During our game’s long history, the two most talked about and legendary players are, without a doubt, Paul Morphy and Robert Fischer. Their careers were oddly (and sadly) similar: both were prodigies, both dominated the other players of their time, both were American, both quit in their primes, and both suffered from mental “abnormalities.”

Born to a well-to-do family in New Orleans, Paul Morphy became quite a strong player (thanks largely to the fact that his father – a Judge who also served in the House of Representatives from 1825-1829 – was an avid chess fan) by the age of eight. His uncle Ernest, known as the “Chess King of New Orleans,” played the young Paul often, and this undoubtedly had a major impact on his nephew’s quick rise in strength. In fact, Paul became so strong that he was able to blindfold himself and still beat Ernest (who had full sight of the board) at the age of twelve!

In 1850 Paul got his first real test when the visiting Hungarian master, Johann Lowenthal, paid a visit to the Morphy household. There can’t be any doubt that Lowenthal thought the thirteen year old would be “easy pickings,” so one can imagine his surprise and humiliation when the child beat him 2 ½ - ½ (some sources claim the score to be 3-0).

Paul wasn’t only skilled at chess, he also excelled in his academic pursuits and, by the tender age of nineteen, he had earned his law degree and admission to the bar (he had memorized the entire Civil code of Louisiana!). Unfortunately, Morphy’s scholastic success was a bit too quick for his own good – it wasn’t legal to practice law at that age. With time to kill, he decided to travel and play chess.

Arriving in England in June of 1858, Morphy quickly crushed all the best players there (Staunton, realizing that he would be wiped out, refused to play by offering a never-ending list of excuses.). The highlight was a match against the Rev. John Owen, one of England’s very best. Giving Owen pawn and move odds, Morphy smashed him 5-0 with two draws.

Moving on to Paris, he crossed swords with the very strong Daniel Harrwitz. After losing the first two games (it’s said that he had a bad cold), the American came back strong, winning the next five in a row (with one draw). This 5-2 match victory set up a highly anticipated contest against the great Adolf Anderssen, which ended in yet another triumph for Morphy by 7-2 with two draws.

At this point in his life Morphy was, perhaps, the most famous person in the world (it’s been said that he enjoyed greater notoriety than the Beatles did in their heyday). Courted by royalty, politicians, and the “in” crowd, Paul was invited to endless functions, balls, dinners, operas, and who knows what else.

Morphy had conquered virtually every top player in the world with the exception of Staunton, who simply avoided the American like the plague! Nevertheless, this author has never been impressed by Staunton’s games, and at this time Anderssen (who was still getting better while Staunton’s best days were past) was clearly Staunton’s superior. Thus, virtually everyone viewed Morphy as the champion of the world when he returned, the conquering hero, back to the United States in 1859.

He made a couple more trips to Europe in the next few years and continued to dominate every player who sat before him. Then, in 1863, Morphy returned to New Orleans and gave up all serious chess.

I wish I could report a happy continuation to this genius’ life, but that wasn’t the case. Viewed as a chess professional (though he stridently insisted that chess could never be a profession, and that it was merely a pleasurable game, not to be taken too seriously), his career in law never got off the ground. Depression followed, and when a woman refused his offer of marriage by telling him that he was “a mere chessplayer,” he retreated farther into isolation. In time he began to manifest symptoms of deep paranoia, and insisted that someone was trying to poison him and that others wanted to set fire to his clothing. At this point he would only eat food prepared by his mother and he had little to do with anyone other than family members and a small group of friends.

Though all this makes Paul Morphy sound as mad as a hatter, Steinitz visited him in 1883 and said, “Morphy is a most interesting man to talk to. He is shrewd and practical and apparently in excellent health.” Perhaps he wasn’t as cracked as one might have guessed (though Steinitz himself eventually ended up in a mental institution, which makes us wonder…), but one year later, on July 10th 1884, Morphy took a walk, got into a cold bath, and died.

