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If chess was a religion, Morphy would be God.
Compiled by Chopin
--*--

"I consider Mr. Morphy the finest chess player who ever existed. He is far superior to any now living, and would doubtless have beaten Labourdonnais himself. In all his games with me, he has not only played, in every instance, the exact move, but the most exact. He never makes a mistake; but, if his adversary commits the slightest error, he is lost." Adolf Anderssen, quoted by Frederick Edge in 1859

"Morphy will not let me." former unofficial world champion Adolf Anderssen, when asked why he did not play as brilliantly as usual against Paul Morphy.

"Paul Morphy was the greatest chess player that ever lived...no one ever was so far superior to the players of his time" Dr. Emanuel Lasker, Lasker's Chess Magazine of January 1905, p.127

"In Paul Morphy the spirit of La Bourdonnais had arisen anew, only more vigorous, firmer, prouder... Morphy discovered that the brilliant move of the master is essentially conditional not on a sudden and inexplicable realisation, but on the placing of the pieces on the board. He introduced the rule: brilliant moves and deep winning manoeuvres are possible only in those positions where the opponent can be opposed with an abundance of active energy... From the very first moves Morphy aimed to disclose the internal energy located in his pieces. It was suddenly revealed that they possess far greater dynamism than the opponent's forces." Emanuel Lasker

"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." José Raúl Capablanca, in Pablo Morphy by V. F. Coria and L. Palau.

"...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

"To this day Morphy is an unsurpassed master of the open games. Just how great was his significance is evident from the fact that after Morphy nothing substantially new has been created in this field. Every player- from beginner to master- should in this praxis return again and again to the games of the American genius." Mikhail Botvinnik

"A popularly held theory about Paul Morphy is that if he returned to the chess world today and played our best contemporary players, he would come out the loser. Nothing is further from the truth. In a set match, Morphy would beat anybody alive today... Morphy was perhaps the most accurate chess player who ever lived. He had complete sight of the board and never blundered, in spite of the fact that he played quite rapidly, rarely taking more than five minutes to decide a move. Perhaps his only weakness was in closed games like the Dutch Defense. But even then, he was usually victorious because of his resourcefulness." Bobby Fischer

"Morphy, I think everyone agrees, was probably the greatest genius of them all." Bobby Fischer, 1992

"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." Garry Kasparov (2003). On My Great Predecessors. Gloucester Publishers plc. Vol. 1, p. 6.

"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' - the prototype of the strong 20th century grandmaster." Garry Kasparov (2003). On My Great Predecessors. Gloucester Publishers plc. Vol. 1, p. 43.

Game 1
Morphy vs A Morphy, 1849 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 15 moves, 1-0

Game 2
Morphy vs A Morphy, 1849 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 21 moves, 1-0

Game 3
Morphy vs A Morphy, 1849 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 46 moves, 1-0

Game 4
Morphy vs E Morphy, 1856 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 25 moves, 1-0

Game 5
Morphy vs A D Ayers, 1855 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 26 moves, 1-0

Game 6
Morphy vs J Schulten, 1857 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 25 moves, 1-0

Game 7
Morphy vs J Schulten, 1857  
(C51) Evans Gambit, 39 moves, 1-0

Game 8
Morphy vs J Schulten, 1857 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 34 moves, 1-0

Game 9
Morphy vs G Hammond, 1857 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 40 moves, 1-0

Game 10
Morphy vs T Lichtenhein, 1857 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 26 moves, 1-0

Game 11
Morphy vs A Morphy, 1848 
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 18 moves, 1-0

Game 12
Morphy vs J McConnell, 1849 
(C35) King's Gambit Accepted, Cunningham, 11 moves, 1-0

Game 13
Morphy vs J McConnell, 1849 
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 29 moves, 1-0

Game 14
Morphy vs NN, 1849 
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 20 moves, 1-0

Game 15
Morphy vs E Rousseau, 1849 
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 17 moves, 1-0

