Morphy is an amazing friend Russian translation. Paul Morphy: A brief flash of chess genius

Good day, dear friend!

When it comes to world champions, his last name is not on the list. This is certainly not a mistake, just a rehearsal of chess history. The official championship title began to be played later. His name: Paul Morphy - A brilliant American chess player of the mid-19th century.

“Beauty alone can hardly surprise anyone. Morphy’s invincible strength is the reason for his success and the guarantee of immortality. ”

Becoming

Paul Charles Morphy - A native of New Orleans, USA. Year of birth 1837. At the age of 10, he became acquainted with chess and three years later became a first-class master.

At age 12, Paul won in the light games of the famous chess player Johann Leventhal.

Since childhood, Paul was notable for his impressionability and phenomenal memory. Until 1850 he studied at school, then entered a privileged college, and in 1855 - to Louisiana University, having completed the last two years and received a law degree.

IN 1857 new York hosted the first All-American Chess Congress. Morphy took part in it, and this was a turning point in his life. He won the first prize and became the No. 1 chess player in America.

During this period, Paul played more than 250 games, in 150 of which he gave a head start or, as they used to say, "giving them ahead." Of the 100 games on equal terms, he lost only 5. Morphy confidently beat L. Paulsena, one of the best American players, +10, =3, -1 .

In 1858, Morphy played matches with famous English masters in Europe Staunton, Barnes, Owen . All matches ended with Paul's victory for a clear advantage.

The public was especially impressed blind sessionin birmingham. Result: +6, -1,=1.

The year 1958 was marked by a series of confident victories of the American master. Match with Harvitz: +5, -2,=0.

Uncrowned World Champion

In December of the same year, Morphy played in Paris with Adolf Andersen , a German master, the indisputable authority of that time.

The result of the match surprised everyone (+7, -2, \u003d 2 in favor of Morphy) and did not leave questions about who is the strongest chess player of the world at that time.

Here is one of the games of this match:

Morphy - Andersen Paris, 1958, 1:0

Immediately after this triumph, A. Montgredien came under the hot hand of the American genius (seven wins and one draw). At the end of his tour, the triumphant spent several blind sessions in London, as well as a session against the English masters.

In 1859, Paul Morphy returned to his homeland and was enthusiastically received by his fellow tribesmen. The question of who the number one chess player in the world in the mid-19th century did not raise any questions . Neither in the Old World, nor in the New.

In 1859, as a sign of gratitude from the American people, the unofficial champion was crowned with a gold crown and a wreath.

Sunset

Partly under the influence of euphoria, Morphy announced his readiness to play with any chess player in the world, giving him a head start: a pawn and the turn of the move (move forward).

Then unexpectedly refused a serious game . In the early 60's, he rejected the challenges of Paulsen and I. Kolis. He played only light games and with a handicap.

In 1963 he again visited Paris, where he also limited himself to training parties, and also met with de Riviera to discuss the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a debut guide.

However, the plans were not destined to come true. . Mental illness (presumably schizophrenia), previously manifested only occasionally, began to progress. Since the beginning of the 60s, Paul has been at the mercy of mental illness. . Alas, it was not possible to defeat her, the ailment was stronger.

The cause of the disease was not exactly established. According to one version, mental disorder happened as a result of stress due to professional disorder. Morphy could not find a lawyer, that is, in her university specialty.

On the other, - the refusal of the parents of her chosen one to offer their hands and hearts. They believed that chess cannot feed a family.

Gradually, the disease passed from the stage of quiet melancholy into a real persecution mania. In the late 60s, Morphy made another trip to Europe, this time more in order to change the situation and unwind.

However, the disease did not recede. She embraced Paul more and more tightly in her arms; he became more and more isolated in himself and in the circle of loved ones.

Paul Morphy died in his homeland in New Orleans in 1884 .

Play style

Contemporaries believed that the primary reason for the success of Paul Morphy - an exceptional combination talent.

However, a careful examination of his work reveals that the combinations in his game did not appear from scratch, but served as a tool in the context of a deep positional game.

And Morphy had superiority rather in strategy. For example, the same Andersen was in no way inferior to Morphy in combinational skills, however, he lost the match to him, which is called "one gate."

Morphy strove for an active game, initiative, exerting positional pressure on the opponent. The combinations served as the final chord of his strategy . It is this approach to chess that is considered the most effective today.

“So far, Morphy is an unsurpassed master of open games. How great is its significance, it can be seen from the fact that nothing essentially new was created after Morphy in this area ”

Fisher about Morphy

I'd add that the fate of Morphy is somewhat reminiscent of fate. An impressive take-off to the top of world chess and the subsequent rejection of an active game.

“By the accuracy of the game, Morphy was probably superior to all the chess players who have ever lived. He had an absolute vision of the board and never missed, despite the fact that he played very quickly, only in rare cases spending more than five minutes on the move.

I outplayed several hundred games of Morphy and did not tire of admiring his ingenuity. Sometimes I needed 20 minutes to find the right answer to his move. Morphy never lost his spirit in difficult situations and found winning opportunities even in positions that seemed hopeless. In addition, he possessed excellent endgame technique.

Morphy left chess. However, his disappointment was more about chess than about chess. ”

Paul Morphy left a deep and indelible mark on the history of chess. His parties are distinguished by the depth of ideas, intuitive insight into the essence of the position, the creative intensity of the struggle and the beauty of combination. More than one generation of chess players have studied and will continue to learn from them.

