The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1883-04-07
A CHESS CHAMPION on AN EN-.
CHAMPION.

"NIr. Steinitz," said Tribune repOr-
ter to the chess champion recently, "it
has been stated that you sought all in-
terview with Morphy under pretence
of being a lawyer interested in his
legal troubles. Is that so:'
"Certainly not" was the answer,
"that would have defeated the very
object 1 had in seeing him. Morphy
is Il pretty shreWd man, and would
soon have detected the imposition. The
truth is, have been interesting my
selflately in International law, with
the intention in the near future of
writing short treatise on it. When
in New Orleans few weeks ago,
knowing that Morphy was a lawyer, l
wrote to him On getting no answer,
the tirsi time 1 met him in the street,
! stopped him and presented him with
my card. lie took it and read 1t Civ.
ing me a wild, questioning look for
the moment. Immediately recovering
himself he shook hands with me, say.
ing that my name was we'll known to
him, and then he entered into conver.
sation with me. Twice after that /
met him, and on each occasion he was
exceedingly pleasant and agreeable.
AS a crowd collected around us on
each occasion, he eXcursed himself on
the score of pressing legal engagements
1 am very angry with that crowd still
for interrupting us; Morphy is a most
interesting man to talk to. He is
shrewd and practical and apparently in
excellent health. l am convinced that
his arrangement is purely local and
quite curable if he would place himself
under medical treatment. If his de-
rangement were general, his bodily
health would suffer and he
would know that he was i'll. AT
present he does not know it. His mis-.
fortune was to be born too rich. When
he lost his money he could not stand it
and he now has the idea that there is
Il conspiracy against him to keep him
penniless. took the opportunity of
demonstrating with him. 1 told him
he had number oflegaI friends if he
would allow them they would
thoroughly investigate his business
and if he had a chance to re-
cover his property, would tell him so.
added, seven Morphy may
be mistaken, and you may not have
taken a correct legal view.' tThat is
it, he answered, people think ! am
nothing but a chess-player, and that
know nothing about law"
"Will Morphy ever play chess again,
Mr.. Stcinitz ?"
"Probably, if his friends go to work
in the right way. At present he will
not look at board and never visits
his club, under the apprehension that
they will make him play. myself
know what his feeling is. In 1867
suffered from Il sunstroke. For weeks
/ could not concentrate my energies on
least Of all on concrete
like chess. At last / determined to do
it, believing the effort would cure the
at1lction. 1t was torture at first, but it
succeeded. The concentration required
took the mind Off itself. Now Nor
ply, when he sits down to board,
finds he cannot concentrate himself.
Then for the first time he feels that
there is something wrong with him;
rather than confess it, he gets up
abruptly, alleges an engagement, and
rushes away. What 1 said to the men
at New Orleans was: sDo not ask
Morphy to play; let him sit and watch
you play, perhaps one Of his own old
games. Presently he too will take to
the board again, and the effort requir-
ed will take his mind off his trouble"
"Why does the loss Of his money af-
feet him SO much?"
"That is another curious thing.
Morphy wants to get married. He is
perpetually having dove affairs All
the people in New Orleans know it and
humor him little. Mind you, he is
the most chivalrous soul alive. He is
a thorough gentleman. But if he sees
strange face in the street that pleases
him, you will see him lift his hat and
give a bow. Sometimes the lady will
stop kindly and speak to him or smile
and pass on. Then he will follow her
at distance-sometimes for hours
and when she enters her house, take
out his note. book and enter the ad-
dress. He regrets his loss because he
wishes to be married, and the cure is,
l think, the same as in my own case
to play chess again determinedIy."
"How would Morphy compare with
the players of the present day?''
"Well, the game has made immense
strides since his time. For one first
class player then, there are twenty
now, and the science has developed.
Morphy would have to alter his style
to suit the new conditions. For in.
stance, Morphy considered the king as
an object merely of attack and defense,
while the modern view is that it is it