Game 16
Morphy vs A Meek, 1855 
(C38) King's Gambit Accepted, 18 moves, 1-0

Game 17
Morphy vs T Knight, 1856 
(000) Chess variants, 17 moves, 1-0

Game 18
Morphy vs NN, 1856 
(000) Chess variants, 20 moves, 1-0

Game 19
Morphy vs J Schulten, 1857 
(C38) King's Gambit Accepted, 49 moves, 1-0

Game 20
Morphy vs T Lichtenhein, 1857 
(C36) King's Gambit Accepted, Abbazia Defense, 28 moves, 1-0

Game 21
Morphy vs Lowenthal, 1850 
(B21) Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4, 49 moves, 1-0

Game 22
Morphy vs Paulsen, 1857 
(B40) Sicilian, 64 moves, 1-0

Game 23
Morphy vs J Thompson, 1857 
(B44) Sicilian, 48 moves, 1-0

Game 24
Morphy vs Paulsen, 1857 
(B40) Sicilian, 36 moves, 1-0

Game 25
Morphy vs Paulsen, 1857 
(B40) Sicilian, 26 moves, 1-0

Game 26
Morphy vs F Perrin, 1857 
(B44) Sicilian, 26 moves, 1-0

Game 27
Morphy vs Anderssen, 1858  
(B44) Sicilian, 17 moves, 1-0

Game 28
Morphy vs Lowenthal, 1858 
(B21) Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4, 29 moves, 1-0

Game 29
Morphy vs W R Wills, 1858  
(B44) Sicilian, 37 moves, 1-0

Game 30
Morphy vs J L Preti, 1858 
(B21) Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4, 25 moves, 1-0

Game 31
Morphy vs NN, 1848 
(C20) King's Pawn Game, 19 moves, 1-0

Game 32
Morphy vs J McConnell, 1849 
(C40) King's Knight Opening, 23 moves, 1-0

Game 33
Morphy vs I Hart, 1854 
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 23 moves, 1-0

Game 34
Morphy vs Paulsen, 1857 
(C40) King's Knight Opening, 54 moves, 1-0

Game 35
Morphy vs A Bottin, 1858 
(C20) King's Pawn Game, 9 moves, 1-0

Game 36
Morphy vs A Bottin, 1858 
(C20) King's Pawn Game, 29 moves, 1-0

Game 37
Morphy vs S Boden, 1858 
(C45) Scotch Game, 35 moves, 1-0

Game 39
Morphy vs A Mongredien, 1859 
(C40) King's Knight Opening, 22 moves, 1-0

Game 40
Morphy vs Harrwitz, 1858 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 35 moves, 1-0

Game 41
Morphy vs Duke Karl / Count Isouard, 1858  
(C41) Philidor Defense, 17 moves, 1-0

Game 42
Morphy vs H Baucher, 1858  
(C41) Philidor Defense, 29 moves, 1-0

Game 43
Morphy vs T Barnes, 1858 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 29 moves, 1-0

Game 44
Morphy vs Harrwitz, 1858 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 59 moves, 1-0

Game 45
Morphy vs Harrwitz, 1858 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 48 moves, 1-0

Game 46
Morphy vs Bird, 1858 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 27 moves, 1-0

Game 47
Morphy vs J Rhodes, 1858  
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 28 moves, 1-0

Game 48
Morphy vs S Boden, 1858 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 30 moves, 1-0

Game 49
Morphy vs Lowenthal, 1858 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 31 moves, 1-0

Game 50
Morphy vs Lowenthal, 1858 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 28 moves, 1-0

Game 51
J McConnell vs Morphy, 1849 
(C38) King's Gambit Accepted, 23 moves, 0-1

Game 52
J Schulten vs Morphy, 1857 
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 28 moves, 0-1

Game 53
J Schulten vs Morphy, 1857 
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 17 moves, 0-1

Game 54
J Schulten vs Morphy, 1857 
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 30 moves, 0-1

Game 55
B Raphael vs Morphy, 1857 
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 26 moves, 0-1

