Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-08-29
The Greatest Chessplayer.

AA~ OlNhtNot NNAASSopAe NA'
Tudor jerks rehearses in the Sep
tcmber ST. Nicholas the wonderful
story of young Paul Morphy's achieve
mems as a chess player, in England
and France, as well as in America.
The greatest of chess-players was
yet boy when, having easily won the
championship of America, he crossed
the ocean to meet the experts of tne
Old World Before the end of his
tweney-first year he returned trl-
umph, having defeated all who vent
ured to meet him on even terms, and
having in vain offered to meet any
player at odds.
When, in 1858, .le American chess
players wrote to the holder of the
championship, the Englishman Ho-
ward Stanton, and invited him to visit
America and play their boy champion,
Paul Morphy, of New Orleans, foreign
chess-players were amused. To them
this bold young player seemed new
Ivanhoe, advancing to strike his lance
poirt against the shield of the veteran
Brian de Bois Gilbert. While there
feeling was partly amusement it was
partly irritation. Staunton printed
brief note in a London paper, for which
he edited a chess column, saying that
II Mr.. Morphy were "deslrous to win
his spurs among the chess chivalry of
Europe" he must cross the ocean and
enter the lists.
The Americans had confidence in the
young player and raised money to
pay his expenses. They had learned
O. his exploits from Paulsen, a noted
chess-player of Iowa, and had seen
Paulsen's predicton-that Morphy
would win the American tournament
more than fulfilled. Before that con-
test there was little known about the
Louisiana boy.
Morphys grandfather was Spanish,
native of Madrid who had emigrated
to the United States. Pauls father
was a successful lawyer, and became a
judge Paul learned chess at ten years
of age, and by the time he was thirteen
he was winning many games from the
strongest players of his own city.
Wnen the little player was twelve, Mr..
-owenthal, a celebrated champion,
came to visit Judge Morphy, and was
glad to test the skill of the infant phe
nomenon. They played three games.
Paul won wo,and the grown-up expert
could secure only draw game. But
e did not care 10 be professional
player. He went to school and college
until he was eighteen, and played chess
only as an amusement, until there was
tournament held in New York dur
ing 1857. Like a tiny Juhus Caesar,
Paul came, played and conquered. No
one could stand against him.
Much good ink and paper has been
wasted upon the question why Staun-
ton and Morphy did not reach a
match; but it seems sufficient to say
tldl Mbl png Wdo AWAY th5tl " pldS'
and that Stanton, for one reason or an
other avoided a match. The Birming-
ham tournament was won by Lowen-
and that Staunton for one reason or an
may be argued that Morphy was more
than a match for the English cham
pIons. Crossing the English channel
ne defeated the Prussian Harrwitz,t the
strongest player in France, and And
ersen, also a Prussian, who had won
e. last international tournament;
then returning to England. he beat the
president of the London Chess Club
seven games out of eight, the first hav-
ing been draw.
Having thus scored a victory, like
that of Admiral Dewey at Manila,
Morp..y played no more serious
matches. The rest of his tour abroad
was merely one of triumph and sight
seeing. at a banquet given to him in
Paris, his bust was crowned with laur-
ell, and everywhere he was hailed as
the unquestioned champion of the
world. After mis- return to America
the proud chess-play5rs of his native
land gave him rosewood chess-board
with gold and silver chessmen.