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 consultation game, 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.[a] Morphy quickly checkmated his opponents following rapid development and sacrifice of material, including a queen sacrifice.
It is among the most famous of chess games.[4] The game is often used by chess instructors to teach the importance of piece development, the value of sacrifices in mating combinations, and other concepts.
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