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Paul Morphy Number of games in database: 403 Years covered: 1848 to 1869 Overall record: +201 -26 =26 (84.6%)* * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games Based on games in the database; may be incomplete. 150 exhibition games, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic. MOST PLAYED OPENINGS With the White pieces: Evans Gambit (45) C51 C52 King's Gambit Accepted (27) C37 C39 C38 C35 C33 Sicilian (15) B21 B44 B40 B20 King's Pawn Game (13) C44 C40 C20 Philidor's Defense (13) C41 King's Gambit Declined (12) C30 C31 With the Black pieces: King's Gambit Accepted (21) C33 C39 C38 Evans Gambit (15) C51 C52 Ruy Lopez (14) C77 C65 C60 C78 C64 Giuoco Piano (9) C53 C50 C54 Philidor's Defense (7) C41 King's Pawn Game (5) C44 NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?] Morphy vs Duke Karl / Count Isouard, 1858 1-0 Paulsen vs Morphy, 1857 0-1 Bird vs Morphy, 1858 0-1 Morphy vs Le Carpentier, 1849 1-0 Morphy vs Schrufer, 1859 1-0 Morphy vs Anderssen, 1858 1-0 Morphy vs A Morphy, 1850 1-0 J Schulten vs Morphy, 1857 0-1 N Marache vs Morphy, 1857 0-1 Morphy vs NN, 1850 1-0GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?] Paul Morphy -The Great Chess Genius by Timothy Glenn Forney Morphy Favorites by chocobonbon paul morphy best games by brager If chess was a religion, Morphy would be God. by Chopin Paul Morphy: A Modern Perspective by Avalon Landing morpstau's favorite games by morpstau Paul Morphy's Best Games by KingG Morphy Chess Masterpieces by nuts Blunder Check: Paul Morphy by nimh Morphy plays openings other than 1.e4 e5 by Fischer of Men frank124c's favorite games--morphy's strategems by frank124c chess strategems iv - under construction by gauer MORPHY GAMES by gambitfan Morphys Masterpeices by HailM0rphy GAMES ANNOTATED BY MORPHY: [what is this?] La Bourdonnais vs McDonnell, 1834 La Bourdonnais vs McDonnell, 1834 McDonnell vs La Bourdonnais, 1834 La Bourdonnais vs McDonnell, 1834 La Bourdonnais vs McDonnell, 1834 >> 31 GAMES ANNOTATED BY MORPHY Search Sacrifice Explorer for Paul Morphy Search Google® for Paul Morphy PAUL MORPHY(born Jun-22-1837, died Jul-10-1884) United States of America [what is this?] Paul Charles Morphy was born on June 22, 1837 in New Orleans. He was the son of a successful lawyer and judge Alonzo Morphy. His uncle, Ernest Morphy, claims that no one formally taught Morphy how to play chess, but rather that he learned the rules by observing games between himself and Alonzo. When Morphy was only 12 years old, Johann Jacob Loewenthal visited New Orleans and at the behest of his father, agreed to play a casual match with the prodigy. Young Paul won 2½ to ½. In 1857 Morphy won the First American Chess Congress with a dominating performance. This success was followed by a European trip where he met and triumphed over most of the prominent masters of the period, including Adolf Anderssen whom he defeated +7 -2 =2. Upon returning to America, he announced his retirement from chess. Although the official title of World Champion did not exist in his time, Morphy was and is widely regarded as the strongest player of his day. Even today his games are studied for their principles of open lines and quick development, and his influence on the modern game is undeniable. Mikhail Botvinnik wrote of his influence: "His mastery of open positions was so vast that little new has been learned about such positions after him." page 1 of 17; games 1-25 of 403 Game Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Morphy vs A Morphy 1-0 31 1848 New Orleans C23 Bishop's Opening 2. Morphy vs A Morphy 1-0 18 1848 New Orleans C33 King's Gambit Accepted 3. Morphy vs NN 1-0 19 1848 New Orleans C20 King's Pawn Game 4. Morphy vs NN 1-0 20 1849 New Orleans cg C39 King's Gambit Accepted 5. Morphy vs A Morphy 1-0 15 1849 New Orleans m C51 Evans Gambit 6. J McConnell vs Morphy 0-1 23 1849 New Orleans C38 King's Gambit Accepted 7. Morphy vs E Rousseau 1-0 23 1849 New Orleans C50 Giuoco Piano 8. Morphy vs J McConnell 1-0 23 1849 New Orleans C40 King's Knight Opening 9. Morphy vs E Rousseau 1-0 17 1849 New Orleans C39 King's Gambit Accepted 10. Morphy vs J McConnell 1-0 29 1849 New Orleans C39 King's Gambit Accepted 11. Morphy vs E Morphy 1-0 20 1849 New Orleans C53 Giuoco Piano 12. Morphy vs A Morphy 1-0 21 1849 New Orleans - C51 Evans Gambit 13. Morphy vs J McConnell 1-0 11 1849 New Orleans cg C35 King's Gambit Accepted, Cunningham 14. Morphy vs Le Carpentier 1-0 13 1849 New Orleans 000 Chess variants 15. Morphy vs A Morphy 1-0 46 1849 New Orleans C51 Evans Gambit 16. Morphy vs Lowenthal 1-0 55 1850 New Orleans C42 Petrov Defense 17. J McConnell vs Morphy 0-1 14 1850 New Orleans C02 French, Advance 18. Morphy vs NN 1-0 14 1850 casual C44 King's Pawn Game 19. Morphy vs E Morphy 1-0 25 1850 New Orleans C52 Evans Gambit 20. J McConnell vs Morphy 0-1 25 1850 New Orlean C52 Evans Gambit 21. Morphy vs NN 1-0 18 1850 ? 