For the next three puzzles we’re going to have a unifying them that covers and attacking concept worth knowing. If you show this position to any experienced chess player, they will know exactly what the first move is without thinking. The position is that famous. The person who played and won this game was Paul Morphy vs. Louis Paulsen in the First American Chess Congress. One downside to knowing the first move in similar looking positions is that you had better make sure all the following moves work to get the win. So, whether you know the first move or not, it’s a challenge.

Solution:

1...Qxf3 2.gxf3 Rg6+ 3.Kh1 Bh3 4.Rd1 [It's mate after: 4.Rg1 Rxg1+ 5.Kxg1 Re1+ 6.Qf1 Rxf1#] 4...Bg2+ 5.Kg1 Bxf3+ 6.Kf1 Bg2+ [Morphy even misses something here. A later master, Zukertort, discovered: 6...Rg2 7.Qe2 Rxe2 8.d4 Rxh2 9.Rxe2 Rh1#] 7.Kg1 Bh3+ 8.Kh1 Bxf2 [There has to be some explanation of the human element here. Morphy probably expected Paulsen to resign here as it's mate or White loses the queen. If he knew Paulsen was going to be unsportsmanlike and not resign he might have taken a few more minutes to find the mating alternative. You have to understand that not only was Paulsen pig-headed about resigning, but he routinely took forever to think about his moves as there were no clocks back then. Wanting to get this over with, Morphy must have hurried in expectation of the resignation that did not come until much later. 8...Bg2+ 9.Kg1 Be4+ 10.Kf1 Bf5 11.Qe2 Bh3+ 12.Ke1 Rg1#] 9.Qf1 Bxf1 10.Rxf1 Re2 11.Ra1 Rh6 12.d4 Be3

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