The best parties

Paulsen-Morphy, New York, 1857 0:1

Barnes - Morphy, London, 1958, 0:1

Morphy - Lichtenhain , New York, 1857 1:0

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There was such a fuss that Garrvitz had to disappear for some time from the Paris chess horizon.

All Parisian newspapers - from the serious "Monitor" to the humorous "Shariwari" - wrote about Paul Morphy from the day he appeared in Paris continuously. He became a favorite character, moving from room to room.

In one cartoon, Britain received the “shahs” from India and asked Mr. Paul Morphy to help her in the game.

Another man refused to enter with his wife in the cafe "De la Regens" on the grounds that the American sitting there would select what good, his queen.

Dozens of portraits of Paul were printed in all illustrated newspapers, but there weren’t two similar to him.

In the fall of 1858, Paul Morphy, the "little American", was one of the main attractions of Paris. Everyone knew and everyone loved him.

Saint-Aman wrote that Paul was able to satisfy the need that had long plagued Paris - the need for a hero.

The sculptor Lekan asked Paul to pose for his bust, and Paul dutifully spent hours in the workshop until the light metal bust was ready.

The bust was exhibited on the Champs Elysees, the whole of Paris ran to watch it and admire both the magnificent talent of the sculptor and the noble face of the original.

News of Paul entered the high-class salons, invitations from inaccessible mansions on the outskirts of Saint-Honoré and Saint-Germain showered, Paul made friends and admirers in the highest realms.

Paul and the ubiquitous Edge were frequent visitors to the ducal lodge at the Italian Opera.

Once they gave the "Norm" to Bellini. At intermission, Paul was forced to play against the conferring Duke of Braunschweig and Earl of Isoire. Paul sat with his back to the stage. The party was developing interestingly, and the partners completely forgot that the second act begins.

Paul, who grew up in a musical family, felt disgusting. He loved music, appreciated and respected the work of actors, but the duke and count did not let him go literally by force.

Primadonna Madame Panko, who sang the part of the Druid priestess, cast contemptuous glances at the duke. Choristers portraying druids sang about “blood and fire” with special expressiveness, often glancing at the ill-fated box.

Finally, Paul got angry and matted the duke and count, creating one of the eternal, undying parties.

Perhaps the most pleasant hours in Paris, Paul spent in the house of a baroness, famous as a patroness of the arts.

The Baroness was a Creole by blood, she grabbed the little Paul with an iron grip, drove him by the arm of her mansion and presented to everyone and everyone:

- Here, look! I finally found a real creole in Paris! Purebred Creole, as lazy and careless as myself!

The Baroness loved chess. When she played with Paul, Lekan and Saint-Aman sat beside her and did not allow her to make blunders. Naturally, almost all games ended in a draw. At the same time, all four commented on the games so that the audience died with laughter.

This house was often visited by the Honorable Mr. Mason, the United States Ambassador to Paris. He was very proud of Paul and showered him with signs of attention.

“Do you play chess yourself, Mr. Mason?” - Paul naively asked him once.

- My young friend! - answered Mr. Mason.

How can I not play chess? That would be an insult to the memory of Benjamin Franklin, in whose house I live!

Hotel Marys soon got tired of Paul, they moved to the Hotel Breteuil, on the corner of Dofeng and Rivoli. It was a stone's throw from the best quarters of the city and from the cafe “De la Regens”.

These rooms were previously occupied by Saint-Aman. At the window stood an old bureau of rare work. Edge sat down for him every morning and cursed, not knowing where to put his long legs.

Paul Morphy was very lazy to write. It seemed that it was not in his youth that he wrote a huge number of notebooks with lectures and summaries, he did not develop a small-pearl cursive that surprised the calligraphers.

Now it was almost impossible to get him to write. Edge even wrote letters to his family for him, conscientiously listing successes, cities, and dates. Paul was so used to trusting Edge that he didn’t even reread what he wrote. He knew that everything would be laid out neatly and conscientiously, took a pen and attributed from below: “I kiss everyone. Floor". And the letter went a long way.

Shortly after moving to the Breteuil hotel, a middle-aged man came to Paul one morning, with slow movements and dull gray-blue eyes.

The watchful Edge asked him dryly:

“What do you want from Mr. Morphy, Monsieur?”

“I don’t want anything, I just wanted to look at Mr. Morphy.” The fact is, you see, that I am the direct and only grandson of Francois Filidor ...

Paul ran out of the next room, from where he was listening to the conversation.

- How? Are you the grandson of the great Philidor, Monsieur? What is your name?

- Also Francois-Andre-Danican ... In our family this is a family name.

“And you play chess too?”

“No, Monsieur Morphy, I trade in cloth.”

“But why?”

- Bearing the name and surname of the great Philidor, Monsieur Morphy, playing mediocre is blasphemy! I tried to play, I have no chess skills, alas ... Good evening, Monsieur Morphy!

And the strange visitor left without even saying goodbye to Edge. Obviously, he saw everything he wanted to see.

At the end of October, a letter came from Breslavl from Adolf Andersen. Andersen wrote that the Department of Mathematics of the Breslavl State Gymnasium has no way to give him leave in the middle of the school year.

The only thing he will try to do is to come to Paris for the Christmas holidays, to come specifically in order to see the famous young American.

