The most famous game in Chess history?

This is probably the most famous game in Chess history. Paul Morphy, on his fast rise to world champion, plays two Dukes at the same time in an opera box during a performance.
(Morphy, Paul – Dukes of London – Opera House 1855 – [Hicks,E])

1.e4 e5 Preventing whites pawn center.
2.Nf3 Develop with threats! d6 Blocks the f8 Bishop. A little slow.
3.d4! Morphy plays like a tiger! Grabs the center, and threatens PXP then QxQ after Black can’t castle! Bg4 Pinning the knight. A fancy way to preserve his castling rights.
4.dxe5 Hoping that black takes with the d pawn. Bxf3 If de then qxq and he can’t castle.
5.Qxf3 Although it is usually not a good idea to take the queen out early, white does this during a recapture so he does not waste any time. Also the queen is not blocking the knight, since it is
gone, and black has no quick way to attack the queen. dxe5 Now he can take the pawn safely.
6.Bc4 Developing a piece with a major threat….The four move checkmate theme ! Nf6 The standard defense to the four move checkmate. Note that Paul Morphy anticipated this response. You must always assume your opponent will find the best move.
7.Qb3! Usually it is not a good idea to move the same piece twice…but this is a fork…the pawn on f7 and the pawn on b7. Qe7 This move is positionaly weak because it blocks in the f8 Bishop and dooms the black king to staying in the center. It does prevent both pawns from being taken. See variation by clicking “Qxb7” box to the right to see how this variation plays out.
8.Nc3 Renewing the threat on the b7pawn. [8.Qxb7 Qb4+ 9.Qxb4 Bxb4+ White is up a pawn but with no good positional advantage. White decides against this simple line. ]
8…c6 Doesn’t develop but necessary to hang on to the b7 pawn.
9.Bg5 Pinning blacks only developed piece. Blacks development is really awkward! b5 Neglecting development again. Black hopes white will retreat the c4 bishop and therefore justify the wasted move.
10.Nxb5! The Sacrifice! Black’s development is awful and is asking for punishment! cxb5 Take the offered free piece. Let your opponent prove his combination unless you see a definite refute.
11.Bxb5+ Nbd7 The only playable move. Now look at Black’s position. Both knights are PINNED.
12.0−0−0 Castling, developing the rook, and attacking the knight all with one move! Now white has two attackers on the knight, and black has not enough when you consider two of the defenders are too valuable (the queen and the king) and the f6 knight is pinned. Rd8 The only move to help save the knight.
13.Rxd7 The fastest way to activate the a1 rook. Rxd7
14.Rd1 The last piece is developed ! Qe6 Look at this. Black has no moves. Black’s attempt is useless. Look at “QxQ to the right and see another easy win for white than the one that was played.
15.Bxd7+!! The black knight is PINNED. If it moves, the rook checkmates on d8.
[ 15.Qxe6+ fxe6 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Rxd7+− This is an easy win for white, but white sees a more beautiful finish! ]
15…Nxd7 Notice that the knight on d7 is pinned. If he moves black will be checkmated on d8.
16.Qb8+!! Brilliant! Forcing the black knight to move. Now the path is wide open. Nxb8
17.Rd8# A beautiful and famous finish. White has only two pieces left…but enough to win. Notice Morphy used all his pieces in this attack. 1−0
Copyright 2003 Academic Chess

Royal Montreal Golf Club History

The Royal Montreal Golf Club is the oldest golf club in North America, founded in 1873. In that year, a small group of eight men sat in a dockside office and formed the Montreal Golf Club. Eleven years later, in 1884, permission was granted by Queen Victoria to use the "Royal" prefix.

The first golf course was a 9-hole layout on Fletcher’s Field, part of Mount Royal Park, which was shared by the red-coated golfers and other citizens relaxing in what was then the outskirts of Montreal.

In 1896, the club moved to Dixie, in the parish of Dorval, where it remained until the pressures of urban growth again dictated a decision to move. The clubhouse at Dixie is now the
Queen of Angels Academy for Girls.

The last move was to Ile Bizard in 1959, where 45 holes were constructed. The Blue Course continues to be ranked as one of the "100 Greatest Courses in the World".

The Club, host to the Canadian Open nine times, is proud of its history, traditions and facilities. Royal Montreal will host the President’s Cup in 2007.

More information about the Royal Montreal Golf Club and the President’s Cup 2007

Disintermediation

Throughout the 80’s and early 90’s my family business suffered from what is called disintermediation, the elimination of middle men precipitated mainly by increased global trade and advanced information technology systems. As a distributor who bought from manufacturers and sold to retailers we were a much sought after link in the distribution chain in the 60’s, 70’s, and early 80’s. Manufacturers from Canada and around the world knocked on our doors hoping to convince us to stock and sell their product to the more than one thousand retailers our salesmen visited regularly.

The benefits to the manufacturers were considerable: only one client to deal with instead of hundreds, more leverage over the client, fewer and larger orders, and a client committed to their product’s success. However the retailers didn’t see it that way. They united to form buying groups, combining their purchases to increase their buying power. These buying groups viewed the distributor as a middle man who prevented them from having access directly to the manufacturer.

Then a dramatic shift occurred. Sometime in the early 1980’s the power shifted from the manufacturer to the consumer and thus to the retailer. Prior to this shift the manufacturer had determined and even dictated what the distribution channel would be, and they preferred selling through independent distributors where they enjoyed their greatest leverage and thus their greatest profits. After this shift it was the retailer who dictated what the distribution channel would be, and they wanted direct access to the manufacturer.

There were several causes for this power shift, among them the increased demand for consumer products, expanding global trade, and affordable information technology specifically in the area of inventory control. The result was the rapid expansion of the ‘big box’ retailers such as Home Depot, Costco, Toy R Us, Wal-Mart, Bureau en Gros, etc.

The result was exactly what our free market economy is designed to deliver, cheaper products and greater choice for customers. Today it is possible to purchase many products at lower prices than 20 years ago in constant dollars. The result however was the elimination of the wholesale distributor and the rise of the ‘warehouse’ retailer.

Read how it felt, emotionally, to close a family business after 75 years here.