Morphy's Blitzkrieg Tactics ⚡︎♕⚡︎

Another Epic Moment with Paul Morphy. 

A textbook example of how rapid development can lead to crushing results. It is among the most famous chess games ever played, and is widely known as "The Opera Game" as it took place in the Opera House (the Salle Le Peletier or Lepeletier) in Paris, France, 1858, during an opera show. Morphy played a casual game against two strong amateurs: the German noble Karl II, Duke of Brunswick, and the French aristocrat Count Isouard de Vauvenargues.
The Duke and the Count had invited Morphy to the Paris Opera, and then asked their guest to play chess with them. Although more interested in watching the opera, Morphy accepted. He had the white pieces, and according to some texts, the Duke and the Count argued repeadedly on what moves to make and that likely contributed to Morphy’s ability to basically slaughter them in 17 moves. It is Morphy's most famous game, but far from his best.

Music: A portion of "Ride of the Valkyries", from "The Ring of the Nibelung" by Richard Wagner [Opera version from the film "Apocalypse Now" from 1979 (edited)].

Fun fact No. 1: Morphy played the Opera Game while awaiting the arrival of German chess master Adolf Anderssen to play in what is considered to be among the first unofficial world chess championships. After leaving the opera house Morphy became ill with an intestinal flu, but still went on to play Anderssen from his bed in a hotel in Paris and won the match 8 - 3.
Fun fact No. 2: In 1873, the Paris Opera House (Salle Le Peletier) was completely destroyed in a terrible fire that raged for 27 hours.
Fun fact No. 3: In 1858, Emperor Napoleon III hired the civic planner Baron Haussmann to begin construction on a second theater at a more prominent location for the Parisian Opera and Ballet based on the design of architect Charles Garnier. In 1875, the new theater, today known as the Palais Garnier, was inaugurated.
Fun fact No. 4: Richard Wagner worked on "The Ring of the Nibelung" for 26 years, from 1848 to 1874. It premiered on August 13, 1876 in the Bayreuth Festspielhaus north of Bayreuth in Germany.