxa8 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.d4 — Claim central space8.d4 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  2. 13.Bg5 — Develop the bishop13.Bg5 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  3. 20.Bb5+ — A forcing check20.Bb5+ was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  4. 22.Nxc6 — Recapture on c622.Nxc6 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.

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Paul Morphy vs George Webb Medley, 1858

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...Qf6

  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.f4 Change the pawn structure

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from f2 to f4; the move changes the central pawn contact; from f4 it attacks Black's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Nf3 ranked higher · f4 exf4.

  4. 2...exf4 Exchange on f4

    Board fact: Black's pawn takes the pawn on f4; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the f-file; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · exf4 Nf3 d5 exd5.

  5. 3.Nf3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from g1 to f3; from there it controls d4 and e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf3 d5 exd5 Nf6.

  6. 3...g5 Advance the g-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from g7 to g5; from there it controls f4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · g5.

  7. 4.h4 Create pressure on g5

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from h2 to h4; from h4 it attacks Black's pawn on g5.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Nc3 ranked higher · h4 g4 Ne5 Qe7.

  8. 4...g4 Create pressure on f3

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from g5 to g4; from g4 it attacks White's knight on f3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · g4 Ng5 d5 exd5.

  9. 5.Ne5 Create pressure on d7

    Board fact: White moves the knight from f3 to e5; from e5 it attacks Black's pawn on d7 and Black's pawn on f7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ne5 Qe7 Nxg4 Qxe4+.

  10. 5...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 Bc4 d5 exd5.

  11. 6.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 d5.

  12. 6...d5 Change the pawn structure

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from d7 to d5; the move changes the central pawn contact; from d5 it attacks White's bishop on c4 and White's pawn on e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d5 exd5 Bd6 d4.

  13. 7.exd5 Exchange on d5

    Board fact: White's pawn takes the pawn on d5; the move changes the central pawn contact; White accepts doubled pawns on the d-file; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · exd5 Bd6.

  14. 7...Bd6 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from f8 to d6; from d6 it attacks White's knight on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bd6 d4 Nh5 Nc3.

  15. 8.d4 Claim central space

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from d2 to d4; from there it controls e5 and c5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d4 Nh5.

  16. 8...Nh5 Reroute the knight

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from f6 to h5; from there it controls f4 and f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nh5 Nc3 O-O Ne2.

  17. 9.Nc3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from b1 to c3; from there it controls d5 and e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc3 O-O Ne2 Qe7.

  18. 9...Bf5 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from c8 to f5; from f5 it attacks White's pawn on c2.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Ng3 ranked higher · Bf5 Bxf4.

  19. 10.Ne2 Create pressure on f4

    Board fact: White moves the knight from c3 to e2; from e2 it attacks Black's pawn on f4.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Bxf4 ranked higher · Ne2 Nd7 Bxf4 Nxf4.

  20. 10...Qf6 Create pressure on e5

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from d8 to f6; from f6 it attacks White's knight on e5 and White's pawn on h4.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Nd7 ranked higher · Qf6.

Middlegame · 11.Nxf4 to 26.Bxa8

  1. 11.Nxf4 Exchange on f4

    Board fact: White's knight takes the pawn on f4; from f4 it attacks Black's knight on h5; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxf4.

  2. 11...Ng3 Create pressure on h1

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from h5 to g3; from g3 it attacks White's rook on h1.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ng3 Nh5.

  3. 12.Nh5 Create pressure on f6

    Board fact: White moves the knight from f4 to h5; from h5 it attacks Black's queen on f6 and Black's knight on g3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nh5 Nxh5 Bg5 Qg7.

  4. 12...Nxh5 Exchange on h5

    Board fact: Black's knight takes the knight on h5; from h5 it reinforces the queen on f6; black is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxh5 Bg5.

  5. 13.Bg5 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: White develops the bishop from c1 to g5; from g5 it attacks Black's queen on f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bg5 Qg7 O-O Ng3.

  6. 13...Bb4+ A forcing check

    Board fact: Black moves the bishop from d6 to b4; the move checks White's king; from there it controls c3, c5 and d6.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Qg7 ranked higher · Bb4+ c3 Qd6 O-O.

  7. 14.c3 Answering the check

    Board fact: White answers the check by moving the pawn from c2 to c3; from c3 it attacks Black's bishop on b4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · c3 Qg7 O-O Nd7.

  8. 14...Qd6 Create pressure on e5

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from f6 to d6; from d6 it attacks White's knight on e5 and White's pawn on d5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qd6 O-O Nd7 Rxf5.

  9. 15.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 h6 Rxf5 hxg5.

  10. 15...Ng7 Reroute the knight

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from h5 to g7; from there it controls e6 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Ng7 Nxg4 h6 Qe2+.

  11. 16.Rxf5 Exchange on f5

    Board fact: White's rook takes the bishop on f5; the rook now works on a semi-open f-file; from f5 it attacks Black's pawn on f7; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Nxg4 ranked higher · Rxf5 Nxf5 Qxg4 Ne7.

  12. 16...Nxf5 Recapture on f5

    Board fact: Black's knight recaptures the rook on f5; from f5 it attacks White's pawn on d4 and White's pawn on h4; black is ahead by 4 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxf5 Qxg4 Ne7 Rf1.

