Paul Morphy
US chess player / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul Morphy (22 June 1837 – 10 July 1884), called "the pride and sorrow of chess",[1] was an American chess master. He was the greatest chess player of his era and an unofficial world champion (1858–1860). This was widely accepted when he defeated Adolf Anderssen, with seven wins, two losses, and two draws, in 1858. Morphy was also one of the first great chess prodigies in the modern era.[2]p263
Paul Morphy | |
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Full name | Paul Charles Morphy |
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World Champion | 1858–1862 (Unofficial) |
Morphy was a Creole of mixed inheritance. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a father of Portuguese, Irish,[3] and Spanish ancestry, and a mother who was a French Creole. His father was a lawyer, and his mother was musically talented. Morphy grew up in an atmosphere of culture where chess and music were the typical highlights of a Sunday home gathering.[1]p11