000 Chess variants 22. Morphy vs Lowenthal 1-0 49 1850 New Orleans B21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4 23. Morphy vs A Morphy 1-0 18 1850 New Orleans ? 000 Chess variants 24. Morphy vs Maurian ½-½ 46 1854 New Orleans 000 Chess variants 25. E Morphy vs Morphy ½-½ 29 1854 New Orleans (USA) C51 Evans Gambit page 1 of 17; games 1-25 of 403 REFINE SEARCH: White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Morphy wins | Morphy loses < Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 220 OF 220 · Later Kibitzing > Nov-29-08 The Rocket: His rating would be around 2400 if he still played in the style of the 1800s romantic chess but had he learned modern theory nobody knows how high he would have been rated. Nov-29-08 tamar: Seeing as people tend to repeat patterns in their life, I would suppose Morphy would not play the professionals of today either. Nov-29-08 savagerules: <brankat> I believe it was in reference to General MacLellan and his continuous reluctance to engage his forces during the early days of the Civil War, that Lincoln finally wrote him asking him sarcastically, "Sir do you mind if we borrow your army?, there's a war going on." Nov-30-08 sleepyirv: <tamar> It wouldn't be a "pattern" if he was born, raised, etc. today- if he was interested in chess; he would be one of the best, if not the top, player in the world. Nov-30-08 sleepyirv: It's General George McClellan- The letter (which was left unsent): My dear McClellan: If you don’t want to use the army I should like to borrow it for a while. Yours respectfully, A. Lincoln Dec-02-08 brankat: I suppose that was around the time of the "Peninsula campaign" :-) Yes, it took "our George" a while to get in stride, and then, as soon as he got engaged in a good fight (read: a massacre) at Antietam, honest Abe took away the command, again. Dec-08-08 Pawn Ambush: "II plantera la banniere de Castille sur les murs de Madrid au cri de Ville gagnee, et le petit Roi s'en ira tout penaud."- Paul Morphy (He will plant the banner of Castille upon the walls of Madrid to the cry of victorious city, and the little King will go away looking very sheepish)." This is on of the most beautiful lines I've ever read, so much so that it has inspired me to create one myself: He will clear a path through the mindfield and upon reaching the fallen flag shall lead the charge, they will follow him, and storm the castle and then the flag shall be planted! Dec-10-08 spikester2848: Anyone here know if in Morphy's days they played blitz (5min chess) as we do today? Or if blitz play even existed back then? Dec-10-08 HeMateMe: Not sure, but they may have had that bell variant, a bell rings every ten seconds, and you have to move before the bell rings, or you forfeit. Or they may have had fast, small, hour glasses, turned after each move, to force quick play. Dec-12-08 Boomie: <brankat: I suppose that was around the time of the "Peninsula campaign" :-) Yes, it took "our George" a while to get in stride, and then, as soon as he got engaged in a good fight (read: a massacre) at Antietam, honest Abe took away the command, again.