Paul Morphy

Paul Morphy (June 22nd 1837 with La Nouvelle-Orléans, Louisiana - July 10th 1884 with New-Orleans) is a American player of failures . In two years, towards the 20 years age, it demolishes all the best players of American failures, then European. Thereafter, it gives up playing and tries to make career in right, but without success because, abolitionist, it refused to enlist at the time of the American Civil war.

Biography

Youth

It is born in a rich and recognized family of New-Orleans. His/her father, the Portuguese Alonzo Michael Morphy, is specialized in right, becoming in turn lawyer, state legislator , general Attorney of Louisiana and judge at the Supreme court of Louisiana. The mother of Paul, Louise Therese Congratulated Thelcide Carpentier, is a talented musician born in a French family and creole well-known in Louisiana. He saw his childhood in a medium cultivated where the music côtoie the failures at the time of the family meetings of Sunday.

According to his/her uncle, Ernest Morphy, anybody forever shown in Paul how to play failures. He wrote that Paul deduced them by observing unfolding from the parts which were played house. Ernest reports that Paul mentioned, after having observed during several hours part of his/her father and his uncle, that it should have gained the part. Such an amount of the father that the uncle are surprised to hear such an assertion of the mouth of the Morphy young person, because he did not believe that he could move the parts, even less the strategy échiquéenne. They will be even more surprised when Paul gives the parts on the chess-board and proves his assertion.

First victories

After this episode, its family recognizes that Paul is a large player of failures. He shows his talent while playing in various local competitions, like at family meetings, Sunday. At the 9 years age, he is already regarded as one of the strongest players of New-Orleans. In 1846, the general Winfield Scott visit the city and wishes to face a strong player of failures during the evening. The failures are a pastime for him, and he regards himself as a good player. After the evening meal, a chess-board is prepared and one presents to the general his adversary: Paul. Believer with a joke of bad taste, it offusque, but it is affirmed that its wishes were respected and that the boy is a wonder of the failures. The general agrees to play and Morphy beats it easily twice continuation. The second time, Paul announces a chechmate forced six blows after the beginning of the part. Two defeats vis-a-vis a child is all that can accept the Ego of the general: he refuses to continue to play, withdraws himself for the night and faced Morphy never again.

In 1850, at age the twelve years, Morphy is able at the same time to beat all its close relations and to play blind man. He meets all the best players of the area, like all the Masters of passage. Thus it beats the Hungarian Master Johann Jacob Löwenthal.

At the time of the first part, Löwenthal, while playing its 12th blow, realizes that its adversary is formidable. It slows down its rate of play consequently, and each time Morphy makes a skilled, Löwenthal sourcille in a “comic” way according to Ernest Morphy. Surprised of the power of the boy, Löwenthal played three parts against Morphy during its stay with New-Orleans, the loser all.

Eduction and the first American congress of failures

After 1850, Morphy, occupied by its studies, practically does not play. At the secondary level, it obtains its diploma of the Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama in 1854. There there remains one year moreover, studying mathematics and philosophy and receives a diploma with mention. It is then accepted in right to the Université of Louisiana. At 19 years, the April 7th 1857, it receives its diploma in right. Equipped with an exceptional memory, he affirms that he by heart learned the Civil code from Louisiana.

Too much young person to exert its trade, it decides to be devoted initially to the failures. It receives an invitation to be taken part in the first American congress of failures, which will be held in New York with the autumn of 1857. It declines, but his/her uncle presses it to accept. Morphy finally agrees to play, in the condition of receiving the parental blessing. It goes to New York by Steamer and train. With the congress, it demolishes all its adversaries, including the strong German player Louis Paulsen with the last round.

Paul Morphy becomes at 20 years the first champion of the United States. For this reason, one presses it to measure oneself with the best European players.

Travel to Europe

Still too young person to exert the right, it is invited to an international chess tournament being held with Birmingham during the summer 1858. It accepts the challenge and goes to England. However, he does not play tournament, he plays of the matches against the best English players the leaf without exception. The only player who refuses to face Paul is Howard Staunton, who however promised to face it, but finally declined. Sometimes, Staunton is present in the part where Morphy plays and could have been measured there.

Staunton, was a little later criticized for its refusal to face Morphy. At that time, it supplemented an edition of an integral of William Shakespeare, but also played in competition. Staunton then launched a campaign written in order to let believe that Morphy was the cause of this situation, suggesting inter alia it did not have the required funds to fulfill the financial requirements of such a match. However, Morphy if was estimated that several rich groups and several people were ready to finance it without reserve.

During the few months when Morphy is in England, he generally plays of the parts to the blind man against eight players at the same time, whom he gains without exception.

Seeking new adversaries, Morphy crosses the Manche and goes to the Café Regency to Paris, better French place of the set of failures. He plays a match against Daniel Harrwitz, better French player of the time. A price will be versed with gaining after 7 points. Morphy loses the first two parts, but reacts with calm, realizing that he plays with too much impetuosity. It gains the third, the fourth, the fifth, then the sixth part. Harrwitz then asks for a pause of eight days due to health. Morphy accepts, in the condition of beginning again at the rate/rhythm of a part per day. With the return, it cancels against Harrwitz, then gains the eighth part. At this time, Harrwitz requires a new pause, but Morphy refuses. Harrwitz gives up.

