chess-The Oxford Companion to Chess - First Edition by David Hooper & Kenneth Whyld

playemi bur he would not !isi1 thc chcss hauf,ts.
fearing to denean himself hy mectingprofessio.al
players. Andessen, in a lelter to rAsA (31 Dcc.
1859), releN ro Morphy\ need to prove hinNell at
chess: Morphy . . . rreats chess *ilh rhe eamest
nes rnd .on\.ienii.n\nes of.n arikt Wilh us.
ihe exeriionthala ganerequiresisonlyamatterol
distraction, and lasts oolyas long as theeamegives
!s pleasure: witn him, itis asacred duly. Neler is a
gamcofchcssamerepastine for hid. but always a
p.oblem worthy oi hn steel- always a sork of
vocation, alwa,ys as il an act by which hc lullih part
oi his nission.' Whcn Morphy gale up chess he
Short of stature, slighr oi lrane, with a pale
unbearded lace. delicale whitc hands. and leet
'prerematurally snall . Morphy could have pased
r.r a wofr,n Hn dres was innaculate. his
manners impeccable. his nature ud@mmunicalile
and introyerled. His nenory was cxceptional: he
couid recne verbatim mosr of the civil code oi
Louisiana- ard hc could .ecall innumerable games
of.b€ss.In Errope in i858he Ietlinlolhc hands ol
a jounalist. Frededc Mitncs Edse (..1830 82).
who described Morphys exploits as Narcissls
delying the Tilans . Negotiations fo! natches wiih
sr uNroN and Anderssen releal a dcviousness so
uncharacteristic ol Morphy that Edge s influence
must be suspected. h *as EdBe who indu@d
Morphy unNillingly to sign a lelrer thlislirr.d up a
small squabble with Staunlon, andvho obtained a
nedical certilicare (whi.h he posted direct to
Morphy\ family) so thar Morpby should protong
his slay in Europe ard gather fresh rriumphs. Edge
tound lt prolirable ro reportthcsc, and Bhen tbey
ceased (Jan. 1859) Edseliriendship' also cesed.
Io March 1859 h€wrote, in anunpubtishedleiter. I
have been a lover. a brother. a nother ro youi I
have nade yor an idol, a sod . . .'
Morphycamc loEuropeNellversed inopenings
kno{ledge, to which he added no sigDiicant
innovrtnrn\: when .uts e the b.unds .f h(
lnowledge he played the opening no hetter tnan
olhcrs. In boih ta.tical skiu and technique,
hoNever. heoutdistanced alnvaL. Ander$enand
Ldwenrbal lrequenlly gained sfiong advanng.s
agairst hin but they rarcly won these games:
Morphy couldwin his woN rosrroNs, and he often
drew Losr posuroNs. His technique, nol equaled
until the 1870s, produced iany ganes in ctean cur
styh that havc nelcr lost then appeal to chess
playem. Aier the opening Morph, usuaUy com
mened an atrack as was the ityle oilhe tihe, but
tbere were a lep remarkableexceplions. HisGnd.
lourth. and 6fth matcb games against llarsitz
were anonSrhe besr he played, Ioiesbadosing fie
ol a laler age. (Scc FRI.ND,I
Mophy Harsit .{h match gane laris 1353 l'hilidor
1c,lc5 2NBd6 3d1cxd4,lQxd4Nc6 5Bh5Bd7 6
Bic6Bxc6 7Bg516 3Bh4\h6 9Nc3Qd7 l0lr0Be7
MORPIIY 21?
Paul Monhy, eiaravins h!' D J Pound. 1859
llRadlll0 12Oc4+RJ7llB[cksho0ldhavcmovcdhn
kins. Innead h. se( a tap hopiie tor l:l e5 Qgl which
sould havccqualizcd ) ll Nda Ne4 14h3 Ne5 l5 Oe2
g5 l6Bg3Rgr 17\15 Rg6 1314sxft t9Rxf4Kh3 20
RI4 BI3 21Brc5lxc5 22RrlOe6 nNb5ag3(Eu$e
Qd7 l4Oh5or23...B$5 2,1
Ox65 white*ould also have reraincd .n .dvantagc )21
RD a6 25 NxcT Rc3 2ri Nd5 Bid5 27 exd5 R.7 23 c4
t
The ro\irioial lhase ir over wnh ihn DtvLRsIolARY
sA.ddcr*hichdecoysrhcrookd.Tlhed,cklregins :r0
. . Rxd 3t RxhT+ KxhT r2 Qh5+ KsS 33 NxeT+
KC7 3,{Nfs+ Kg8 35 Nxd6 Bla.kftsigns. lnno sinsl.
Espect .ouln Mo.phy's ptay in this ganc bc improvcd'
Mat6czy. PoLl Marphrsannlung tli 'on
ihn
Eespiehen Paiien tnit a6Jnhni.he" EnautruhS.n
(1909), reprinted in 1979 with a for.word by
Korchnoii P. W. Seryeaar. Morph! ! Games of
cress (1915, reprinred 1957)i D. L.qson- Pdrl
Marph!, th. Pn.le and SolrcN a/cr6s ( l9?6) k an
extensive collecrion of biographical data lrom
lgth-ccntury sources: F.ances Parkinson Keyes.
I/,e cnc.$ Pld)ar (1960). a norel.