How good a chessplayer was Paul Morphy? Let’s look at a match he played against James Thompson, a man thought to be one of the top dozen American players. Giving him the outrageous odds of a Knight, Morphy beat him 5-2! After looking over Morphy’s games, Fischer said that, given time to study modern theory and ideas, Morphy would beat any modern player (except Fischer, of course!).

Morphy was blessed with an exceptionally quick sight of the board, and he rarely took more than a few minutes on any single move. He knew all the opening theory of that time and had brilliant tactical vision. However, what allowed him to dominate all the opposition (don’t forget that vicious attacks were the “way to play,” and this didn’t change until Steinitz demonstrated a whole different view of chess many years later) was his balanced understanding of the game: he recognized that an attack would play itself if you developed ALL your pieces first (most other players would attack before their whole army was ready), he was a genius when he had the initiative, his use of positional ideas was ahead of its time, and his excellent endgame technique carried him to many wins that lesser players would never have earned.

Morphy - A. Anderssen, Match (7) 1858.
1.e4

This was the popular move at that time, but it also fits Morphy's style perfectly: an open game, quick development, and a fight for the initiative (common products of 1.e4) are all things that Morphy excelled at.

In the 1800's, Black used this in the vast majority of games. Later, other moves became popular, and today 1...c5 is Black's most common response, while 1...c6 and 1...e6 also have plenty of fans.

The best move (developing, attacking e5, and fighting for control over d4), and Morphy's usual choice. From time to time, though, Paul would have some fun with the King's Gambit via 2.f4.

The best response, guarding e5 and continuing the battle for d4. In the 1800's, 2...Nc6 was almost universally played (This was also Morphy's choice as Black). Today, many top ranked players try and nip White's initiative in the bud with the solid but somewhat boring Petroff Defense (2...Nf6).

A bit of a surprise. The Ruy Lopez is a great opening, but Morphy always preferred the much sharper Evans Gambit via 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4!?.

Perfectly playable, though 3...a6 is by far Black's most common response nowadays. Note that, after 3...a6 4.Bxc6 (4.Ba4 is the main line) 4...dxc6, White can't win a pawn with 5.Nxe5 due to 5...Qd4 with a double attack against e5 and e4.

When this game was played theory hadn't yet worked these lines out. Today we know that 4.0–0 is White's best chance to gain an opening advantage.

Quite a plausible move, though both 4...exd4 and 4...Nxe4 also deserve serious consideration.

Forced, since 5.Nxe5?? Nxb5 is suicidal for White, and anything else leaves Black with an extra pawn. By taking on d4, White ends the threat to his b5-Bishop and also allows himself to regain the lost pawn.

One might think that this is Black's only reasonable move, but he can also consider 5...c6!? which might well turn out to be more combative than the immediate capture on d4.

White could also claim an edge with the simple 6.Qxd4. However, Morphy was a great fan of the initiative and so poses his famous opponent as many problems as possible. Another point is the style of Anderssen. A legendary attacking player, Anderssen's defensive skills were somewhat suspect.

Also possible is 6...Nd5 when 7.Qxd4 c6 would only promise White a slight advantage.

Typical of Morphy's style. Always striving for rapid development, he gets his King to safety and prepares to make use of his Rook in case the center opens up.

This leaves Black with the inferior pawn structure. Better was 7...Nd5 when Morphy would have probably continued in gambit style by 8.Bc4 Nb6 9.Bb3 d5 (worse is 9...c5 10.Na3 d5 [10...Be7 11.Qg4] 11.exd6 Bxd6 12.Re1+ when Black's game is very unpleasant) 10.exd6 Bxd6 11.Re1+ and now 11...Be7 12.Bg5 f6 13.Bf4 is very attractive for White, while 11...Kf8 leaves the first player with ample compensation for the sacrificed pawn.

A fine move that forces Black to exchange dark-squared Bishops and thus part with his Bishop pair (that’s right, Morphy is hoping for a favorable Knight vs. Bishop battle!). Again, note how fluidly Morphy develops his pieces.

The only way to avoid the further deterioration of his pawn structure by exf6.