Game 56
J Schulten vs Morphy, 1857 
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 36 moves, 0-1

Game 57
C Stanley vs Morphy, 1857 
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 20 moves, 0-1

Game 58
L Elkin vs Morphy, 1857 
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 25 moves, 0-1

Game 59
J Schulten vs Morphy, 1857 
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 25 moves, 0-1

Game 60
J Schulten vs Morphy, 1857 
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 17 moves, 0-1

Game 61
J McConnell vs Morphy, 1852 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 25 moves, 0-1

Game 62
J Thompson vs Morphy, 1857 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 28 moves, 0-1

Game 63
J Thompson vs Morphy, 1857 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 42 moves, 0-1

Game 64
J Thompson vs Morphy, 1858 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 26 moves, 0-1

Game 65
H Montgomery vs Morphy, 1857 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 42 moves, 0-1

Game 67
N Marache vs Morphy, 1857 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 20 moves, 0-1

Game 68
de Riviere vs Morphy, 1858 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 44 moves, 0-1

Game 69
J Kipping vs Morphy, 1858 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 30 moves, 0-1

Game 70
de Riviere vs Morphy, 1858 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 47 moves, 0-1

Game 71
A Meek vs Morphy, 1857 
(C65) Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, 29 moves, 0-1

Game 72
G Medley vs Morphy, 1858 
(C60) Ruy Lopez, 39 moves, 0-1

Game 73
S Boden vs Morphy, 1858 
(C65) Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, 24 moves, 0-1

Game 74
Lowenthal vs Morphy, 1858 
(C64) Ruy Lopez, Classical, 67 moves, 0-1

Game 75
T Barnes vs Morphy, 1858 
(C77) Ruy Lopez, 30 moves, 0-1

Game 76
T Barnes vs Morphy, 1858 
(C65) Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, 40 moves, 0-1

Game 77
Anderssen vs Morphy, 1858 
(C77) Ruy Lopez, 51 moves, 0-1

Game 78
G Medley vs Morphy, 1858 
(C65) Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, 25 moves, 0-1

Game 79
F Sicre vs Morphy, 1862 
(C77) Ruy Lopez, 34 moves, 0-1

Game 80
J Thompson vs Morphy, 1857 
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 46 moves, 0-1

Game 81
C Stanley vs Morphy, 1857 
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 27 moves, 0-1

Game 82
G Hammond vs Morphy, 1857 
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 28 moves, 0-1

Game 83
J Thompson vs Morphy, 1857 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 21 moves, 0-1

Game 84
de Riviere vs Morphy, 1863 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 33 moves, 0-1

Game 85
Saint Amant / Marie Florimond de B vs Morphy, 1858 
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 22 moves, 0-1

Game 86
P Journoud vs Morphy, 1858 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 38 moves, 0-1

Game 87
de Riviere vs Morphy, 1863 
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 24 moves, 0-1

Game 88
Bird vs Morphy, 1858 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 29 moves, 0-1

Game 89
T Barnes vs Morphy, 1858 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 23 moves, 0-1

Game 90
Lowenthal vs Morphy, 1858 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 32 moves, 0-1

Game 91
T Barnes vs Morphy, 1858 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 22 moves, 0-1

Game 92
A Meek vs Morphy, 1855 
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 25 moves, 0-1

Game 93
A Meek vs Morphy, 1855 
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 21 moves, 0-1

Game 94
T Lichtenhein vs Morphy, 1857 
(C45) Scotch Game, 18 moves, 0-1

Game 95
H Kennicott vs Morphy, 1857 
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 24 moves, 0-1

Game 97
A Meek vs Morphy, 1857 
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 31 moves, 0-1

Game 98
Paulsen vs Morphy, 1857 
(C67) Ruy Lopez, 53 moves, 1/2-1/2

Game 99
Anderssen vs Morphy, 1858 
(C77) Ruy Lopez, 44 moves, 1/2-1/2

Game 100
de Riviere vs Morphy, 1858 
(C77) Ruy Lopez, 36 moves, 1/2-1/2

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