Paul Morphy: A Collection of His Games with Detailed Notes

The Sheer Enjoyment of Paul Morphy

In the middle of the nineteenth century, a soft-spoken young man from New Orleans would upend the conventional chess world. Perplexing positional pressure coupled with breath-taking combinations would leave him virtually in a class by himself.

In 1909, Hungarian Grandmaster Géza Maróczy - himself a world-class player in the first decade of the 20th century - penned a wonderful compendium of all-known games of the American champion. The book, in German, was an instant success. And now (finally!) it is available in English.

The book contains over 400 games by Morphy, most deeply annotated by Maróczy. He uses a light hand when explaining the logical and positional concepts of the games, while not overlooking the historical background and context in which they were played.

In addition, a brief section on Morphy’s endgame skill has been added by GM Karsten Müller and a look from "a modern perspective" has been provided by GM Valeri Beim.

Maróczy's subtle, often poetic insights regarding Morphy’s greatness provide an indispensable perspective… Why read Maróczy's magnum opus today? There are of course several good reasons, from a historical standpoint the book is a must-read… From a chess perspective, a complete collection of Morphy’s games makes a very deep impression… In short, there are a host of good reasons for chess lovers to celebrate Maróczy's classic Paul Morphy, not the least of which is the sheer enjoyment of watching the incomparable maestro at play. – From the Foreword by Charles Hertan, author of The Real Paul Morphy

Hungarian Grandmaster Geza Maroczy (1870-1951) was among the elite of the chess world at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. In fact, in 1906, he and Emanuel Lasker had agreed to a title match, but the details could not be finalized. Capablanca noted that
Maroczy was “one of the greatest masters of his time.”