- Very sorry! - Paul said disappointedly. - By Christmas I will be on my way home ... It’s annoying that I didn’t have to play with Adolf Andersen, I highly appreciate his amazing game!

“You will not leave, Mr. Morphy, but you will play with Andersen for Christmas!” - suddenly said rudely Edge.

“Will you stop me from leaving?” Paul asked mockingly.

- No, not me. You yourself will not allow it. Without defeating Andersen, the list of your European victories will be incomplete. Andersen is playing much stronger than Staunton now, and you know that very well. Europe will not let you leave!

“So I have to redirect Europe!”

- Bravo! - said Edge. - I wish you success!

And Edge immediately sat down for a job that he kept secret. Without saying a word to anyone, he sent letters to all the leading clubs in England and the continent. He asked the clubs to intervene and prevent the disappearance of such a rare opportunity as the possibility of a Morphy-Andersen match.

“The meeting of Paul Morphy with Adolf Andersen should fabulously enrich the chess treasury!” - wrote Edge.

And the clubs supported him. A week later, the reply letters rained down. Amsterdam and Leipzig, Brussels and Rome, Breslavl and Berlin, Stockholm and St. Petersburg wrote.

A petition signed by many individuals arrived from London's St. George's Club.

Edge still had one more “medical trump card”: the doctor who treated Paul believed that his health was not good enough to cross the Atlantic in winter. The doctor wrote a certificate, and Edge carefully sent it to New Orleans.

The thing was done. Paul stayed in Europe.

Meeting on Garrvitz Street, Edge told him as gently as he could:

“Mr. Garrvitz, you will certainly be happy: Mr. Morphy decided to spend a few more months in Paris.”

Garrvitz answered rather rudely:

“So Mr. Morphy is not a man of his word!”

In the tabloid newspapers, where Garrwitz was his own man, this note soon appeared:

"The famous Mr. Morphy succumbed to the insistence of his friend maestro D. Garrvitz and finally agreed to stay in Paris until spring."

Paul Morphy (1837-1884)

Paul Charles Morphy (Eng. Paul Charles Morphy, June 22, 1837, New Orleans - July 10, 1884, ibid.) - American chess player; the strongest in the world in the middle of the XIX century. Many chess lovers believe that the most ingenious chess player in the USA is Bobby Fischer, but judging by the words of Fischer himself (see below), he thought otherwise. Fisher gave the palm to Paul Morphy.

Morphy graduated from Louisiana University. Descendant of Irish Jacobite immigrants in Spanish service. Many played chess in the family: for example, uncle - Ernesto Morphy - was one of the first teachers of Paul Charles. Some parties of E. Morphy are known, including his victory over the then US champion C. Stanley. Alonso Morphy's father, maternal grandfather Jose Carpentier and uncle Charles Carpentier also played chess. In 1987, the magazine "64 Chess Review" published several "intrafamily parties" Morphy and Carpentier.

He met chess at the age of 10; at 12 - he won the game against E. Russo - the participant in the first US championship match in US history. In 1850, he won the light parts of I. Lowenthal (1.5: 0.5), who toured the United States. He achieved outstanding success at the First American Chess Congress (New York, 1857), where 16 participants played short matches with up to three (in the final, up to five) wins. Easily defeating all rivals - J. Thompson, A. Mick (with the same score: +3, −0, \u003d 0), T. Lichtengein (+3, −1, \u003d 0) and in the finals of L. Paulsen (+5, −1, \u003d 0), 20-year-old Morphy became the leader of US chess.

In addition to the congress, Morphy played over 250 games in New York, including more than 150 - to the “summer cottage forward” (see Handicap). Of the 100 games “on an equal footing”, he lost only 5; among the losers he was the leading US chess players Paulsen (+1, −10, \u003d 3), C. Stanley, J. Schulten and others. Recognizing his superiority, Morphy offered a pawn and move forward to any member of the New York Chess Club. The challenge was accepted by Stanley: with a score of +0, -4, \u003d 1 (played up to 7 wins) Stanley passed the match. Morphy offered the same head start to any US chess player. In 1858, Morphy called for the match of H. Staunton, who, having accepted the challenge, declined to compete under various pretexts. Attempts by Morphy, who came to England to organize the match, failed. Morphy managed (along with T. Barnes) to play against Staunton and J. Owen only consultative parties: +2, −0, \u003d 0. He also held a number of matches with leading English masters and achieved convincing victories: over Barnes (+19, −7, \u003d 1), S. Boden (+5, −1, \u003d 3), G. Byrd (+10, −1 , \u003d 1), E. Löve (+6, −0, \u003d 0), J. Medley (+3, −0, \u003d 0), Owen (+4, −1, \u003d 0). Morphy turned out to be the most stubborn of the English rivals (+9, −3, \u003d 2).

Sensational for contemporaries turned out to be a simultaneous blindfold Morphy in Birmingham (+6, −1, \u003d 1). In Paris, Morphy won the match against D. Garvitz (+5, −2, \u003d 1), had a blind session (+6, −0, \u003d 2) and played a number of light games with leading masters - P. S. St. Amman, who claimed that Morphy could successfully forward the f7-pawn to any of his contemporaries, J. A. de Riviera, J. Preti, P. Journe and others. In December 1858 A. Andersen arrived in Paris to meet with Morphy. The match between them, which ended in a confident victory for Morphy (+7, −2, \u003d 2; see Morphy - Andersen match), actually decided the question of the strongest chess player of the world at that time. Morphy played the last match in Paris with O. Mongredien (+7, −0, \u003d 1). Before leaving for the United States, Morphy held a series of blindly sessions in England against chess players of the London (+2, −0, \u003d 8) and St. George's (+5, −0, \u003d 3) clubs; as well as a session at the St. James Club against the masters (Barnes, Boden, Bird, Lowenthal, Riviere): +2, −1, \u003d 2.