  13. 17.Qxg4 Exchange on g4

    Board fact: White's queen takes the pawn on g4; from g4 it attacks Black's knight on f5; black is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qxg4 Ne7 Re1 Nd7.

  14. 17...Ne7 Create pressure on d5

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from f5 to e7; from e7 it attacks White's pawn on d5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ne7 Re1 h5 Qf3.

  15. 18.Re1 Rook on the open e-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from a1 to e1; the rook now occupies the open e-file; from there it controls e4, e5 and e3.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Rf1 ranked higher · Re1 h5 Qf3 O-O.

  16. 18...h5 Create pressure on g4

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from h7 to h5; from h5 it attacks White's queen on g4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · h5 Qf3 O-O cxb4.

  17. 19.Qf3 Create pressure on f7

    Board fact: White moves the queen from g4 to f3; from f3 it attacks Black's pawn on f7 and Black's pawn on h5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qf3 O-O Qxh5 Ng6.

  18. 19...Rh7 Improve the rook

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from h8 to h7; from h7 it reinforces the pawn on f7.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Rh7 Bd3 Qxd5 Bxh7.

  19. 20.Bb5+ A forcing check

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from c4 to b5; the move checks Black's king; from there it controls c4, c6 and d3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bb5+ c6 dxc6 bxc6.

  20. 20...c6 Answering the check

    Board fact: Black answers the check by moving the pawn from c7 to c6; the move changes the central pawn contact; from c6 it attacks White's bishop on b5 and White's pawn on d5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · c6 dxc6 bxc6 Nxc6.

  21. 21.dxc6 Exchange on c6

    Board fact: White's pawn takes the pawn on c6; the move changes the central pawn contact; White accepts doubled pawns on the c-file; from c6 it attacks Black's pawn on b7; black is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · dxc6 Nbxc6 Nxc6 f6.

  22. 21...bxc6 Recapture on c6

    Board fact: Black's pawn recaptures the pawn on c6; the move changes the central pawn contact; from c6 it attacks White's bishop on b5; black is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · bxc6 Nxc6 Nxc6 Bxe7.

  23. 22.Nxc6 Recapture on c6

    Board fact: White's knight recaptures the pawn on c6; from c6 it attacks Black's bishop on b4 and Black's knight on b8; black is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxc6 Qd7 Bxe7 Bxe7.

  24. 22...Nxc6 Recapture on c6

    Board fact: Black's knight recaptures the knight on c6; from c6 it attacks White's pawn on d4; black is ahead by 5 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxc6 Bxe7 Qxe7 Qxc6+.

  25. 23.Bxc6+ Recapture on c6

    Board fact: White's bishop recaptures the knight on c6; the move checks Black's king; from c6 it attacks Black's rook on a8; black is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Bxe7 ranked higher · Bxc6+ Kf8 Bxa8 Ng6.

  26. 23...Kf8 Answering the check

    Board fact: Black answers the check by moving the king from e8 to f8; from f8 it reinforces the knight on e7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Kf8 Bxa8 Ng6 Rf1.

  27. 24.Bxe7+ Capture with check on e7

    Board fact: White's bishop takes the knight on e7; the move checks Black's king; from e7 it attacks Black's queen on d6; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Bxa8 ranked higher · Bxe7+ Qxe7 Rxe7 Bxe7.

  28. 24...Qxe7 Recapture on e7

    Board fact: Black's queen recaptures the bishop on e7; from e7 it attacks White's rook on e1 and White's pawn on h4; black is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qxe7 Rxe7 Bxe7 Bxa8.

  29. 25.Rxe7 Recapture on e7

    Board fact: White's rook recaptures the queen on e7; the rook now occupies the open e-file; from e7 it attacks Black's pawn on a7 and Black's pawn on f7; white is ahead by 7 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxe7 Bxe7 Bxa8 Rh6.

  30. 25...Bxe7 Recapture on e7

    Board fact: Black's bishop recaptures the rook on e7; from e7 it attacks White's pawn on h4; white is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxe7 Bxa8 Rh6 g3.

  31. 26.Bxa8 Exchange on a8

    Board fact: White's bishop takes the rook on a8; from a8 it reinforces the queen on f3; white is ahead by 7 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxa8 Rh6 g3 Rg6.

PGN

[Event "London m4"] [Site "?"] [Date "1858.??.??"] [White "Morphy, Paul"] [Black "Medley, George Webb"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 Nf6 6. Bc4 d5 7. exd5 Bd6 8. d4 Nh5 9. Nc3 Bf5 10. Ne2 Qf6 11. Nxf4 Ng3 12. Nh5 Nxh5 13. Bg5 Bb4+ 14. c3 Qd6 15. O-O Ng7 16. Rxf5 Nxf5 17. Qxg4 Ne7 18. Re1 h5 19. Qf3 Rh7 20. Bb5+ c6 21. dxc6 bxc6 22. Nxc6 Nxc6 23. Bxc6+ Kf8 24. Bxe7+ Qxe7 25. Rxe7 Bxe7 26. Bxa8 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:e4576d0473b23717a8ccace4401590df07f6e49a989e460eda875ff0283a12aa and pins it in the selection manifest.
Exact Figshare tags:
White="Morphy, Paul"; Black="Medley, George Webb"; Event="London m4"; Date="1858.??.??"; Result="1-0". 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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