The Exploits and Triumphs, in Europe, of Paul Morphy, the Chess Champion

In 1857, a slight, intense young man from New Orleans crossed the Atlantic to do something no American had ever done: defeat the European chess establishment at its own game. Paul Morphy was twenty years old, barely out of boyhood, yet already whispered about as the greatest natural talent the game had ever seen. This is the vivid, often theatrical account of his conquests: the exhibitions in London, the demolition of the German master Anderssen, the packed saloons where spectators crowded to watch this American boy dismantle men who had studied the game for decades. Written by an eyewitness who traveled with Morphy, the book captures not just the moves but the atmosphere: the tension, the disbelief, the growing realization that chess had a new sovereign. It also charts the tragedy that follows Morphy's triumph, as the champion walks away from the game at twenty-one, unable to find another worthy challenge. For anyone who has ever wanted to witness genius in the act of becoming legend, this is it.