In 1858, Morphy played a random part, which became widely known, against Karl of Braunschweig and Earl of Isoire at the Italian Opera Theater in Paris.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Bg4 (This is a weak move already .-- Fischer) 4.dxe5 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 dxe5 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.Qb3 Qe7 8.Nc3 c6 9.Bg5 (Black is in what "s like a zugzwang position here. He can" t develop the knight because the pawn is hanging, the bishop is blocked because of the Queen .-- Fischer) b5 10.Nxb5 cxb5 11.Bxb5 + Nbd7 12.OOO Rd8 13 .Rxd7 Rxd7 14.Rd1 Qe6 15.Bxd7 + Nxd7 16.Qb8 + Nxb8 17.Rd8 # 1-0

In the United States, Morphy expected an enthusiastic meeting. Having announced his readiness to give a pawn and move to any chess player in the world, Morphy refused serious appearances: he rejected the calls of Paulsen (1859 and 1860) and I. Kolish (1861 and 1863), limiting himself to light games and playing a head start. Having visited Paris in 1863, Morphy played a number of light games with Mongredien and Riviera (he also analyzed a number of positions with him for a jointly conceived debut leadership). Since the mid 1860s and until the end of his life, Morphy suffered a serious mental illness.

Contemporaries attributed the phenomenal success of Morphy to his exceptional combination talent. However, the games of the Morphy - Andersen match - the strongest chess players of that time - indicate that Morphy's superiority was manifested mainly in strategy. In the combination game, Andersen was not inferior to Morphy. Morphy considered the primary goal to be the mobilization of forces and the achievement of an advantage in development. To avoid losing momentum or creating difficulties in the development of the opponent's forces, Morphy resorted to victims. Morphy clearly used the subtle loss of pace that his opponents allowed during exchanges. Playing with white, he already in the opening created the preconditions for an attack, and with black he sought to seize the initiative. Morphy attached importance to the pawn center. Having an advantage in development and space, he made a pawn break, usually associated with a sacrifice of 1-2 pawns. Based primarily on general considerations, Morphy's victims were pronounced in positional nature. As a result of the breakthrough, Morphy opened lines. His figures, concentrated on the opened verticals and diagonals, gained great strength: Morphy had a significant advantage in the direction of the main blow. Many Morphy games ended with a direct attack on the position of the opponent’s king and a combinational strike. However, the attack was not an end in itself for Morphy: if it was profitable, he eagerly simplified the position, exchanged queens, preferring the positional advantage in the end to unclear complications in the middlegame. At the same time, he demonstrated high technical skill. Morphy’s strength was “a deeply thought-out positional game of a predominantly aggressive character” (A. Alekhine).

Without leaving a literary chess heritage, Morphy, with his chess creativity, put forward the principles of open positions strategy.

Excitedly, about the work of Morphy, many of the strongest chess players of different times spoke out: Andersen, Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik, Smyslov, Fisher and others.

“The player with Morphy must give up all hope of catching him in some of the thinnest traps. Let him know that Morphy sees everything absolutely clearly and that there can be no talk of an erroneous move on his part. On the contrary, if it seems that Morphy made a move that at first glance can be used to advantage, it is necessary to weigh this move more precisely, and, in the end, it will always turn out that it is not only completely correct, but any imaginary opportunity to use it leads to the damage to myself ... The impression that Morphy made on me is best conveyed by me if I say that he treats chess with the seriousness and conscientiousness of the artist ... For him, a chess game is a sacred duty ... ”

“Then, in the 60s and 70s of the last century, in London and mainly in Paris, where the traditions of Filidor were alive, where the immortal creations of Labourdonne and McDonnell were still remembered, at the time, finally, when he lived Beauty alone could hardly surprise anyone. Morphy’s invincible strength is the reason for his success and the guarantee of immortality. ”

Alexander Alekhine

“Morphy is called the greatest chess genius of all time ... If the hallmark of a genius is that he goes far ahead in comparison with his era, then Morphy was a chess genius in the most perfect expression ...”

Max Euwe

“So far, Morphy is an unsurpassed master of open games. How great is its significance, it can be seen from the fact that nothing essentially new was created after Morphy in this area. Every chess player, from beginner to master, must in his practice return again and again to the work of a brilliant American. ”

Mikhail Botvinnik

“For more than a century, the glory of Paul Morphy does not fade. At one time, he aroused admiration not only for brilliant victories, but also for indomitable imagination, swiftness of attacks, fire combinations. However, today the greatest surprise is the harmony of his game. Morphy was always ready to attack the king, but if the position required other actions, then he did not refuse to conduct the struggle in a strict positional style and to move to the endgame.

Morphy's constant desire for initiative, the relentless search for the best move, the game of high intensity make a deep impression.
The true revelation for his contemporaries was the interpretation of the debuts by Paul Morphy. He strove for open positions and subordinated everything to the rapid development of figures. His style is characterized by a battle across the board. In the figure wrestling, he undoubtedly exceeded all his rivals. Morphy played the endgame very well, skillfully introducing combination motifs into seemingly simple endings.