> He was relieved for not pursuing the tattered Southern forces with the many divisions he had held in reserve throughout the battle. The war could have ended there. The rebel forces had one working cannon at the end of the battle and it's fire was being directed by Longstreet...heh. That's how beat up they were. The Little Napolean was a fine training general but had no business being on a battlefield against Lee. Dec-13-08 brankat: <Boomie> Then Gen.Longstreet must have been a good gunner ;-) Also, Gen.McLellan was not getting much in terms of reliable info from Pinkerton, not to mention that, apparently, his major concern was always to save as many lives as possible, rather than to take them. But, it didn't work at Antietam. Sam Grant, on the other hand, didn't count the dead at Shiloh, and won the battle. Gen.McLalland's heart was never in the War, but in the reconciliation with the "erring sisters", and Peace. Ironically enough, Little Napoleon "coached" young Armstrong Custer :-) Who knows, with a 150 years worth of a hindsight, and especially with the last dozen years, or so, in mind, perhaps it would have been better to have had 2, not one, major power on the continent. Dec-13-08 Boomie: <brankat: his major concern was always to save as many lives as possible, rather than to take them. But, it didn't work at Antietam.> Failed miserably at saving lives there. It was the bloodiest day in US military history. Which is exactly what the North wanted. Although Lee's conduct of the battle was brilliant, it was a strategic blunder. The rebs could not win a war of attrition. Grant got a bit of luck at Shiloh. General A. S. Johnston was killed during the first day. Johnston was one of the South's top 5 commanders. Like any great general, he fought from the front and paid the full price. But we digress from the game at hand. Perhaps we can continue elsewhere. Dec-13-08 brankat: <Boomie> The game? Which one? Btw, I heard that Gen.Johnston had only a minor wound, a shot in a leg. But, being busy with the conduct of the battle, refused a treatment on the spot, and bled to death. That certainly helped the Northern Army. Dec-13-08 brankat: Carlsen's page, perhaps? :-) Jan-02-09 amadeus: oompa-loompa? http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/. Jan-20-09 AuN1: i wonder who would have won in a match between steinitz and morphy... Jan-28-09 MrMelad: Here is a game of Morphy from 1857 that doesn't appear in this database (I got it from <SBC>'s site http://batgirl.atspace.com) [Event "Unoffical Games From the 1st ACC"] [Site "New York, USA"] [Date "1857.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Morphy, Paul C"] [Black "NN"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C51"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN " click for larger view "] [PlyCount "37"] [EventDate "1857.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bc5 6. O-O Nf6 7. d4 exd4 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Ba3 d6 10. e5 Ne4 11. Re1 d5 12. Bb5 Bg4 13. Rc1 Qd7 14. Qa4 Bxf3 15. Rxc6 O-O-O 16. e6 fxe6 17. Rxb6 c6 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Qa6+ 1-0 position after 15..0-0-0 click for larger view I liked 16.e6 very much, it is more forcing than the immediate 16.Rxb6 because it prevents 16..Qg4, ending the game faster. Feb-03-09 WhiteRook48: great style Feb-07-09 cruiseyleemorph: I would just like make a comment about Morphy that many might not know or it may have not been brought up her eon this forum. Morphy retired or stopped putting all his energy into chess when he was only 20 years old! He did play on after this but I dont think he played tournaments like he did before 1858. If he would have carried on playing properly and studying fully he may have been even more renowned as the greatest player ever. I still feel this is true anyway! Feb-07-09

Paul Morphy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search "Morphy" redirects here. For other uses, see Morphy (disambiguation). This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.Paul Morphy Full name Paul Charles Morphy Country United States Born June 22, 1837(1837-06-22)New Orleans, United States Died July 10, 1884 (aged 47)New Orleans, United States World Champion 1858–1862 (Unofficial) Paul Charles Morphy (June 22, 1837 - July 10, 1884), "The Pride and Sorrow of Chess," was an American chess player. He is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and an unofficial World Chess Champion.[1] He was also one of the first chess prodigies in the modern rules of chess era. Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Childhood victories 1.3 Schooling and the First American Chess Congress 1.4 Morphy goes to Europe 1.5 Morphy is hailed as World Champion 1.6 Morphy abandons chess 1.7 Tragedy and twilight 2 Morphy's chess play 3 Notable chess games 4 Notes 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links [edit] Biography [edit] Early life Morphy was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a wealthy and distinguished family. His father, Alonzo Michael Morphy, a lawyer, served as a Louisiana state legislator, attorney general, and Supreme Court Justice. Alonzo was of Portuguese, Irish, and Spanish ancestry. Morphy's mother, Louise Thérèse Félicité Thelcide Le Carpentier, was the musically-talented daughter of a prominent French Creole family. Morphy grew up in an atmosphere of genteel civility and culture where chess and music were the typical highlights of a Sunday home gathering. According to his uncle, Ernest Morphy, no one formally taught Morphy how to play chess; rather, Morphy learned on his own as a young child simply from watching others play. After watching a lengthy game between Ernest and Alonzo, young Paul surprised them by stating that Ernest should have won. His father and uncle had not realized that Paul even knew the moves, let alone any chess strategy. They were even more surprised when Paul proved his claim by resetting the pieces and demonstrating the win his uncle had missed. [edit] Childhood victories After that incident Morphy's family recognized him as a precocious talent and encouraged him to play at family gatherings and local chess milieus. By the age of nine, he was considered one of the best players in New Orleans. In 1846, General Winfield Scott visited the city, and let his hosts know that he desired an evening of chess with a strong local player. Chess was an infrequent pastime of Scott's, but he enjoyed the game and considered himself a formidable player. After dinner, the chess pieces were set up and Scott's opponent was brought in: diminutive, nine-year-old Morphy. Scott was at first offended, thinking he was being made fun of, but he consented to play after being assured that his wishes had been scrupulously obeyed and that the boy was a "chess prodigy" who would tax his skill. Morphy beat him easily not once, but twice, the second time announcing a forced checkmate after only six moves. As two losses against a small boy was all General Scott's ego could stand, he declined further games and retired for the night, never to play Morphy again. In 1850, when Morphy was twelve, the strong professional Hungarian chess master Johann Löwenthal visited New Orleans. Löwenthal, who had often played and defeated talented youngsters, considered the informal match a waste of time but accepted the offer as a courtesy to the well-to-do judge. When Löwenthal met Morphy, he patted him on the head in a patronizing manner. By about the twelfth move in the first game, Löwenthal realized he was up against something formidable. Each time Morphy made a good move, Löwenthal's eyebrows shot up in a manner described by Ernest Morphy as "comique". Löwenthal played three games with Morphy during his New Orleans stay, losing all three.[2] [edit] Schooling and the First American Chess Congress After 1850, Morphy did not play much chess for a long time. Studying diligently, he graduated from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, in 1854. He then stayed on an extra year, studying mathematics and philosophy. He was awarded an A.M. degree with the highest honors in May 1855. He next was accepted to the University of Louisiana to study law. He received an L.L.B. degree on April 7, 1857, in preparation for which he is said to have memorized the complete Louisiana book of codes and laws.[3] Not yet of legal age to begin the practice of law, Morphy found himself with free time. He received an invitation to participate in the First American Chess Congress, to be held in New York in the fall of 1857. At first he declined, but at the urging of his uncle he eventually decided to play. He defeated each of his rivals, including the strong German master Louis Paulsen in the final round. Morphy was hailed as the chess champion of the United States, but he appeared unaffected by his sudden fame. According to the December 1857 issue of Chess Monthly, "his genial disposition, his unaffected modesty and gentlemanly courtesy have endeared him to all his acquaintances." [edit] Morphy goes to Europe Morphy vs. Löwenthal, 1858 Soon after returning to New Orleans he was invited to attend an international chess tournament to be held in Birmingham, England in the summer of 1858. Still too young to start his law career, he accepted the challenge and traveled to England. Instead of playing in the tournament, however, he ended up playing and easily winning a series of chess matches against all the leading English masters except the veteran Howard Staunton, who was well past his prime, and who initially promised a match but eventually declined after witnessing Morphy's play.