The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-19

"reminiscences OF faul MOrphy.
New York sun.
When Paul Morphy first appeared as a great
chess player in the city of New York at the first
American chess congress, in 1857, he met in a
social way the players of New York at a restau-
rant at Nassau and Fulton streets. Over a glass
of sherry and a biscuit, which he usually took
there before beginning one of his famous games,
the then leading players of America first made
his acquaintance. He was 81 years of age, small
in stature, and of slight frame. His eyes were
dark and piercing, and they glowed under a
broad, square forehead. In his bearing he was
a prince in politeness, and never seemed con-
scious of the possession of great abilities. Prob
ably the most salient point In his character was
his self -possession.
Paul Morphy was of a chesspiaying family.
He was born in New Orleans in 1887. His
grandfather was a Spaniard. and on his mothers
side he was French. When a mere child he
watched his father play chess. Seeing the boys
interest in the game, Paul's father taught him
the value of the pieces aud the laws of the game.
and at ten years old the old gentleman found his
time pretty fully occupied when the young
Morphy sat opposite him at the chess board.
Within two years Morphy contended success
fully with the foremost amateur chess players
in New Orleans. He considered pawns as him
ORANGES, and exchanged, or even sacrificed them
in order to give free range to his pieces, which
he threw into his adversary's territory like a
little avalanche, and kept up so fierce an attack
that his opponent had hardly a chance to
breathe. Once in a while a foreign player of
distinction visited New Orleans. and every time
the foreigner tackled the boy the foreigner was
metaphorically wiped out.
When not fourteen years old Paul Morphy won
nine-tenths OF the games he played in New Or
leans with Eugene Rousseau. who had played
with the famous Stanley in 1845. and with Kiers-
eritzky. the Hungarian player. Ernest Morphy,
Dh,1lr ,~nln ~ t4nNn nN,.n = p4-rana- ~-I-
the boy won every game he played with his
uncle. Lowenthal a really great player, visited
New Orleaas, and, in five games with him, Paul
won two games. lost one, and TWO were drawn.
In the New York Chess Congress. in 1857.
Morphy easily defeated Paulsen, the great blind
fold player, Fiske, Marasche. Lichtenhein.
Thompson, Meade, Perrin, and others, who
were considered the best in America. In the
following year he went to London and won a
majority of the games against the best players
in the British kingdom, performed the then
unparalleled feat of playing eight games with
out the board, defeating six of his opponents.
At Paris he played at the Cafe de La Regence,
and defeated Riviere, Laroche. Jowmand, and
Divinick. Harwitz he defeated five times in
seven games. Out of eleven games with Ander-
ssen, Andersen was beaten seven times, and two
games were drawn.
On his return to New York in 1859, a reception
was rendered to Morphy, at which the intellect,
wealth, culture, fashion and beauty of the
metropolis We'd In doing him honor. Charles
OConnor presided. President John Van Buren,
made the address of welcome. Mr.. Morphy's
admirers, through Mr.. w. j. A. Fuller, pre-
sented him with a set OF gold and silver chess
men. Morphy was shortly a%fterward admitted
to the practice Of law in New Orleans, but he
was never active as a lawyer. It was believed
by his friends that he greatly injured his health
by the strain upon his faculties occasioned by
blindfold playing. He gave up playing chess
many years before he died.
Chess players esteem Morphy's games for his
power OF combination. His invention was
marvellous. He was eminently an attacking
player. His schemes for harassing an adver.
sary were as various as they were brilliant.
His great power of analysis was effective In in
volyed and complicated positions of the pieces.
He was won't to say that he aimed to look Just
one move beyond his antagonists coup d4l, con-
fdent that none OF the thousand in1ermediate
variations of play had been overlooked. Nor
phys temperament favored his play. He was
always calm and self-possessed. He forgot moth
ing. What delighted him more than anything
was to study up some of the bold lodges of the
famous player he was to play with, and trip his
antagonist into a trap once used by himself,
but long ago forgotten and disused.
His most wonderful performances were those
in which he made some of his best moves by in
tuition, as it was impossible for the human
brain to thoroughly analyZe the various posi-
bic results. One instance will suffice. In a
game with Paulsen in the Chess Congress, in
1851. Morphy offered his queen for a bishop. It
looked suicidal. and Paulsen deliberated an hour
whether he should take or refuse the queen.
He could not resist the offer. Many players who
studied the game on their own boards failed to
discover Morphy's subsequent move. Morphy
edited the chess column in Mr.. Bonner's New
York Ledger for a year.