Undoubtedly, chess was an art for Morphy, and Morphy was a great artist for chess. His play captivates with the freshness of thought, inexhaustible energy. He played with inspiration, without a desire to penetrate into the psychology of the enemy, played, so to speak, in “pure chess”.

Sometimes chess lovers ask a question when meeting with the grandmaster: “How would Morphy play in the current competitions?” Of course, it is easier to evade the answer by saying that the question is wrong. However, it can be argued that a harmonious understanding of the position and the depth of Morphy's intuition would make him a dangerous partner for chess players of our day.

The Morphy games are a classic of chess creativity. It is useful and pleasant to study them for a chess player of any qualification, from beginner to master.
A lot of games are being played now, where the rivals pursue modest goals - weakening of a point, excessive protection of a pawn - being carried away by the technical means of struggle. Morphy did not for one moment forget about the attack on the king. Such a huge talent, which Morphy possessed, does not fit into the framework of his time. Some examples of his work remain unsurpassed to this day. This is the secret of interest in his unfading works. ”

Vasily Smyslov

Morphy was the most erudite chess player of his time. It is well known, for example, that he was familiar with books such as Bilger's “Handbuch” (400 pages of this work, first published in 1843, were completely filled with debut analyzes in tabular form) and Staunton's “The Chess Handbook” ... These books are better modern; the theory of open principles has since not substantially advanced. And Morphy’s natural talent would be more than enough to bring him victory over the best chess players of the 20th century.

Morphy probably surpassed all chess players who have ever lived in the accuracy of the game. He had an absolute vision of the board and never missed, despite the fact that he played very quickly, only in rare cases spending more than five minutes on thinking over the move. (His opponents often took hours to do this; a chess clock did not yet exist at that time).

I outplayed several hundred games of Morphy and invariably marveled and admired his inventiveness. Sometimes it took me about twenty minutes to find the right answer to Morphy's moves. Morphy never lost his spirit in difficult positions and found opportunities to win in positions that seemed hopeless. In addition, he possessed excellent technique in endings. Perhaps his only weakness - the most pronounced in the match with Andersen - was to play closed debuts, such as the Dutch defense. But even in these cases, Morphy's resourcefulness allowed him to emerge victorious from the struggle.

It is well known that in 1859 Morphy left chess. “His disappointment was more about chess than about chess itself.”

Robert Fisher

Video compilation

Royal Gambit - Paul Morphy Navsega (

Video analysis of the party Morphy - Russo.

Morphy - Russo

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4 + 5.c3 dxc3 6.OO cxb2 7.Bxb2 Bf8 8.e5 d6 9.Re1 dxe5 10.Nxe5 Qxd1 11.Bxf7 + Ke7 12.Ng6 + Kxf7 13. Nxh8 # 1-0

Schulten - Morphy

1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d3 Bb4 6. Bd2 e3 7. Bxe3 OO 8. Bd2 Bxc3 9. bxc3 Re8 + 10. Be2 Bg4 11. c4 c6 12. dxc6 Nxc6 13. Kf1 Rxe2 14. Nxe2 Nd4 15. Qb1 Bxe2 + 16. Kf2 Ng4 + 17. Kg1 Nf3 + 18. gxf3 Qd4 + 19. Kg2 Qf2 + 20. Kh3 Qxf3 + 21. Kh4 Nh6 22. Qg1 Nf5 + 23. Kg5 Qh5 # 0-1

Paulsen - Morphy

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bc5 5. OO OO 6. Nxe5 Re8 7. Nxc6 dxc6 8. Bc4 b5 9. Be2 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 Rxe4 11. Bf3 Re6 12. c3 Qd3 13. b4 Bb6 14. a4 bxa4 15. Qxa4 Bd7 16. Ra2 Rae8 17. Qa6 (Morphy took twelve minutes over his next move, probably to assure himself that the combination was sound and that he had a forced win in every variation. - Chernev ) Qxf3 (! 18. gxf3 Rg6+ 19. Kh1 Bh3 20. Rd1 {Not 20 Rg1 Rxg1+ 21 Kxg1 Re1+} Bg2+ 21. Kg1 Bxf3+ 22. Kf1 Bg2+ {The "quiet" 22...Rg2! would have won more quickly. Zukertort gives: 23.Qd3 Rxf2+ 24.Kg1 Rg2+ 25.Kh1 Rg1. } 23. Kg1 Bh3+ 24. Kh1 Bxf2 25. Qf1 {Absolutely forced.} Bxf1 26. Rxf1 Re2 27. Ra1 Rh6 28. d4 Be3 0-1 !}

Marach - Morphy

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. e5 d5 8. exd6 Qxd6 9. OO Nge7 10. Ng5 OO 11. Bd3 Bf5 12. Bxf5 Nxf5 13. Ba3 Qg6 14. Bxf8 Qxg5 15. Ba3 dxc3 16. Bc1 Qg6 17. Bf4 Rd8 18. Qc2 Ncd4 19. Qe4 Ng3 20. Qxg6 Nde2 # 0-1

