The game was played in 1858 in an opera house in Paris. The American attacking genius had the white pieces and played against two noblemen who consulted with each other to play the black pieces. Morphy's opponents were Duke Karl II of Brunswick and the French aristocrat Count Isouard de Vauvenargues. The game is often used by chess instructors to teach the importance of rapid development of one's pieces, the value of sacrifices in mating combinations, and other chess concepts.