[4] Staunton was later criticised for avoiding a match with Morphy. Staunton is known to have been working on his edition of the complete works of Shakespeare at the time, but he also competed in a chess tournament during Morphy's visit. Staunton later blamed Morphy for the failure to have a match, suggesting among other things that Morphy lacked the funds required for match stakes—a most unlikely charge given Morphy's popularity. Seeking new opponents, Morphy crossed the English Channel to France. At the Café de la Régence in Paris, the center of chess in France, he played a match against Daniel Harrwitz, the resident chess professional, soundly defeating him. In Paris, Morphy suffered from a bout of intestinal influenza. In accordance with the medical wisdom of the time, he was treated with leeches, resulting in his losing a significant amount of blood. Although too weak to stand up unaided, Morphy insisted on going ahead with a match against the visiting German master Adolf Anderssen, considered by many to be Europe's leading player. Despite his illness Morphy triumphed easily, winning seven while losing two, with two draws. When asked about his defeat, Anderssen claimed to be out of practice, but also admitted that Morphy was in any event the stronger player and that he was fairly beaten. Anderssen also attested that in his opinion, Morphy was the strongest player ever to play the game, even stronger than the famous French champion La Bourdonnais. Both in England and France, Morphy gave numerous simultaneous exhibitions, including displays of blindfold chess in which he regularly played and defeated eight opponents at a time. Morphy played a well-known casual game against the Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard at the Italian Opera House in Paris. [edit] Morphy is hailed as World Champion Still only twenty-one, Morphy was now quite famous. While in Paris, he was sitting in his hotel room one evening, chatting with his companion Frederick Edge, when they had an unexpected visitor. "I am Prince Galitzine; I wish to see Mr. Morphy," the visitor said, according to Edge. Morphy identified himself to the visitor. "No, it is not possible!" the prince exclaimed, "You are too young!" Prince Galitzine then explained that he was in the frontiers of Siberia when he had first heard of Morphy's "wonderful deeds." He explained, "One of my suite had a copy of the chess paper published in Berlin, the Schachzeitung, and ever since that time I have been wanting to see you." He then told Morphy that he must go to St. Petersburg, Russia, because the chess club in the Imperial Palace would receive him with enthusiasm. In Europe Morphy was generally hailed as world chess champion. In Paris, at a banquet held in his honor on April 4, 1859, a laurel wreath was placed over the head of a bust of Morphy, carved by the sculptor Eugene Lequesne. At a similar gathering in London, where he returned in the spring of 1859, Morphy was again proclaimed "the Champion of the World". He was also invited to a private audience with Queen Victoria. So dominant was Morphy that even masters could not seriously challenge him in play without some kind of handicap. At a simultaneous match against five masters (Jules Arnous de Rivière, Samuel Boden, Thomas Barnes, Johann Löwenthal, and Henry Bird), Morphy won two games, drew two games, and lost one. Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Boston Banquet to Paul Morphy Upon his return to America, the accolades continued as Morphy toured the major cities on his way home. At the University of the City of New York, on May 29, 1859, John Van Buren, son of President Martin Van Buren, ended a testimonial presentation by proclaiming, "Paul Morphy, Chess Champion of the World". In Boston, at a banquet attended by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Louis Agassiz, the mayor of Boston, the President of Harvard, and other luminaries, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes toasted "Paul Morphy, the World Chess Champion". In short, Morphy was a celebrity. Manufacturers sought his endorsements, newspapers asked him to write chess columns, and a baseball club was named after him. [edit] Morphy abandons chess Wikisource has original text related to this article: Paul Morphy: His Later Life Having vanquished virtually all serious opposition, Morphy reportedly declared that he would play no more matches without giving odds of pawn and move.