Morphy - Andersen

1.e4 (Notes by Lowenthal) c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nb5 d6 (This is better than ... a6; but even now the King "s Bishop is shut in, and the Queen "s Pawn rendered weak.) 6.Bf4 (Correctly played, compelling the advance of the e-Pawn, which leaves the Queen" s Pawn weak and unsupported.) e5 7.Be3 f5 (... a6 would have been sounder play , but even then the game would have been in favor of the first player.) 8.N1c3 (A fine conception.) f4 (Had Black played ... a6, White "s reply would still have been Nd5, with a winning game .) 9.Nd5 fxe3 10.Nbc7 + Kf7 11.Qf3 + Nf6 12.Bc4 (The attack is now irresistable.) Nd4 13.Nxf6 + d5 (If the Bishop had been interposed, White would have taken it, checking; and on Knight retaking have played Nd5 discovering check, and won without difficulty.) 14.Bxd5 + Kg6 (Had the Queen captured the Bishop, White would have taken with Knight, discovering check, and have remained eventually with a Pawn ahead and a winning position.) 15. Qh5 + Kxf6 16.fxe3 (Ne8 +, seemingly ag ood move, is only in appearance, as Black might have taken it when placed there; and on White taking Queen, have answered with ... Bb4 +, obtaining a winning game.) Nxc2 + 17.Ke2 1-0

Barnes - Morphy

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6 Bc5 7.Nf7 Qf6 8.Be3 d4 9.Bg5 Qf5 10.Nxh8 Qxg5 11.Bc4 Nc6 12.Nf7 Qxg2 13. Rf1 Nf6 14.f3 Nb4 15.Na3 Bxe6 16.Bxe6 Nd3 + 17.Qxd3 exd3 18.OOO Bxa3 19.Bb3 d2 + 20.Kb1 Bc5 21.Ne5 Kf8 22.Nd3 Re8 23.Nxc5 Qxf1 24.Ne6 + Rxe6 0-1

Andersen - Morphy

Paris, 1858
Accepted Royal Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 Nf6 6.Nxg4 d5 7.Nxf6 + Qxf6 8.Nc3 Qg6 9.Qf3 Bd6 10.Bd3 Bg4 11.Qf2 Nd7 12.exd5 f5 13. Bb5 a6 14.Bxd7 + Kxd7 15.d3 Rae8 + 16.Kf1 Rhg8 17.Rh2 f3 18.g3 Bh5 19.Bg5 h6 20.Qa7 hxg5 21.Na4 gxh4 22.Qxb7 hxg3 23.Nb6 + Ke7 24.Re1 + Kf7 0-1

Morphy - Potier

1. e4 (Notes by J. Lowenthal) e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bc4 (Should White play Nc3, Black would answer with ... Bb4. The game is then usually continued as follows: 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Nxe5 Bxc3 5 dxc3 d6 6 Nf3 Nxe4 7 Bd3 Nf6 (best if ... d5 7 c4 with the better game) 8 OO OO and neither party can be said to have the slightest advantage.) Nxe4 (This move leads to an even game, as does also ... d5, which Lichtenhein played against morphy; but there is also ... Nxc3 from which spring several interesting positions. Black "s game is cramped thereby, and must remain so for a considerable time; but, in opposition to several very able authorities, we are of the opinion that if properly conducted the defense through advantage of the pawn will most certainly win. In proof of this we submit the following variation: 4 ... Nxc3 5 dxc3 f6 6 Nh4 (6 OO Qe7 7 Na4 g6 followed by ... c6 with a good game) Qe7 7 Qh5 + Kd8 8 Ng6 Qe8 9 Bd3 Be7 winning a piece.) 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nxe5 d5 6. Bb3 Be7 7.d4 c6 8. OO Nbd7 9. f4 (Playing h is favorite move early in the gamr.) Nb6 10. Qf3 h5 11. f5 (The queen's bishop of the second player is now completely hemmed in and time must be lost in extricating it.) Qc7 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Rae1 Kf8 14. Qg3 h4 (If Black had taken pawn with bishop, White would have checked with the kight on g6 and gained an evident advantage.) 15. Ng6 + (A most able move, frustating at once all of the combinations of his opponent. ) Kg8 16. Bxd6 hxg3 17. Bxc7 fxg6 18. fxg6 gxh2 + 19. Kh1 Bg4 20. Re7 Nbd7 21. Be5 Kf8 22. Rf7 + Kg8 23. Nxd5 (One of those brilliant combinations in which Mr. Morphy has made himself so famous, and which occur with equal frequencies in his blindfold games as in those that he has conducted with board and men before him.) Cxd5 24. Bxd5 Nb6 25. Bb3 1-0

Barnes - Morphy

Paris, 1858
Spanish party

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Nd5 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.OO Bg4 9.c3 Ba5 10.d4 exd4 11.Nxf6 + Qxf6 12.Bd5 Ne5 13. Bxa8 Nxf3 + 14.gxf3 Bxf3 15.Qd2 dxc3 16.Qg5 cxb2 17.Bc6 + Ke7 18.Qxf6 + gxf6 19.Bf4 Rg8 + 20. Bg3 bxa1 \u003d Q 21.Rxa1 f5 22.a4 Bb6 23.axb5 f4 24.bxa6 fxg3. hxg3 Rxg3 + 26.Kh2 Rg6 27.Rf1 Bd4 28.Kh3 Be5 29.Kh4 Bf4 30.a7 Rh6 # 0-1

