Daily Tactic January 5, 2014

Maurian - Morphy,1854 New Orleans. This is an odds game and Morphy is currently down a Rook. White was in check and played Kf3. How does Morphy gain material? Black to move:

Daily Tactic January 4, 2014

Morphy, Paul - NN, New Orleans, 1849. NN has just played ...Nxd4, capturing a pawn, with a double attack on Morphy's Queen from the N at d4 and the Bishop at g4. Pin and Skewer are tactical devices used in today's position. What does Morphy do about his attacked Queen? White to move.

In 1850, when Morphy was twelve, the strong professional Hungarian chess master Johann Löwenthal visited New Orleans. Löwenthal, who had often played and defeated talented youngsters, considered the informal match a waste of time but accepted the offer as a courtesy to the well-to-do judge.
By about the twelfth move in the first game, Löwenthal realized he was up against someone formidable. Each time Morphy made a good move, Löwenthal's eyebrows shot up in a manner described by Ernest Morphy as "comique". Löwenthal played three games with Paul Morphy during his New Orleans stay, scoring two losses and one draw (according to another source – losing all three). wikipedia

Daily Tactic January 3, 2014

MacConnel, James - Morphy, Paul New Orleans, 1849. Morphy's opponent does not put up the best defense but, I guess, the pain is over quicker that way and it makes for a prettier finish. Black (Morphy) to move.

Daily Tactic January 2, 2014

Thomason - Fischer, USA-ch U18, 1955. Today's tactic is from a game of Bobby Fischer's played in the 1955 USA Under 18 Championship. Black (Fischer) to move:

Daily Tactic January 1, 2014

Morphy-Rousseau, New Orleans 1849. In today's game Eugene Rosseau has just played 13. ...d5 attacking Morphy's queen. Twelve year old Morphy plays this brilliantly! White to Move:

Daily Tactic December 31, 2013

This is a famous position from Fischer-Mjagmasuren, Sousse 1967. White to move. Can you visualize white's moves through to the end?

Daily Tactic December 30, 2013

Morphy-Jefferson, New York simul, 1859. This game ends with the mating pattern know as Philidor's Legacy. Morphy sets it up with two Deflection moves. To help learn this pattern and solidify it, practice going over the final moves in your head from move 19. Qa3+ to the end. Once you learn the pattern or if you already know it, go over the game in your head from move 17. e5! onwards to practice your visualization skills.

Deflection is forcing an enemy piece away from some useful position. In this game Morphy deflects the black queen off of the d8-h4 diagonal.

Decoying is attracting an enemy piece to a square useful for you. In this game as part of the final mating pattern, a black rook is decoyed to the f8 square.