[5] After returning home he declared himself retired from the game and, with a few exceptions, gave up public competition for good. Unfortunately, Morphy's embryonic law career was disrupted in 1861 by the outbreak of the American Civil War. Opposed to secession, Morphy did not serve in the Confederate Army. During the war he lived partly in New Orleans and partly abroad, spending time in Paris and Havana, Cuba. Possibly because of his antiwar stance, Morphy was unable to successfully build a law practice even after the war ended. His attempts to open a law office failed; when he had visitors, they invariably wanted to talk about chess, not their legal affairs. Financially secure thanks to his family fortune, Morphy essentially spent the rest of his life in idleness. Asked by admirers to return to chess competition, he refused. In accord with the prevailing sentiment of the time, Morphy esteemed chess only as an amateur activity, considering the game unworthy of pursuit as a serious occupation. Chess professionals were viewed in the same light as professional gamblers. It was not until decades later that the age of the professional chess player arrived.[6] [edit] Tragedy and twilight Morphy's crypt in Saint Louis Cemetery #1 On the afternoon of July 10, 1884, Morphy was found dead in his bathtub at the age of forty-seven. According to the autopsy, Morphy had suffered a stroke brought on by entering cold water after a long walk in the midday heat. The Morphy mansion, sold by the family in 1891, is today the site of Brennan's, a famous New Orleans restaurant. [edit] Morphy's chess play Today many amateurs think of Morphy as a dazzling combinative player, who excelled in sacrificing his queen and checkmating his opponent a few brilliant moves later. One reason for this impression is that chess books like to reprint his flashy games. There are games where he did do this, but it was not the basis of his chess style. In fact, the masters of his day considered his style to be on the conservative side compared to some of the flashy older masters like La Bourdonnais and even Anderssen. Morphy can be considered the first modern player. Some of his games do not look modern because he did not need the sort of slow positional systems that modern grandmasters use, or that Staunton, Paulsen, and later Steinitz developed. His opponents had not yet mastered the open game, so he played it against them and he preferred open positions because they brought quick success. He played open games almost to perfection, but he also could handle any sort of position, having a complete grasp of chess that was years ahead of his time. Morphy was a player who intuitively knew what was best, and in this regard he has been likened to Capablanca. He was, like Capablanca, a child prodigy; he played fast and he was hard to beat. Löwenthal and Anderssen both later remarked that he was indeed hard to beat since he knew how to defend and would draw or even win games despite getting into bad positions. At the same time, he was deadly when given a promising position. Anderssen especially commented on this, saying that after one bad move against Morphy one may as well resign. "I win my games in seventy moves but Mr. Morphy wins his in twenty, but that is only natural..." Anderssen said, explaining his poor results against Morphy. Of Morphy's 59 "serious" games — those played in matches and the 1857 New York tournament — he won 42, drew 9, and lost 8.[citation needed] While Bobby Fischer considered Morphy to be the greatest player of all time,[7] some commentators disagree.