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| Posted by ccmcacollister mailcafe.net 4/02/2008 08:26:16 play online chess |  Subject: Paul Morphy ... Message: I do recall seeing one somewhere after that where it showed his gravesite, which was not in good shape. MY questions are: Have you seen something you considered the definitive work on Morphy? Or if not that, anything you felt was good, or interesting, etc. Or Bad & erroneous. Or Anything at all. I do like Morphy. Let's not forget I'm the one who heard them say he would not stand a chance playing anyone in the FIDE TOP 100, and called it wrong. (Surely if they fear the tactics of Chess computers, even Unbooked Engines it has been suggested, the tactics of Morphy could score some points? The player Fischer called The Most Accurate in History? ) Question 2, or was 4, 5? Well just any comments you have on Morphy etc ... let's hear it. EG Do you think He could never score on a Top 100 FIDE player? In otherwords, in seems, could neither score on a Fritz? Or Rybka? Or maybe a DEEP DEEP Something? :) |
| Posted by ionadowman mailcafe.net 4/02/2008 12:31:49 play online chess | My own take on Morphy...? Message: Given today's knowledge, or even perhaps it were made available to him, Morphy would be up there with the best, I reckon: top 20 at least. So would, in my view, Adolf Anderssen, his greatest contemporary. I have a feeling Anderssen came unprepared (and out of practice) into the match with Morphy. Winning the first game with the White pieces (... with 1.a3 e5?! 2.c4 - a positional win, not the style we usually associate with Anderssen) may not have helped, either. Although Anderssen took his defeat in good part, he did make a comment later that one can not preserve one's skill level without actually playing. A match with Anderssen at the peak of his form would have been something to watch! I gather Anderssen's 1866 match with Steinitz was just such a slugfest 6-8 with no draws! Steinitz took an early 4-1 lead, Anderssen drew level, to 4-all, 5-all, 6-all before Steinitz took out the final 2 games. It's a pity of the world that Morphy dropped out of the Chess scene. Americans tend to blame Howard Staunton, but Staunton had pretty much retired from chess quite a while before, so it's hard to see that it would have been much of a match. They did play against each other in a consultation game, which suggests maybe too much is made of the alleged rivalry between the two. Morphy and partner won the game. Leaving that aside, imagine the sort of games Morphy might have had with the likes of Steinitz, Zukertort, Gunsberg, Winawer, Mason and Blackburne; then later on Lasker, Tchigorin, Tarrasch; not to mention renewed battles against his contemporaries who continued their own chess careers: Louis Paulsen and H.E.Bird. Morphy was a chess great in his own day, with the potential to be greater still - just as Fischer was last century - and, born 150 years later, would have been great in our day too. I reckon, Ion |
| Posted by ccmcacollister mailcafe.net 4/02/2008 13:50:50 play online chess | ionadowman ... Message: How many times would Morphy lose to that discredited line? Where would he be after one year of theory study? Or perhaps even spectating one modern FIDE tournament? Fischer played only a handful of openings most of his career ... surely Morphy has Somehing in his repetiore that would hold up?! I know its all opinion and unprovable. But don't you find these interesting Questions at least? :) |
| Posted by chessnovice mailcafe.net 4/02/2008 16:28:32 play online chess | ... Message: But it is more appropriate to believe that the two players should have an equal playing field. Morphy was innovative, whereas not everyone in the FIDE top 100 is. If he had the resources of today (or conversely, the FIDE top 100 were only taught by the resources of Morphy's time), I'm sure Morphy would do quite well. |
| Posted by ganstaman mailcafe.net 4/02/2008 17:19:36 play online chess | Message: Topalov played the Cochrane Gambit against Kramnik and drew, so playing a discredited opening alone wouldn't be enough for him to lose. Plus, from what I've seem of Morphy, he could figure out the best moves even without knowing that it's theory. |
| Posted by ionadowman mailcafe.net 4/03/2008 00:29:49 play online chess | Well, there you go! Message: But Craig raises a point, as in a way does ganstaman, and it is something I hinted at myself. If Morphy, having recovered his enthusiasm for the game and been magicked from 1862 into the present day, had the theory available to him to watch, read, figure out, learn, we're in altogether different country. Given the motivation, of course, he would start out looking pretty rusty and then afetr a while - probably not even a long while - he'd be giving anyone a run for their money. Mind you, convincing tournament organizers and sponsors that he was the real deal might take some doing. That would probably be the biggest hurdle to overcome... ;-) Ion |
| Posted by lighttotheright mailcafe.net 4/03/2008 14:20:52 play online chess | Message: I remember years ago analysing some of his games with earlier (but still very strong--even master strength) computer programs. His play was clearly much better than those (at the time) modern computers. With that kind of ability (with no previous modern theory to help), I shudder at the thought of how strong he could be with all the chess knowledge of a modern world class Grandmaster! |
| Posted by cascadejames mailcafe.net 4/03/2008 23:01:28 play online chess | Craig Message: |
| Posted by ketchuplover mailcafe.net 4/04/2008 05:41:25 play online chess | Message: |
| Posted by fmgaijin mailcafe.net 4/04/2008 11:21:55 play online chess | The Definitive Biography Message: |
| Posted by cascadejames mailcafe.net 4/04/2008 13:06:16 play online chess | Morphy on Amazon Message: dozen books about him and his games. Some are recent; some are out of print; at least one may have been written by a relative, "Charles Morphy." |
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