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The Opera Game · Paris, 1858

Legend · Morphy 1858 · Intermediate

Mate in 2. Find the queen sacrifice.

Paris, 1858. Morphy gives his queen to mate in two.

Solve it on the boardWatch the 40-second video
Hint

Open the d-column for your rook — at any price.

Answer

Qb8+ — Qb8+!! Nxb8 is forced, then Rd8 is mate.

The idea

The queen sacrifice opens the d-column: the knight must take, then the rook mates on d8.

This famous game is one of 30 quick puzzles in the Chess in 40 Seconds trainer: find the move on the board, get a hint if you're stuck, and learn the idea so you never fall for it in your own games.

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