It's time for White to get his piece back!

The only good move. Far worse was 9...gxf6 10.Qxd4 when Black's position is a mess.

Another piece enters the battle with gain of time.

Absolutely forced. It's not what Black wanted to do, but he had no other choice.

By taking on f6 White forces Black's reply and thus gains time to continue with his own plans.

It's clear that 11...gxf6 wasn't a very desirable alternative.

White sees that the best square for his Knight is c3 where it eyes both b5 and the hole on d5. Since going there right away isn't a very wise idea, this pawn push eradicates Black's d4-pawn and makes c3 accessible. White's decision to reach a positionally superior situation with a pawn less is well founded since his other tempting choices don't seem to achieve very much:

1) 12.Qe2 g6 13.Qxb5 Kg7 14.Nd2 d5! 15.Qxd5 Rd8 isn't anything for White.
2) 12.Re4 favors White after 12...d5 13.Rxd4 Bf5 14.Nc3! Bxc2 15.Qd2, but far better is 12...b6! 13.Rxd4 Bb7 14.Rxd7 Bc6 15.Rd4 g6 16.Nc3 Rc8 17.Qd2 Kg7 with a fully playable position where Black's Bishop enjoys a good deal of activity on the a8-h1 diagonal.

Black's Bishop ends up passively placed after this (meaning that White has won the Knight vs. Bishop fight alluded to earlier). I would have preferred 12...b6 13.cxd4 Bb7. Note that 12...dxc3 is a very bad idea since it activates White's pieces after 13.Nxc3 -- not a good idea when your King is in the center and your development is nonexistent.

At last the c3-square is ready for White's Knight!

Defending the weak pawn on d5. Unfortunately, Black's Bishop now takes on the passive role of "tall pawn."

As is so common in Morphy games, he develops with gain of time.

Avoiding 14...b4 when 15.Nb5 with the threat of Nc7 would prove very annoying.

Bringing the Rook to an active post and taking aim at the target on d5.

Defending his pawn.

A muti-purpose move. It prepares to double Rooks by Rae1, it increases the pressure against d5, and it also eyes the b7-pawn via the threat of a2-a4 when ...bxa4 can be met by Qxb7.

Defending b7 and also tactically preventing Nxd5. Worse was 16...g6 17.a4! bxa4 18.Qxb7 when Black's doubled a-pawns are doomed to extinction.

Morphy really had a lovely style. Notice how he now has every piece in play. Of course, he didn't fall for 17.Nxd5?? Qd6 when the pinned Knight leads to a loss of material.

WHAT CAN BLACK DO?

A very ugly move that creates new weaknesses in Black's position, but a deeper look tells us why Anderssen was feeling a bit of panic:

1) 17...Qd6 18.a4! b4 (and not 18...bxa4 19.Nxa4 followed by Nc5) 19.Na2 a5 20.Nc1 when the threatened Nc1–d3-c5 maneuver is very hard for Black to meet.
2) 17...g6 18.Ne2! Kg7 19.Nf4 and Black's position is quite uninspiring.

It's now clear that Anderssen played 17...g5 to keep White's Knight off of f4 after a Nc3-e2 maneuver.

Swinging his Queen over the kingside in some lines. However, I would have preferred 18.Ne2 followed by Ng3. Also tempting was 18.a4 b4 19.Nd1 when Ne3 will cause Black some serious problems.

It's understandable that Black didn't want his Queen sitting on the e-file staring down the throats of the two White Rooks. A move like 18...h6 would have left White with a lot of pressure after 19.a4 bxa4 20.Nxa4 Kg7 21.Nc5.

Setting a trap that Black falls right into!

The relentless pressure that Morphy placed on the Black position causes Anderssen to snap. He had to play 19...Kg7 and hope for the best.

20.Rxe6!, 1–0. He didn’t want any part of 20...fxe6 21.Rf3 winning the Black Queen.

A powerfully played game by Morphy that, in my opinion, hasn’t been properly appreciated.