Morphy - Arnoux de Riviere

Paris, 1963
Italian party

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Qe7 5. d4 Bb6 6. OO d6 7. h3 Nf6 8. Re1 h6 9. a4 a5 10. Na3 Nd8 11. Nc2 Be6 12. Ne3 Bxc4 13. Nxc4 Nd7 14. Ne3 g6 15. Nd5 Qe6 16. Bxh6 f6 17. Bg7 Rh5 18. g4 Rxh3 19. Nxf6 + Nxf6 20. Ng5 Qd7 21. Bxf6 Rh4 22. f3 exd4 23. cxd4 Rh6 24. Kg2 Nf7 25. Rh1 Nxg5 26. Rxh6 Nh7 27. Qh1 Nxf6 28. Rh8 + Ke7 29. Rxa8 Bxd4 30. Qh6 Qc6 31. Rc1 Qb6 32. Rxc7 + Ke6 33. Re8 + Nxe8 34. Qxg6 + Ke5 35. Qf5 # 1-0

Evg. Zagoryansky

The legendary tragic figure of Paul Morphy has occupied my imagination for many years. Back in the mid-thirties, I began to select material for a future story. I started writing the first version of it in 1938. There was little material, it was fragmentary and unreliable, sources often contradicted each other.

In the first version of the story, I had to fantasize extremely broadly, because there was no living tissue for the hero’s life, I had to invent it ... In essence, there was nothing but chronological dates, and there was confusion in them.

Immediately after the war, in 1945, I returned to the story of Paul Morphy.

Readers who remember the first part of the story, published in 1946 in the journal "Chess in the USSR", will probably be surprised to read this book. They will find that the discrepancies are very significant. The explanation is very simple.

I returned to Paul Morphy for the third time in 1959. The courtesy of Ilya Lvovich Mayzelis, a well-known collector and connoisseur of chess literature, gave me the opportunity to replenish the sources, in particular to attach to them two unique books from the collection of Ilya Lvovich.

The first of these books is a memoir of a niece of Paul Morphy. The brochure was published in New Orleans in 1926 and is called completely “The Life of Paul Morphy in the Vieux Carrere of New Orleans and Abroad, recorded by Mrs. Regina Morphy-Vuatier.”

The second book is even more rare, it is a real treasure for the researcher and bibliophile.

It was signed anonymously - “Englishman” (“Englishman”), and actually belongs to the pen of Frederick Edge, an English journalist, former secretary of Paul Morphy during his trip to Europe. The book was published in London in 1859 by William Leigh on King William Street, on Strand. Circulation not specified.

The full title of the book is “Paul Morphy, Chess Champion. A report on his career in America and Europe in conjunction with the history of chess and chess clubs, as well as anecdotes about famous maestros. ”

In addition to these two sources, I used relevant sections from the books of Johann Leventhal, Max Lange, Philip Sergeant (in two editions), Gesa Maroci and others. I must say that in our days chess historiography has not yet established exactly a lot.

For example, even such a major competition as the London match of 1858 Morphy - Leventhal, is covered by different authors in different ways. Fred Edge and Mrs. Regina Morphy-Vuatier unanimously indicate that the score was 9: 3 in favor of Morphy and the match ended.

However, Geza Maroci (who worked mainly on German sources) cites the score of 10: 4 scores and repeats this twice. The German Max Lange also says about the score 9: 3. Where did G. Maroci get his data from? Apparently, some other games were played that did not fall into the standings. Some authors recognize them, while others do not.

A hundred years is not such a long time, but I preferred to trust contemporaries and eyewitnesses, since it is almost impossible to establish the truth.

In the score, Maroci is nowhere at odds with Edge, but in many places he changes the sequence of parties and their dating. In all cases, I adhered to Edge's data, although this does not really matter for a purely fiction thing.

The first two of the aforementioned books were the basis of this story, and, armed with them, I rewrote my "Paul Morphy" almost anew, saving only small pieces from the first version. In the first part there are many, in the second much less.

Evgeny Zagoryansky

FROM of the sea a damp wind blew. Striped tents over shop windows puffed up and clapped like sails. It seemed that the blessed city of New Orleans, like a ship, will now tear off the pier and sail away into the blue haze of warm seas.

On the deserted embankment, a well-groomed, thoroughbred mare snorted and dug the ground with his front foot. A curly black woman held her by the bridle, muttering affectionately. The horse pressed its ears, shook its narrow, evil face, and puffs of dust rose from under its impatient leg. The negro looked back at the high stone porch with a blue sign:

JEREMY HORN Broker on cotton

“Get the hell out of there,” Allison said calmly. His face, youthful for fifty years, was gloomy. A chestnut mustache hanging in the corners of the mouth only emphasized the rigidity of the outlines. He slowly walked down the stone steps, and after him the owner of the office rolled down in a ball, a fat man with a fast Quaker physiognomy.

“To hell with Horn!” - repeated, without turning around, Allison. “You want to step on my throat ... Hey horse!”

- Mr. Allison! - the broker chattered. “You have known Joe Horne for many days, sir ... I swear by all the saints, not a single New Orleans broker will offer you a better contract, you can check with anyone! ..

Rat eyes glared at Allison's back, wearing a wide-brimmed white hat.

“Things are very bad, Mr. Allison!” - continued the broker. “If nothing changes, in five years we will all be poor, sir ... Yesterday I said so on the cotton exchange ...”

“Old songs, Horn ...”

