1881

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January 21, 1881

• The Miami Republican Paola, Kansas Friday, January 21, 1881 - Page 6 — An exchange says that all the stories about the mind of Paul Morphy, the chess-player, being affected are mere moonshine, and that Mr. Morphy often takes a hand in the game at New Orleans, his residence, giving a knight successfully to the strongest players of the Chess Club of that city. ★ / ★ / ★ Read More

Stories About the Mind of Paul Morphy Being Affected are Nonsense 26 Jan 1881, Wed The Courier (Waterloo, Iowa) Newspapers.com

January 29, 1881

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch St. Louis, Missouri Saturday, January 29, 1881 - Page 2 — Chess. How the Game is a Prime Favorite in St. Louis. The Leading Clubs-Some of the Best Players of the Future Great. — Interesting Facts About the Royal Game and the Local Champions. — “Mr. T. Rabuske, the artist, played in consultation with Paul Morphy, and, like nearly everybody else, was badly beaten by that chess giant. He uses the experience thus acquired with great success, and is looked upon as a doughty antagonist.” Read More

February 20, 1881

• St. Louis Globe-Democrat St. Louis, Missouri Sunday, February 20, 1881 - Page 7 — The Chess Congress Book. — The book of the Fifth American Chess Congress, edited by Charles A. Gilberg, is now in press and will be issued the 1st of May next. It contains memoirs of the first, second, third and fourth American Chess Congresses; biographical sketches of Morphy, L. Paulsen, Prof. Agnel, Prof. George Allen, Prof. D.W. Fiske, Denis Julien, Theo, Lichtenhein, N.B. Marache, Col. Chas. D. Mead, Judge Meek, H. P. Montgomery, B.J. Raphael, Stanley, James Thompson, etc.; a full account of the Fifth American Chess Congress, its inception, the preliminary proceedings, the games, the problem tourney… Read More

March 04, 1881

• Tunkhannock Republican Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania Friday, March 04, 1881 - Page 4 — Our Chess Column — A Game by Paul Morphy “Lange's late edition of Morphy's games contains a few contests unknown to the chess world, among which the following gem stands pre-eminent. It was played in Paris at an entertainment given in honor of Mr. Morphy, by Mr. Ehrmann, of Strasburg.” Read More

March 05, 1881

• The Times-Picayune New Orleans, Louisiana Saturday, March 05, 1881 - Page 6 — Chess. Capt. Mackenzie's Wonderful Playing.

March 06, 1881

• The Times Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sunday, March 06, 1881 - Page 6 — The Chess Board - The Game in this City and Elsewhere. — That portion of the chess world which is located in or near New Orleans is all agog, for Captain George H. Mackenzie, the American chess champion, is now on a ten days' visit to that city, encountering Maurian, McConnell and other Southern men of might. The play takes place at the New Orleans Chess, Checker and Whist Club, which now numbers two hundred members and is one of the most flourishing institutions of the kind in the country. The consummation devoutly to be be wished is that the Captain, before he leaves the Crescent City, should meet, as the Southerners happily express it, “the incomparable, unrivaled, and never-to-be-forgotten Morphy.” Read More

April 08, 1881

• Tunkhannock Republican Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania Friday, April 08, 1881 - Page 4 — Our Chess Column.

April 29, 1881

• Rutland Daily Herald Rutland, Vermont Friday, April 29, 1881 - Page 2 — Illiteracy in Criticism of Artistic Expression: Edgar Allen Poe vs. Paul Morphy. — “The genius, such as it was of Poe, was just eccentric enough to escape any high popular esteem. The people don't feel that he has illuminated their heads or stirred their hearts any more than Paul Morphy or any other expert chess player; in fact, Poe was a sort of chess player in poetry, and such players are not worth a monument. He was a man of ingenious intellect, but not worth a monument, for he did the world no service.” Read More

May 08, 1881

• The Times Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sunday, May 08, 1881 - Page 8 — The Chess-Board — “All this is highly interesting and will be news even to Mr. Morphy himself.”

May 20, 1881

• The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Brooklyn, New York Friday, May 20, 1881 - Page 1 — Sports and Pastimes - Chess.

