MORPHY, PAUL CHARLES, b. New Orleans, 1822; educated at St. Joseph's college. While still a boy he developed remarkable skill in the game of chess, and soon became enthusiastic concerning it, and devoted most of his time to this amusement, which was to him a serious study. He speedily became so proficient as to defeat with ease the players of his native city, and Iris remarkable skill began to attract general attention among chess-players throughout the country. In 1357 the first chess congress was organized in sew York, and 3lorphy, being specially invited to attend, played daily at the rooms of the congress, which were crowded by persons interested in chess, who were astonished at his remarkable facility in this difficult game. lie defeated with ease such players as Paulsen, Fiske, Marasche, Liehtenhein, Thompson, Meade, and others, the leading amateurs of the country; and in 1858 made his first public exhibition of those astounding tours de force, blindfold games, as to which lie had but one equal com petitor, Paulsen, who was, however, a far inferior player before the board. In the same
year he visited London, where lie play?(1. with Lriwenthal, winning a majority of games. He attended, at Birmingham, the annual meeting of the British chess association, where he played eight games at once without the board, defeating his opponents in six of them. In Paris he played at the celebrated chess resort, the cafe de la regenee, and defeated the great French players, Riviere, Laroche, Jowmand, and Devinek; heat Harwitz five games out of seven, losing one and drawing one; and out of eleven games played with Anderson, the Germat champion, beat seven and drew two. Ile remained abroad until the spring of 1859, exhibiting his remarkable powers with and without the board, aid on his return to the United States, was admitted to the bar of New Orleans, where he has continued to reside, practicing, however, but little. He greatly injured his health by the strain upon his mental faculties, occasioned chiefly by his blindfold playing, and was forced at last to give up chess altogether, and never quite recovered his mental condition.