A First Book of MorphyA First Book of Morphy aims to illustrate the teachings of three great chessplayers with games played by the first American chess champion, Paul Morphy. The book presents more than 60 of Morphy's brilliant and instructive games in demonstration of basic chess principles written by grandmasters Reuben Fine and Cecil Purdy. |
Contents
Introduction | 7 |
The Opening | 11 |
Ten Opening Rules | 12 |
Open with a center pawn | 13 |
Develop with threats | 21 |
Develop knights before bishops | 29 |
Dont move the same piece twice in the opening if you can help it | 35 |
Make as few pawn moves as possible in the opening | 39 |
Dont expose your king while the enemy queen is still on the board | 113 |
All combinations are based on a double attack | 119 |
When your opponent has one or more pieces exposed look for a combination | 123 |
To attack the enemy king open a file or less often a diagonal to gain access for the heavy pieces | 127 |
Centralize the action of your pieces | 135 |
The best defense is a counterattack | 143 |
The Endgame | 147 |
Ten Endgame Rules | 148 |
Dont bring your queen out too early | 45 |
Castle as soon as possible preferably on the kingside | 49 |
Play to get control of the center | 55 |
Play to maintain at least one pawn in the center | 63 |
Dont sacrifice without a clear and adequate reason | 67 |
The Middlegame | 77 |
Ten Middlegame Rules | 78 |
Have all your moves fit into a definite plan | 79 |
When ahead in material exchange as many pieces as possible especially queens | 89 |
Avoid doubled isolated and backward pawns | 95 |
In cramped positions free yourself by exchanging | 109 |
To win without pawns you must be a rook or two minor pieces ahead two knights excepted | 149 |
The king must be active in the endgame | 153 |
Passed pawns must be pushed | 157 |
The easiest endings to win are pure pawn endings | 161 |
When one pawn ahead exchange pieces not pawns | 169 |
Dont place pawns on the same color squares as your bishop | 175 |
Bishops are better than knights in all but blocked pawn positions | 183 |
It is worth a pawn to get a rook on the seventh rank with four or more pawns | 189 |
Rooks belong behind passed pawns | 199 |
Blockade passed pawns with the king | 207 |
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Common terms and phrases
backward pawns best defense bigger biggest threat black king black pawn black piece black queen black rook Black threatens Blindfold simultaneous exhibition blocked bring Castle as soon center control checkmate chess game control the center coordinate d-file Daniel Harrwitz developing move diagonal discovered attack discovered check double attack double threat doubled pawns e-file enables White Endgame rule endings to win Evans Gambit exchange exposed f-pawn force fork gain Giuoco Piano gives Black heavy pieces isolated pawn king safety King's Gambit kingside Knights Defense loses match game mate material Middlegame rule minor pieces mobility one’s Opening rule opponent opponent's passed pawn Paul Morphy Black pawn moves pawn position pawn sacrifice pawn structure Philidor Defense player Purdy pure pawn endings queen bishop queen rook queenside Rad1 Resigns Rooks belong side skewer space threatening move white king white rook White's threat win a pawn York 1857 White