[8][9] "Morphy and Capablanca had enormous talent," – Bobby Fischer, Icelandic Radio Interview, 2006[10] [edit] Notable chess games Position from Morphy-Anderssen, 1858 after 7...Ng3. White now sacrificed his Rook by 8.Bxf4. Louis Paulsen vs Paul Morphy, New York 1857, Four Knights Game: Spanish. Classical Variation (C48), 0-1 Morphy's queen sacrifice transforms his positional pressure into a decisive attack on Paulsen's king. Paul Morphy vs Duke Karl of Brunswick / Count Isouard, Paris 1858, Philidor Defense: General (C41), 1-0 The "Opera game" - a casual game against unexperienced opponents, but at the same time one of the clearest and most beautiful attacking games ever. Often used by chess teachers to demonstrate how to use time, develop pieces and generate threats. Paul Morphy vs Adolf Anderssen, Casual Game 1858, King's Gambit: Accepted. Kieseritsky Gambit Berlin Defense (C39), 1-0 Morphy loved open positions. In this game, one can see how he used to win in such positions. [edit] Notes ^ According to David Lawson, in Paul Morphy, The Pride and Sorrow of Chess, Mckay, 1976. Lawson says that Morphy was the first world champion to be so acclaimed at the time he was playing. Most chess historians, however, place the first official world chess championship in 1886, and so regard Morphy as having been the unofficial world champion when he soundly defeated Adolf Anderssen by 8 to 3. Morphy is considered the world's leading player between 1858 and 1861. ^ One of the games was incorrectly given as a draw in Sergeant's Morphy's Games of Chess and was subsequently copied by sources since then. David Lawson's biography corrects this error, providing the moves that were actually played. ^ Paul Morphy (1837 - 1884) - Find A Grave Memorial ^ According to Macon Shibut in Paul Morphy and the Evolution of Chess Theory, Staunton did play two consultation games against Morphy, losing both. Shibut also reports that in private letters Staunton conceded that the younger man was the stronger player. ^ In a match between two evenly matched Masters, a pawn advantage is considered a winning advantage. ^ Even as their reputation improved, however, chess professionals found it extremely difficult (as they do today) to support themselves by chess alone. ^ Jeremy Silman's Chess Page has comments from Fischer on Morphy. ^ "[Morphy's] glorifiers went on to urge that he was the most brilliant genius who had ever appeared. ... But if we examine Morphy's record and games critically, we cannot justify such extravaganza. And we are compelled to speak of it as the Morphy myth. ... Even if the myth has been destroyed, Morphy remains one of the giants of chess history." - Reuben Fine; see reading list. ^ "Discussions of who was the greatest ever player are always fun, but naturally will often collapse into partisan declarations of faith or endless gnawing at historical bones of diverse provenance." - Raymond Keene; World Chess Championship: Kramnik vs. Leko (page 73); Hardinge Simpole Publishing; 2004. ISBN 1-84382-160-5. Algebraic notation. ^ ChessBase.com - Chess News - Speaking about Fischer [edit] References Paul Morphy, The Pride and Sorrow of Chess by David Lawson, 424 pages; Mckay,1976 - This is the only book-length biography of Paul Morphy in English. It is out of print, but corrects numerous historical mistakes that have cropped up about Paul Morphy, including the one about Morphy's score as a child versus Löwenthal. Frederick Milne Edge: Paul Morphy, the Chess Champion. An Account of His Career in America and Europe. New York 1859- Edge was a newspaperman who attached himself to Morphy during his stay in England and France, accompanying Morphy everywhere, and even acting at times as his unofficial butler and servant. Thanks to Edge, much is known about Morphy that would be unknown otherwise, and many games Morphy played were recorded only thanks to Edge. Contains information about the First American Chess Congress, and the history of English chess clubs in and before Morphy's time. [edit] Further reading Paul Morphy and the Evolution of Chess Theory by Macon Shibut, Caissa Editions 1993 ISBN 0-939433-16-8. Over 415 games comprising almost all known Morphy games. Chapters on Morphy's place in the development of chess theory, and reprinted articles about Morphy by Steinitz, Alekhine, and others. Wikisource has original text related to this article: Chess Player's Chronicle/Paul Morphy A Sketch from the Chess World The Chess Genius of Paul Morphy by Max Lange (translated from the original German into English by Ernst Falkbeer), 1860. Reprinted by Moravian Chess under the title, "Paul Morphy, a Sketch from the Chess World." An excellent resource