May 22, 1881

• St. Louis Globe-Democrat St. Louis, Missouri Sunday, May 22, 1881 - Page 7 — Chess in New Orleans. — ”An interesting game was played at the New Orleans Chess Club in January 1858, between the renowned Paul Morphy and Mr. C.A. Maurian, the latter gentleman receiving the odds of the Q.R. This game was published shortly after it was played in the New Orleans Star, a paper long since defunct, and consequently can have been seen by but few of our readers.” Read More

• The Times Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sunday, May 22, 1881 - Page 8 — The Chess-Board.

May 29, 1881

• St. Louis Globe-Democrat St. Louis, Missouri Sunday, May 29, 1881 - Page 7 — Chess. — “B to Kt 5 (ch) is the popular move, but that in the text was sanctioned by Morphy.”

June 12, 1881

• The New York Times New York, New York Sunday, June 12, 1881 - Page 4 — A Game With Morphy —“What odds do you require?” he said: “a castle, a knight, pawn, and two moves? Choose.” My self-esteem—and I have some—promoted me to ask simply the last named advantage. “Let us commence.” said I. Behold me, then, pushing out my king's and queen's pawns two squares, setting forth bishops, knights, queen, backed up by my Pions-Pions, unmasking my batteries, bombarding and blasting the enemy's positions, succeeding in forcing the white tyrant to quit his place and to seek a shelter against the missiles which rained from everywhere. I am rather short-sighted, but as a compensation I have very good ears. I could hear round about me these flattering prognostics: “That—devil Delannoy is inspired. He plays wonderfully—he shall win.” My position, in appearance, was, indeed, magnificent. All at once I moved a piece attacking a bishop, a hot-brained fellow, strutting like the frog before the bullock, and cried, “Go away, you fool!” Morphy rested 23 minutes before he moved. I could not understand the hesitation of the master to preserve this bishop. No, he lets me take the bishop, and moves only and quietly a rook. I seized this proud bishop. I am rather satirical, and I cried out, “It was really of no use crossing the Atlantic to show us such a move as that.” “Well, you have taken my piece.” “Of course, Parbleu! It lies there skinned, spitted, ready for the cook.” “Now, I am going to give you another, a castle you will be obliged to take, but nine moves after, I give you a check-mate,” He said right. Many people pretended that I played wrong the last nine moves. I bet against them and I won all bets.” —Brentano's Chess Monthly ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ Read More

• St. Louis Globe-Democrat St. Louis, Missouri Sunday, June 12, 1881 - Page 11 — Chess.

June 18, 1881

• St. Louis Globe-Democrat St. Louis, Missouri Saturday, June 18, 1881 - Page 4 — Cornell Collegians ★ / ★

June 19, 1881

• St. Louis Globe-Democrat St. Louis, Missouri Sunday, June 19, 1881 - Page 3 — Chess. Chess in New Orleans. In the appended game, which was played about the year 1857, Mr. Paul Morphy gives the odds of the Q Kt to Mr. McConnell.

August 13, 1881

• Detroit Free Press Detroit, Michigan Saturday, August 13, 1881 - Page 6 — Chess.

August 14, 1881

• The Times Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sunday, August 14, 1881 - Page 6 — The Chess-Board — “How Morphy Polished Off Maurice D. Conway — Showing how Maurice D. Conway received the odds of a queen's rook from Morphy and what came of his defending a Muzio gambit. A regular Morphy touch. Simple yet annihilating.”

August 16, 1881

• The Times Shreveport, Louisiana Tuesday, August 16, 1881 - Page 2 — Paul Morphy's Wonderful Memory. The editor of Brentano's Chess Monthly gives an instance of Paul Morphy's wonderful memory. When playing his celebrated game at Lowenthal in 1858 the editor asked him to give him the moves of the day before. At the tenth move he asked Morphy if he did not think a certain other move would have been better. To which Morphy replied: “Ah, you mean the one you made in your game with Dufresue.” The game referred to was played seven years before, and was of no great interest. On expressing his surprise that he should have remembered the move Morphy called for a board and repeated that game from first to last without the least hesitation and without making a single mistake. ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ Read More

August 30, 1881

• The San Francisco Examiner San Francisco, California Tuesday, August 30, 1881 - Page 3 — Chess Congress. Berlin, August 29—At the Congress of the German chess clubs to-day, Mason of New York beat Blackburn of London, and W. Paulsen of Berlin beat Zuckertort.

