Paul Morphy taught himself chess by watching others play, dominated every opponent on the planet by 21, then quit the game entirely. Born in 1837 on Royal Street, he conquered Europe's best players in the 1850s.
The Boy Who Learned by Watching
Nobody formally taught Paul chess. By nine, he was one of the best in New Orleans. By 12, he beat the Hungarian master Lowenthal. He studied law at what is now Tulane.
Conquering the World
In 1857 he won the First American Chess Congress. In 1858 he sailed to Europe and beat every top player. Bobby Fischer called him "perhaps the most accurate player who ever lived."
Walking Away
He returned to New Orleans in 1859 and never played competitively again. He died in 1884 at 47, buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.
Dirty Coast Connection
Periodic Table of New Orleans celebrates minds like Morphy's. Be A New Orleanian Wherever You Are.
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