The Real Paul Morphy: His Life and Chess Games

Paul Morphy might well be the most brilliant and enigmatic chess champion of all time. He burst onto the scene in 1858 as a 20-year-old and dominated the chess world for two short years, convincingly defeating all the strongest players. After conquering the European chess scene, Morphy was universally recognized as the greatest player of all time. But at the age of 22 he suddenly and permanently retired from serious competition.

Morphy’s greatness shone so brightly that 75 years later he was still considered the greatest by world champions Lasker and Capablanca. He is still revered for his brilliant combinations and other contributions to chess. Bobby Fischer called him ’perhaps the most accurate player who ever lived’. Garry Kasparov regarded him as ’the prototype of the strong 20th century grandmaster’ and ’the forefather of modern chess’.

There are many important biographies and game collections about Morphy. Award-winning chess author Charles Hertan brings us something new - a comprehensive modern biography that delves deep into his fascinating history, unearthing new information about Morphy’s origins, intertwined with an in-depth exploration of Morphy’s games, often overturning over 160 years of previous analysis.

Hertan uses his experience as a professional psychotherapist to shed new light on Morphy’s tragic mental deterioration. The author also examines the state of chess before Morphy, wading into the current debate about the role of the great masters Howard Staunton and Adolf Anderssen in chess history, and whether Morphy’s time should rightly be called the ’Romantic Era’.

The Real Paul Morphy brings you everything you need to know about Paul Morphy’s life, chess and legacy in a single volume.

Charles Hertan is a FIDE master from Massachusetts with several decades of experience as a chess coach. He is the author of the award-winning Forcing Chess Moves and the bestselling Power Chess for Kids series.