Paul Morphy quotes

Paul Morphy was an American chess prodigy, widely considered one of the greatest chess masters of the 19th century. His natural talent and deep understanding of the game earned him international acclaim at a young age. He became a legend in chess history for his brilliant and creative play. Here are 16 of his quotes:

It [chess] is not only the most delightful and scientific, but the most moral of amusements.

Paul Morphy

Paul Morphy was the greatest chess player that ever lived. Every student of the game, who has delved into the stories of the past, realizes that no one ever was so far superior to the players of his time, or ever defeated his opponents with such ease, and no one ever offered knight odds to the men who considered themselves his equal.

Paul Morphy

Chess never has been and never can be aught but a recreation. It should not be indulged in to the detriment of other and more serious avocations.

Paul Morphy

We also remember the brilliant flight of the American super-genius Paul Morphy, who in a couple of years (1857-59) conquered both the New and the Old Worlds. He revealed a thunderous blend of pragmatism, aggression and accurate calculation to the world -- qualities that enabled America to accomplish a powerful spurt in the second half of the 19th century.

Paul Morphy

Let the chessboard supercede the card table, and a great improvement will be visible in the morals of the community.

Paul Morphy

...Morphy was stronger than anyone he played with, including Anderssen.

Paul Morphy

"... Morphy, the master of all phases of the game, stronger than any of his opponents, even the strongest of them..." ~ Alexander Alekhine, in Shakmatny Vestnik, January 15, 1914.

Paul Morphy

Anderssen voiced it well when asked why he did not play as brilliantly as usual in his game with Morphy, when he replied: "Morphy will not let me."

Paul Morphy

After the passage of a century, Morphy still remains the most glamorous figure that has ever appeared in the chess world.

Paul Morphy

Genius is a starry word; but if there ever was a chess player to whom that attribute applied, it was Paul Morphy.

Paul Morphy

So still was he, that but for the searching intellect which glittered in his full dark eye, you might have taken him for a carven image as he pondered his moves. His bearing was mild and that of a refined gentleman, and he dealt the most crushing blows on his adversary with an almost womanly ease and grace.

Paul Morphy

It has been truly said that Morphy was at once the Caesar and the Napoleon of chess. He revolutionized chess. He brought life and dash and beauty into the game at a time when an age of dullness was about to set in and he did this at a stroke. Then he quit forever. Only two years from the beginning to the end. The negotiations for some modern matches have taken that long!

Paul Morphy

Morphy's principal strength does not rest upon his power of combination but in his position play and his general style.... Beginning with la Bourdonnais to the present, and including Lasker, we find that the greatest stylist has been Morphy. Whence the reason, although it might not be the only one, why he is generally considered the greatest of all.

Paul Morphy

What was the secret of Morphy's invincibility? I think it was a combination of a unique natural talent and brilliant erudition. His play was the next, more mature stage in the development of chess. Morphy had a well-developed 'feeling for position', and therefore he can be confidently regarded as the 'first swallow.

Paul Morphy