“No, sir, these are not old, these are new songs ... Damned Yankees set up new ships in their North. They bring cotton from Egypt and sell it cheaper than ours, sir! .. This is robbery, this is piracy! ..

- Drop it, Horn! - The eyes of the planter squeamishly slipped on the sweaty bald spot of a fat man. “Don't try to trick me, old man.” I know very well that, in addition to cotton, you have loan offices where the pants of the whole city are laid! ..

A rustic smile spread across Horn's face.

- What to do, Mr. Allison ... Each of God's servants provides food according to his own understanding ... Not everyone is born a gentleman and a planter, like you, sir!

“In a word, Horn, your price doesn't suit me.” Apparently, I have to go to Smiles.

“The word of a merchant, sir!” Said Horn sensibly. - Honestly a merchant, Smiles will not offer you a cent more!

Allison silently headed for the horse, but Horn caught up with him in the middle of the street.

Paul Charles Morphy (06.22.1837-10.07.1884)

American chess player, the strongest in the world in the middle of the 19th century.

Education: Louisiana University

“Every chess player - from beginner to master -

should in my practice again and again

to return to the work of a brilliant American "

(M. Botvinnik)

Paul Morphy was born in New Orleans (Louisiana) in the family of Judge Alonzo Morphy, who had a good position in society.
Since childhood, Paul had an amazing memory, striking local lawyers with a thorough knowledge of the Louisiana Civil Code. In addition to his native French, Paul Morphy was fluent in English, Spanish and German.
According to his uncle, Enrest Morphy, no one specifically taught little Morphy the rules of the game. The boy learned to play chess on his own, watching adults. Uncle Ernest recalled that once Paul watched the game of his uncle and father for several hours, and after the end of the game he told his uncle that he could win this game, and in confirmation of his words he restored the position on the board and showed how he could have won .

After this incident, Paul Morphy began to play chess regularly on Sundays, competing with local and visiting chess players.

At the age of 10, he was already considered one of the best players in New Orleans.

At the age of 12 (1850), Paul for the first time in his life played a match with the famous chess player of that time, Johann Leventhal. In two games, the floor won, the last ended in a draw.

In October 1854 he graduated from Saint Joseph College with the highest honors. The certificate issued to him was tightly filled with praise, his memory, ability to languages \u200b\u200band elegant literature were especially noted.

In 1856, he passed all exams ahead of time at the Law School of Louisiana University, taking a five-year course in two years. He was awarded the title of "learned lawyer and lawyer." The diploma stated that "Paul Charles Morphy, an acquirer, has the right to practice as a lawyer throughout the United States."

The first All-American Chess Congress was held on October 6, 1857 in New York and brought together the best US chess players. There were a total of 16 participants.

According to the tournament conditions, draws did not count. Time to think about moves was not limited. The participants were divided into pairs, with the players in each pair playing a match with up to three games won. The loser dropped out of the tournament, and the winner went to the next round, where the game went on under the same conditions.
A match was played between the finalists with up to five games won. Morphy brilliantly spent the entire tournament defeating Thompson in the first round (+ 3-0 \u003d 0), in the 2nd - Mika (+ 3-0 \u003d 0), in the 3rd - Lichtengein (+ 3-0 \u003d 1). He had to play the final match with Paulsen. Morphy won this match with a score (+ 5-1 \u003d 2).
The first All-American National Chess Congress ended with the victory of Paul Morphy.

Confident in his abilities, he announced that he was ready to give any American chess player a pawn and move forward.

At age 21, Paul became the universally recognized greatest player in the world.
Sensational for contemporaries turned out to be a simultaneous blindfold Morphy in Birmingham (+ 6-1 \u003d 1). In Paris, Morphy won the match against Daniel Garrvitz, had a blind session (+ 6-0 \u003d 2).

In 1858, Morphy called to the match Howard Staunton, who, having accepted the challenge, declined to compete under various pretexts.
In December 1858, Adolf Andersen arrived in Paris to meet with Morphy. The match between them ended with a confident victory by Morphy (+ 7-2 \u003d 2), in fact, he decided the question of the strongest chess player of the world of that time.

In 1859, after defeating Andersen in Boston, Paul Morphy was crowned with a gold crown and crowned with a silver wreath.

In a letter to Laz in December 1859, Andersen wrote: “The player with Morphy must give up all hope of catching him in some very subtle trap. Let him know that Morphy sees everything perfectly clearly and that there can be no mistake about his move and speech ... The impression that Morphy made on me is best conveyed by me if I say that he treats chess with the seriousness and conscientiousness of the artist ... For him, a chess game is a sacred duty ... "

Contribution of Paul Morphy to chess:

1. In open positions, the main thing is the rapid development of your figures.
2. Possessing an advantage in development - to achieve a more free game for yourself, breaking the pawn chains of the enemy, even sacrificing pawns, if only to acquire open lines for your pieces.

Paul Morphy - Duke of Karl of Braunschweig and Earl of Isoire
In October 1859, in the box of the opera house during the performance of The Barber of Seville.

Schulten - Morphy
New York, 1857

Understanding the laws of positional play and their brilliant application in the practice of chess struggle were the main reason for the superiority of P. Morphy over his contemporaries and played an important role in the formation of the positional teaching of V. Steinitz.

Wilhelm Steinitz: "The Morphy games mark a great era in the history of chess, and a thorough study of its games will always be important for gaining knowledge, improvement and the ability to conduct a direct attack on the king."