The Opera Game was a chess game played in 1858 at an opera house in Paris. The American master Paul Morphy played against two amateurs: the German noble Karl II, Duke of Brunswick, and the French aristocrat Comte Isouard de Vauvenargues. It was played as a, with Duke Karl and Count Isouard jointly deciding each move for the black pieces, while Morphy controlled the white pieces by himself. The game was played in a box while an opera was performed on stage. Morphy quickly his opponents following rapid and of, including a queen sacrifice. It is among the most famous of chess games. The game is often used by chess instructors to teach the importance of piece development, the value of sacrifices in mating, and other concepts.

The game

White: Paul Morphy Black: Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard Opening: Philidor Defence (ECO C41) Paris, October/November 1858 '''1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6''' 3. d4 Bg4 4. dxe5 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 '''5...dxe5 6. Bc4 Nf6''' 7. Qb3 Qe7 (diagram) 8. Nc3 8... c6 9. Bg5 b5? 10. Nxb5! 10... cxb5 11. Bxb5+ **11... Nbd7 ** 12. 0-0-0 Rd8 (diagram) 13. Rxd7 Rxd7 14. Rd1 14... Qe6 15. Bxd7+ Nxd7 16. Qb8+! '''16... Nxb8 17. Rd8 ''' This mating pattern is sometimes called the "opera mate" in reference to this game. Other than the king, all of White's remaining pieces play a role in the checkmate. Therefore, the position satisfies the definition of an economical mate. Economical mate is one of a few terms used by chess problem composers to describe the aesthetic properties of a checkmate position; related concepts include pure mate, model mate, and ideal mate. The final position nearly satisfies the criteria of a model mate, but fails for one reason: there are two reasons why the black king cannot be moved to the square f8. It is occupied by a bishop of the same color, and it is guarded by the white rook.