September 02, 1881

• The Hull Packet; and East Riding Times Hull, East Yorkshire, England Friday, September 02, 1881 - Page 8 — Chess. — “…Concerning the late match, Turf, Field and Farm observes:—“The games, like most modern match games, are of the wearisome, plodding kind, all labour and very little, if any, of what M. Delannoy would call ‘imagination;’ they show hardly a spark of brilliancy. Oh, for a return to the style of Labourdonnais, MacDonnell, Deschappelles, and Morphy! We candidly believe that either of these players of genius could give odds of pawn and two moves to the best masters of the modern cowardly game…” Read More

September 09, 1881

• The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Brooklyn, New York Friday, September 09, 1881 - Page 4 — Chess. Scientific Contestants at Brighton Beach.

September 10, 1881

• The Cincinnati Enquirer Cincinnati, Ohio Saturday, September 10, 1881 - Page 2 — Chess Contests. Berlin, September 9.—In the chess contest to-day Schaliop beat Zukertort, Blackburne beat Winawur, and Mason beat Wimers.

September 16, 1881

• The Hull Packet; and East Riding Times Hull, East Yorkshire, England Friday, September 16, 1881 - Page 8 — Chess.

October 07, 1881

• The Hull Packet; and East Riding Times Hull, East Yorkshire, England Friday, October 07, 1881 - Page 8 — Chess. — “This ‘little bit of Morphy’ most brilliantly concludes Mr. Blackburne's performance at Berlin, this being the last game he played in the tournament.”

October 13, 1881

• Daily News London, Greater London, England Thursday, October 13, 1881 - Page 6 — Chess-Playing Extraordinary — “It is not wholly without precedent, as this blindfold playing has had a peculiar fascination for such players as Paul Morphy, Paulsen, and Zukertort, while Mr. Blackburne has on several occasions contended in a similar way against even larger numbers of players…” ★ / ★ Read More

November 20, 1881

• St. Louis Globe-Democrat St. Louis, Missouri Sunday, November 20, 1881 - Page 11 — Chess.

November 27, 1881

• The Times Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sunday, November 27, 1881 - Page 6 — The Chess-Board - A New Chess Congress in London - A Story About Professionals

December 02, 1881

• Birmingham Daily Post Birmingham, West Midlands, England Friday, December 02, 1881 - Page 5 — Chess

December 16, 1881

• The Hull Packet; and East Riding Times Hull, East Yorkshire, England Friday, December 16, 1881 - Page 8 — Chess. — “The first number of a new German magazine, Vom Fels Zum Meer, published at Stuttgard, contains a chess department, in which appears the following:-- “Among the many interesting games which Paul Morphy, the greatest chess player of recent times played, there are but few excellent examples which have not yet become generally known by publication. Through the kindness of Dr. Lange we are able to produce one of these few games played between the American and an English master of the first rank in 1856.” Read More

December 25, 1881

• The Times-Picayune New Orleans, Louisiana Sunday, December 25, 1881 - Page 16 — “Captain Mackenzie, Guest of New Orleans Chess, Checkers, Whist Club”

“The happiness of “the Bohemian Caesar,” as Steinitz fondly called himself, was not unalloyed. Paul Morphy was his bête noire. He attempted to undermine the pedestal upon which Morphy's glory is everlastingly established. But he did not succeed. If Blackburne makes a brilliant combination, he calls it a “bit of Morphy.” But no one ever heard anybody call a brilliant finish a bit of Steinitz…” — The Age Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Saturday, June 19, 1897 Poison Pen Blackmail and Defamation of New Orleans Lawyer Paul Morphy: These articles were part of 1860s-80s campaign of stalking. Attempts by friends of Morphy vouching for his sanity & to stop such false rumors (New Orleans Republican 11/21/1875; Tennessean Nashville, 5/05/1877, “The Truth About Mr. Paul Morphy. He has Never been Insane”; Detroit Free Press 11/30/1880, etc). 1884 at age 47, Mr. Morphy “suddenly died”. The stalker's press release claimed ‘due to a bath on a hot day.’ Forensic toxicology was still in its infancy and no investigation ever performed. ★ / ★ /★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★ / ★