In this week’s New In Chess Podcast episode, Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam receives American coach and chess writer Charles Hertan to talk about his new book The Real Paul Morphy.

The Real Paul Morphy is not the first book by Charles Hertan that New In Chess published. In 2008, Hertan’s Forcing Chess Moves won the Chess Café Book of the Year Award and authored the successful Power Chess for Kids series.

The Real Paul Morphy (publication date 25 July) focuses on the life and games of the great American champion Paul Morphy (1837-1884), one of the biggest stars the game has ever seen.

Morphy dazzled the world for only a couple of years with his brilliant play before he withdrew from all chess competitions and tragically died at the young age of 47.

In his book, Hertan chronologically tells the story of Morphy’s life and his amazing chess career, interspersed by his most important games with fresh analysis.

Hertan uses his experience as a professional psychotherapist to shed new light on Morphy’s tragic mental deterioration. He also examines the state of chess before Morphy, wading into the current debate whether Morphy’s time should rightly be called the ‘Romantic Era’.    

In a conversation rife with stories and anecdotes, Dirk Jan and Charles talk about the legacy of Morphy, his unique talent, his place in history, his baffling triumphs and exploits, and his tragic final years as he descended into mental illness.

If you are interested in Morphy, chess history, great stories, or all three, you should not miss this podcast.

The New In Chess podcast is published every Friday and can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and the New In Chess website.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro
01:43 – How did the concept for “The Real Paul Morphy” come about?
02:55 – How good was Morphy in Charles’s estimation?
05:00 – Morphy’s incredible natural talent
10:25 – Morphy’s dominance in the US and first European tournaments
13:01 – AD BREAK
13:53 – Morphy’s gentle personality
17:19 – Why did the match with Howard Staunton fall through, according to Charles?
19:20 – The difficult character of Howard Staunton
24:11 – Frederick Milnes Edge
29:03 – AD BREAK
30:26 – Morphy’s mental illness, comparison with Fischer
35:40 – Morphy’s later years as a psychotic 
38:15 – The women’s shoes myth
40:41 – Can we draw a connection between Morphy’s brilliance and madness?
44:00 – Morphy’s disdain for chess as a hobby worthy of pursuing as an occupation
49:40 – AD BREAK
50:12 – Charles’s desire to keep Morphy’s legacy alive
55:20 – The “romantic” label, Charles’s assessment of Morphy, Staunton and Anderssen
58:10 – Morphy’s influence on the game, Wilhelm Steinitz
1:00:10 – Will Charles write about Pillsbury next?
1:02:20 – Outro