In Paris in 1858, Morphy catches the Influenza and suffers from strong a Fièvre. In agreement with the medicine of the time, it is treated using Sangsue S, losing much blood. It is reached so much that it cannot be held upright without assistance, but insists to play against Adolf Anderssen, regarded as the best European player of the moment, which came expressly from Breslau, Germany for this match. In spite of its disease, Morphy triumphs easily (+7 =2 -2). When one questions Anderssen on his defeat, he retorts that it lacks practice, but that Morphy is stronger and that it beat it with the regular one. Anderssen as affirmed as Morphy was the strongest known player, exceeding even Bourdonnais.

It is for this period that he plays the Partie the opera to the Opéra of Paris in 1858 against the Duc of Brunswick and the count Isouard.

In France, as in England and the United States, Morphy played of the parts to the blind man against eight players at the same time.

“World champion”

The Chess Monthly , in December 1857, affirms that “its genius, its modesty and its courtesy made it pleasant to all the people met. ” (free translation of his brilliant provision, his unaffected modesty and gentlemanly courtesy cuts endeared him to all his acquaintances. )

David Lawson, a biographer of Morphy, wrote that Morphy is the first player with being universally called “World champion of the failures”. However, the majority of the historians of the play affirm that the first championship took place in 1886, and sees Morphy like the not-official champion of the world.

Of return in England to the spring of 1859, Morphy is celebrated by the English. In London, at the time of a banquet in its honor, he is still proclaimed “World champion”. Its notoriety is such as the Reine Victoria wishes to meet it into private. Its supremacy is recognized of everywhere and it seems difficult to play against him if it does not have a handicap. A match is then organized against five Masters, that Morphy must face into simultaneous: Jules Arnous de Rivière, Samuel Boden, Thomas Barnes, Johann Löwenthal and Henry Bird. It gains two parts, cancels two and loses the other of them.

It returns to New York on May 11th 1859, and is covered with praises by its compatriots. Companies want to use its name and newspapers, which it writes of the articles.

Abandonment of the failures

Morphy would have declared that he would not play any more parts without giving a pawn and a blow to his adversary (in a match between two of the same Masters forces, a pawn is often enough to ensure the victory). After its return to the house, it withdraws competition and plays very little in public.

It concentrates then on its career in right. Unfortunately, it cannot start, because the American Civil war bursts in 1861 and disturbs the activities of New-Orleans. Opposed to the secession, he refuses to serve in the confederated armed . After some time, it leaves the city and goes to Paris, where it remains time that this one finishes.

Its opposition to the Slave system as with the war makes it unpopular in its birthplace, and it cannot consequently practice the right there. All its attempts to open an office of right fail, because the only people that it meeting come there to speak about failures. Financially at ease thanks to its family, it will pass the remainder of its life nothing to be made. In spite of the requests of its admirors, he refuses to play failures because it is not a question of a serious occupation according to him. Indeed, at that time, the set of failures is an activity for amateurs who sied not with gentilhommes. The professional players in years 1860 were seen like professional punters and other little praised players. It is only as from the 20th century, in particular with the arrival of Wilhelm Steinitz, which made of it a scientific study, and Emanuel Lasker, which required raised stakes, that this play became respected.

Tragedy and end-of-life

The last years are tragic. Depressed, it spends its time sauntering in the French Quartier of the city, speaking with invisible people. He also suffers from are delirious of Persécution and Paranoïa.

He dies in his bath-tub, of an brain attack, at the 47 years age.

Style

Today, several amateurs believe that Morphy was exceptionally skilful in combination, because he excelled sacrificing his lady in exchange of an irresistible attack which devastated the camp opposed in some blows. That comes partly from several analyzes of its parts where one emphasizes his tactical operations. However, that does not reflect its style in the majority of its parts. Its style rather preserving when is compared with those of Bourdonnais and Adolf Anderssen.

Morphy is regarded as the first modern player of failures. Some of its parts have an appearance vieillotte, because it did not need the positional systems become in vogue, after work of Staunton, Paulsen and Steinitz, in the large-Masters of today. Its adversaries not controlling yet the opened positions, it resorted to it, which enabled him to beat them quickly. He played the open parts in a quasi-perfect way, but he could lead other types of part successfully, knowing the majority of the modern principles of the play.

Morphy was a player able to evaluate in an intuitive way the best line and, for this reason, it was often compared with Capablanca. Like this last, it was a Child prodigy: he played quickly and well. Löwenthal and Anderssen noticed later that it was difficult to beat, because it could be defended and could cancel or gain a part even if its position were bad. On another side, it did not let pass any occasion to gain if it had a gaining position. Anderssen affirmed that, vis-a-vis Morphy, a player made better give up after a bad blow. Trying to explain its bad performances opposite Morphy, Anderssen affirmed: “I gain my parts in 70 blows, whereas Mr. Morphy does it into 20, which is in the order of the things…” (free translation of I win my ranges in seventy moves goal Mr. Morphy wins his in twenty, goal that is only natural… ).

Some GMI believes that Morphy is the largest player of failures having ever lived. Others are not agreement.

Remarkable parts

Louis Paulsen C. Paul Morphy, New York 1857, Left the four riders, the 0-1 sacrifice of the lady transforms the positional pressure of Morphy into decisive attack against king de Paulsen.
Paul Morphy C. Duc of Brunswick and count Isouard, Paris 1858, Defense Philidor, the 1-0 Left the opera, a free part against inexperienced players, is one of the parts where the attack spreads in a clear and beautiful way. It is often used as example to show how to use its time, to develop its parts and to threaten.
Paul Morphy C. Adolf Anderssen, Paris 1858, Gambit of the accepted king, 1-0 Morphy liked the open positions. In this free part, it shows its science.

Quotation

“Help your parts, they will help you! ”

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