for the European view of Morphy as well as for its biographical information. The English edition was reviewed in Chess Player's Chronicle, 1859. Grandmasters of Chess by Harold Schonberg, Lippincott, 1973. ISBN 0-397-01004-4. World Chess Champions by Edward Winter, editor, 1981. ISBN 0-08-024094-1. Leading chess historians include Morphy as a de facto world champion, although he never claimed the title. Morphy's Games of Chess by Philip W. Sergeant & Fred Reinfeld, Dover, 1989. ISBN 0-486-20386-7. Features annotations collected from previous commentators, as well as additions by Sergeant. Has all of Morphy's match, tournament, and exhibition games, and most of his casual and odds games. Short biography included. Morphy Gleanings by Philip W. Sergeant, David McKay, 1932. Contributes games not found in Sergeant's earlier work, "Morphy's Games of Chess" and features greater biographical information as well as documentation into the Morphy-Paulsen and the Morphy-Kolisch affairs. Later reprinted as "The Unknown Morphy", Dover, 1973. ISBN 0-486-22952-1. The World's Great Chess Games by Reuben Fine, Dover, 1983. ISBN 0-486-24512-8. A First Book of Morphy by Frisco Del Rosario, Trafford, 2004. ISBN 1-4120-3906-1. Illustrates the teachings of Cecil Purdy and Reuben Fine with 65 annotated games played by the American champion. Algebraic notation. Paul Morphy: A Modern Perspective by Valeri Beim, Russell Enterprises, Inc., 2005. ISBN 1-888690-26-7. Algebraic notation. Life of Paul Morphy in the Vieux Carré of New-Orleans and Abroad by Regina Morphy-Voitier, 1926. Regina Morphy-Voitier, the niece of Paul Morphy, self-published this pamphlet in New York. Its value lies in its insight into Paul Morphy's life in the Vieux Carré. The Chess Players by Frances Parkinson Keyes, Farrar, Straus and Cudahy; 1960. A work of historical fiction in which Morphy is the central character. "Paul Morphy A Historical Character". Chess Player's Chronicle Third Series: 40. 1860.en.wikipedia.org:Paul_Morphy"> Paul Morphy: The Pride and Sorrow of Chess by David Lawson, David McKay, 1976. ISBN 978-0679130444. The Genius of Paul Morphy by Chris Ward, Cadogan Books, 1997. ISBN 978-1857441376. The Pride and the Sorrow by Matt Fullerty, 2008. A biographical novelization of Morphy's life. [edit] External links Wikisource has original text related to this article:

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He was indeed the greatest! On the subject of Paul Morphy, please see my biographical novel about Morphy's life at http://www.mattfullerty.com and http://theprideandthesorrow.blogspot.com The Pride and the Sorrow: Press Release Paul Morphy's story is a rites of passage tale about a boy who becomes famous by playing chess. It is also a cautionary tale about New Orleans, family pride and a mind who cannot cope with the real world...The Pride and the Sorrow is a cross between Josh Waitzkin's Searching for Bobby Fischer (about a chess prodigy) and Vladimir Nabokov's The Luzhin Defense (about chess causing madness). Paul resists gambling and dueling and despite Morphy family rivalries he takes on the Europeans at their own game. But the red-light district and temptations on the other side of New Orleans are never far away... The Pride and the Sorrow: Book Review, June 2008 New Zealand novelist Geoff Cush, a member of the Bookhabit judging panel, had the following to say about the Bookhabit Award 2008: "What made Matt Fullerty's writing stand out, from the very first sentence, was an unusually strong and individual way with words. Taking us into the vanished world of old America and Europe he uses a highly textured language to give an almost physical experience of being in that place and time. Drawing subtle lines between a society top-heavy with leisure and the profligate genius it produced in Morphy, he holds back the historical and personal reckoning while letting it gather and brood like the storm that finally washes away New Orleans. In my view this makes The Pride and the Sorrow a stand-out all rounder in the craft of literary fiction." Thank you for reading! http://www.mattfullerty.com My page specifically about Paul Morphy and Bobby Fischer is here http://mattfullerty.com/chess_paulmorphy_neworleans_bobbyfischer.aspx Also, you can read more about Paul Morphy at http://theprideandthesorrow.blogspot.com

Enjoy!