The chess king
If care isn’t given, the words “lovely” and “touching” could be over used and lose their meaning. But so much about “Paul Morphy,” which premiered last weekend, is just that, entire scenes, a turn of a phrase, transitions, and notably its lead actor, Eliot Johnston as Morphy.
It’s quickly clear area playwright Noah Sheola has great respect, and a fondness for his subject. When he’s done with you, you’ll feel the same. Morphy, an American, was a chess prodigy in the mid 1800s. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time, the first ever American to be given this distinction.
It’s a tragic story of a man who most likely found his talent trivial, perhaps simply unchallenging. After all, it’s reported by the age of 10 he was doing university level math. Believed to have a photographic memory, Morphy’s interest tended more toward the law, art and opera then chess. All that’s interesting, but Sheola’s telling of the story is more. His portrayal of the man is subtle yet deeply moving.
“Morphy,” is an incredibly clean premiering script, needing little more than a touch of the pen for refinement. Its dialogue is clear, at times approaches poetic — without the side of syrup. There’s also a lot of humor, both sweet and broad, giving balance to the angst, insecurity, and sadness. Sheola uses interesting conventions, offstage setups that foretell the next scene’s direction or melding one scene into another as the acts are physically changed. In the end what the audience comes away with is a very moving human story.
The rest can be read here. 
Fischer may not shine out of the board as much as he did when playing, especially when talking, but one thing I completely agree with him – Morphy was one of the greatest talents EVER played our beloved game.
Morphy represents TALENT, very distinctively and uniquely, unlike today’s player who rely too much in “theory” and “preparation”.
Susan:
Fans sometimes want to know about the best players not only the game habilities or talents, also about them as persons…
I like your questioning about different topics related or no that related to chess… why don´t your start to interview top chess players so we can know them, and not only their games…
Morphy, Capablanca, Steintz are ok but we have Leko, Polgar, Kamsky, Onischuk, etc. and all we know is their .pgn games !!!!
you can try a google search of any chess player you can think of. You will learn a lot about anyone you choose. google finds it all.
if it is a common name and lots of different people show up with the same name then just add the word chess after the name and do the search again. that will filter them out.
some players have different spellings. and chess is spelled differently in other languages.
here is one to start with
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=onischuk+chess
Pride, Sorrow & Chess at Player’s Ring
Special to the Atlantic News
“Paul Morphy,” the latest work by talented Portsmouth playwright Noah Sheola, will take the stage from November 16-26 at the Players’ Ring, located on Marcy Street in Portsmouth. Showtimes are Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sunday nights at 7 p.m. There will be no performance on Thanksgiving Day.
Sheola’s prose, both touching and humorous, tells the tale of one of America’s first and now forgotten international superstars. Born to a distinguished New Orleans family, Paul Morphy is considered by many to be the greatest chess player who ever lived. His meteoric rise to fame in 1858 and sudden departure from the game just a few years later prompted one contemporary to dub him “The Pride and Sorrow of Chess.”
Morphy was a child prodigy and a Creole aristocrat, a charismatic gentleman fluent in four languages and, in his final years, a paranoid recluse dependent upon his mother’s care. The play depicts Morphy’s futile struggle to escape from the prison of his own phenomenal talent.
“Paul Morphy,” featuring Eliot Johnston in the title role, is the fourth play of Noah’s to be produced at the Ring. Noah is a graduate of Bard College. His first play, “Lose Some, Win Some” was the 2002 winner of the Gary Newton Playwriting Competition sponsored by the Players’ Ring in Portsmouth. “The Grotesque History of Marie Antoinette” and “Sent & Sentimentality” received rave reviews and performed to sold-out houses.
Tickets for general admission are $10 for members, $12 for non-members. Student and senior tickets are $8 for members, $10 for nonmembers. Reservations are suggested and can be made by calling the Players’ Ring at (603) 436-8123. For more information about “Paul Morphy” and the 2006 season for the Players’ Ring, visit http://www.playersring.org or call the number above.
To be honest, there are above all others , 3 players that really amaze me like no other GM games , when i watch them :
It’s the games of Morphy , Tal and Fischer .
Morphy is an absolute genius , to see how accurate and deep were his sacrifices while he was a player of the 19th century without the theory or opportunities to play as often as today vs strong players , his direct offensive style that is pure and spontaneous is a real pleasure to watch and very useful to learn .
“Morphy was one of the greatest talents”
I am sure there are MANY similar talents in the US, uncovered and not taken care of.
Why are there no Morphy openings, gambits, etc??
Finally…the greatest chess player in history gets some recognition.
“Anonymous said…
Finally…the greatest chess player in history gets some recognition.”
He wasn’t the greatest in history, either in absolute terms, or in terms of dominance (Philidor wins that award). Nor is it true that he’s never gotten any recognition before. That’s a powerful lot of ignorance to pack into one 10 word sentence.