A First Book of Morphy aims to illustrate the teachings of three great chessplayers with games played by the first American chess champion, Paul Morphy. The book presents more than 60 of Morphy's brilliant and instructive games in demonstration of basic chess principles written by grandmasters Reuben Fine and Cecil Purdy.
Paul Morphy is a chess legend and without doubt one of the greatest players in the history of the game. His understanding of the game was years ahead of his time and in his era he was easily the best player in the world. His chess career was brief but brilliant and he influenced all the great champions who came after him. His legacy includes a treasure trove of wonderful strategic and attacking games which are highly instructive for all aspiring chess players. In this book, Grandmaster Zenón Franco examines in detail Morphy’s chess style, selects and studies his favourite Morphy games, and demonstrates how we can all improve our chess by learning from Morphy’s masterpieces. Move by Move provides an ideal platform to study chess. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to improve your chess skills and knowledge. * Learn from the games of a chess legend Important ideas absorbed by continued practice *Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study
In 1857, a soft-spoken genius from New Orleans burst upon the chess scene. Paul Morphy dazzled the chess world with breathtaking combinations that seemed to arise from thin air. In his brief chess career, he was universally recognized as the best in the world. International grandmaster Valeri Beim takes a close look at the play of the mid-19th century champion, putting his games under a modern, 21st-century analytical microscope. The result is a fresh and instructive look at the strategy and tactics of the American legend, and their relevance to the modern approach to the royal game. It is a very interesting book and may well change the reader's preconceived ideas in the same way. Game annotations are the main component but there is also background information on Morphy. -- John Saunders, British Chess Magazine, October 2005
"Paul Morphy: The Pride and Sorrow of Chess" is the only full-length biography of Paul Morphy, the antebellum chess prodigy who launched United States participation in international chess and is still generally acknowledged as the greatest American chess player of all time. But Morphy was more than a player. He was a shy, retiring lawyer who had been taught that such games were no way to make a living. The strain of his fame and the pull of his domineering family led Morphy to set another precedent: chess madness. Morphy's mental descent after retiring from chess became a part of his lore, made all the more magnanimous by a spate of twentieth-century examples. "The Pride and Sorrow of Chess" tells the full known story of the life of Paul Morphy, from his privileged upbrining in New Orleans to his dominance of the chess world, to the later tragedy of his demise. This new edition of David Lawson's seminal work, still the principal source for all Morphy biographical presentations, also includes new biographical material about the biographer himself, telling the story of the author, his opus, and the previously unknown life that brought him to the research.
Do you often lose at chess simply because you are not aggressive enough? You can put boldness into your chess game by following the brilliant moves of Paul Morphy, who has been called the greatest chess player of all time. This volume contains 300 of Morphy's best games, carefully annotated by Philip W. Sergeant. While Morphy wrote no books on chess theory and seldom expounded his methods in public, his theories are clearly demonstrated in the games in this volume. You can systematically improve your own game, you can add brilliance to your play by following the technique of quick, forceful development and opening of lines developed by the great 19th-century World Champion. In a new introduction, Fred Reinfeld, well-known American chess authority, states: "By emphasizing the role of systematic, aggressive development, Morphy helped to mold chess into an art form and into the highest phase of intellectual struggle." Included in this completely unabridged volume are 54 classic games against such masters as Anderssen, Harrwitz, Mongredien, Bird, Paulsen, and others. There are also 52 games at odds, 52 blindfold games, plus more than 100 others. These games, with explanatory text, offer a great champion's interpretation of such standard chess openings as the Dutch Defense, Evans Gambit, Giuoco Piano, and Ruy Lopez.
From Simon & Schuster, Logical Chess: Move By Move: Every Move Explained is Irving Chernev guide to beginners chess and the basic moves for every player to improve. In this much loved classic, Irving Chernev explains 33 complete games in detail, telling the reader the reason for every single move. Playing through these games and explanations gives a real insight into the power of the pieces and how to post them most effectively.
"I had a fantastic position, but I couldn't figure out what to do next!" Sound familiar? If so, then Fred Wilson's Simple Attacking Plans was written for you. The author distills the complexities of mounting an offensive against your opponent's king down to four principles that lie at the root of most successful chess attacks. Novice players and amateurs of intermediate strength will benefit from the explanations of ideas and tips for practical play, all presented in an easy, conversational style. More experienced competitors will appreciate this book as a game collection featuring masterpieces of enterprising play - some of them never before published.