MORPHY AND MONGREDIEU.
After Anderssen's departure, Paul Morphy declared he would play no more
even matches, and, certainly, his resolve was justified by the unheard-of
manner in which he had walked over all opponents. There are but two
players who do not confess the inutility of contending against him on even
terms--Messrs. Staunton and Harrwitz--but then the former would not fight,
and the latter fought and ran away, so that their opinions, with regard to
themselves and Morphy, are somewhat damaged by circumstances. The opinions
of these two gentlemen are, in fact, peculiar one towards the other; Mr.
Harrwitz declaring that he can give Mr. Staunton the odds of pawn and
move; and Mr. S., that he also can afford the same advantage to the
Prussian player. But no man in his senses believes either of them.
Morphy now determined to offer the pawn and move to Herr Harrwitz, and
forthwith challenged him to the contest, but the latter respectfully
declined, on the grounds that he considered himself quite as good a
player as his challenger. Modest, was it not? especially just after their
late match, and the _sauve qui peut_ manner in which the Prussian had
shown his heels before its conclusion? Morphy felt so much desire to play
this proposed match, that he even offered to find stakes to back his
antagonist, but all to no purpose. One or two croakers expressed their
opinion that Morphy would scarcely get a game if the affair came off, when
our hero replied--"If I do not beat him, he will at all events have to
work hard for the odd game."
Harrwitz having declined all further risk, there now remained little to be
accomplished, and Morphy forsook the Regence and seemed to have taken a
positive aversion to chess. There was, however, one more adversary to be
overcome; one, who, like Anderssen, sought out our hero in the French
capital, and threw down his gauntlet, which was immediately taken up. Mr.
Mongredieu, the President of the London Chess Club, made the journey to
Paris expressly to remind Paul Morphy that before his departure from
England, he had promised to play a match with him, and he now announced
himself as ready for the encounter. Mr. Mongredieu had no idea of
vanquishing his youthful foe, but in addition to the pleasure of a tilt
with him, he was desirous of seeing by how much Morphy could beat him.
The contest came off at Mr. Mongredieu's rooms in the Hotel du Louvre,
Messrs. St. Amant and De Riviere being the only strangers present. The
first game admirably played by Mr. M. resulted in a draw, and then Morphy
scored seven _parties_ one after the other, which constituted him victor.
The third game, beautifully managed throughout by Mr. Mongredieu, slipped
from his grasp after nine or ten hours' struggle; because of his not
playing _the very best move_, Morphy stepped in at the lucky moment and
the day was his. I can easily understand that Mr. Mongredieu was exhausted
after so many hours' intense application; Morphy never tires, and no
amount of continuous sitting will ever influence his play. I have seen him
sit down, in New York, at 9 A. M., and beat one antagonist after another
until past midnight, for many successive days, yet without weakening his
play in the least; and when Paulsen would take half an hour on a move, an
hour over the succeeding one, and on a certain occasion reached the
unparalleled limit of two hours, Morphy sat calmly looking on, without the
slightest evidence of impatience. Before Mr. Staunton declined Morphy's
challenge, I was frequently amused by gentlemen who knew the former well,
but knew little of the latter, expressing the opinion that the English
player would tire out his youthful challenger, and win by playing "a
waiting game." I laughed heartily at their fears, for I knew Morphy could
sit out Staunton and the late Mr. Williams one after the other. And I
think my readers must also be satisfied of this, remembering Morphy's _ten
hours' blindfold play at Paris, without taking even a glass of water, and
in bodily pain, too_.