Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-08-11
From the London Press, July II
Morphy, the American Chess PLAYER

We would say that Mr.. Morphy's invention
seems MAJ veous. He is eminently an attack.
ing player, and his schemes for harassing his
adversary are as various as they are brilliant.
You might play with him for a year without
being able to AFFIRM as Cicero did of Horton
sius, Now omnes hominis petitiones" Chess
players will understand us when we say that
his assaults remind us of the fiery onslaught
| of Mr.. COOkranne, but will bear scrutiny bet
| ter. And here we may remark Though con
! sclous that We are trespassing on other divi-
sions of our subjcct) that Mr.. Morphys style
of play is singularly fearless-more so, we
must confess. than any which we have yet
seen opposed to it. He is ready, for instance,
to give or accept any of the most critical
| 'gambts,' instead of combining himself to
the safer openings at present in fashion. This
adds greatly to the spectators pleasure. We
remember how much disappointment was
| caused at the time of Mr.. Staunton's conflict
with NJ. st. Amant by the prrtinacious refusal
of the latter to answer * p % with * P.
2" The American champion dislikes the ano-
maly of a "close opening" And well he
may; for. secondly. his great power of analy-
sis tells most in involved and complicated
position. Aided by wonderful knowledge
of chess books and of the recorded games of
the best players he aims (and generally with
success) at looking further forward than his
antagonists coup a. 1eH can reach. confident
that none of the thousand iuterm diate vara-
tons have been overlooked. Play dozen
back games with him and you will fail to
show him contingency which he lad not
contemplated Mr.. MOrphy's temperament,
thirdly. is much in his favor.
Look at him as he plays. You are at first
struck principally by the roomy forehead,
clear eye and fine well-placed ear: but when
you have observed him long or frequently.
you discover that he is never flnrried, never
nerUous-that a defeat does not discourage nor
a victory elate him. Young as he is, he is al
ways calm and self possessed, whether in the
quiet circle Of the ST. Georges Club or in the
noisier gallery of the Chess Dvan, and is,
consequently, las sure as any player we ever saw
to do his own powers just under the m ntal
tension of a long match aud the tr a f temper
which frequently attend il. We must here
record the pleasure with which we have wit
messed both the kind, friendly reception given
by the English players to their formidable
competitor. and also the unaSsuming courtesy
which invariably marks Mr.. Morphy's demea-
nor.
FOurthly: A few words under the head of
memory. and we have done. Mr. Morphv
seems to forget nothing, from the game which
he himself played yesterday 10 that which he
read in The Chess Chronicle year ago He has
more than one pnzzled English players with
'dOdges' of their own invention, which they
had actually forgotten. But perhaps his
most wonderful performances have been those
in which memory and imagination seem to
work together-we mean games played blind
fold, or without sight of Il boare, Phildor
played three such games at once successfully
against skiliful antagonists. Horrwitz has
more recently done the same Mr.. Morphy
has played seven simultaneously, losing only
one and winning the other six.
This is indeed astonishing; but we trust
that our ingenious visitor will be content with
having once done the feat. AS DIR. johnson
said of young lady's masterpiece of finger
ing on the pianoforte. at is very difficult;
we wish it were impossible" Sure we are
that not even Mr.. Morphy' IS brains can repeat
eddy endure such a strain without injury A
less degree of the same effort killed Labour-
donnais and had nearly destroyed Horrwitz
Aud even could it be made with impunity,
the spec tacle is rather curious than pl, asing
We feel sure that we shall be pardOned for
these remarks; they arise from a sincere wish
that Mr.. Morphy may long live to practice
freely and without arbitrary letters the art of
which he is so dlstine uished a professor.