Editing Paul Morphy (section)

==Biography==

===Early life===
Morphy was born in [[New Orleans]] to a prominent wealthy family. His father [[Alonzo Morphy]], of Spanish and Irish ancestry, was a lawyer. He later served as a Louisiana state legislator, [[List of Attorneys General of Louisiana|Attorney General]], and a [[List of justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court|Louisiana State Supreme Court Justice]]. Morphy's mother, Louise Thérèse Felicitie Thelcide Le Carpentier, was a musically talented woman from a prominent French [[Louisiana Creole people|Creole]] family. Paul grew up in an atmosphere of cultivated, genteel civility, where chess and music were the typical highlights of a Sunday home gathering.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=10-11}}

Sources differ about when and how Morphy learned to play chess.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=11}} According to his uncle, Ernest Morphy, no one formally taught the young Morphy how to play chess; rather, he simply learned by watching others play. After observing Ernest and Alonzo abandon what had been a lengthy game, conceding that it was a draw—Paul spoke up, stating that Ernest should have won.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=11-12}} This surprised the two men, who had not realized that Paul knew the rules of the game, let alone any [[chess strategy|notion of strategy]]. They were even more surprised when Paul proved his claim by resetting the pieces and demonstrating the win his uncle had missed.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=11-12}} Biographer Frederick Milnes Edge dismisses this anecdote as apocryphal, however.{{sfn|Edge|1859|p=2|loc="I sorrowfully confess that my hero's unromantic regard for truth makes him characterize the above statement as a humbug and an impossibility"}} In 1845, Ernest acted as the second for [[Eugène Rousseau (chess player)|Eugène Rousseau]] in his match against [[Charles Henry Stanley|Charles H. Stanley]], and took the young Paul along with him.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=12}}

===Childhood victories===
By 1846, the nine-year-old Morphy was considered one of the best players in New Orleans. That year, General [[Winfield Scott]] visited the city while on his way to the [[Mexican–American War|war with Mexico]]. He informed his hosts that he wanted to spend an evening playing chess against a strong local opponent. While he only played infrequently, Scott enjoyed chess and considered himself to be a formidable player. The arrangements were made, and a game was set up after dinner. When Morphy was brought in, Scott initially took offense to a child being offered as his opponent, believing he was being made fun of. However, after being assured that his wishes had been scrupulously obeyed, and that Morphy was a chess prodigy who would prove his skill, Scott agreed to play. Morphy easily defeated Scott in both of the games they played, ending the second game by {{chessgloss|announced mate|announcing a forced checkmate}} after only six moves.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=13-14}}

During 1848 and 1849, Morphy competed against the leading players in New Orleans.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=18}} He played at least fifty games against [[Eugène Rousseau (chess player)|Eugène Rousseau]], considered to be the strongest of Morphy's opponents during this era, and lost at most five.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=20}} In 1850, Hungarian chess master [[Johann Löwenthal]] visited New Orleans. Löwenthal, a refugee of the [[Hungarian revolution of 1848]], had visited various American cities and competed successfully against the best local players. He accepted an invitation to Judge Morphy's house to play against Paul, now twelve years old.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=21}} Löwenthal soon realized he was facing a formidable opponent: each time Morphy made a good move, Löwenthal's eyebrows shot up in a manner described by Ernest Morphy as "{{lang|fr|comique}}".{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=22}} Löwenthal played three games against Morphy during his stay in New Orleans, with sources recording him as either having two losses and one [[draw (chess)|draw]], or as losing all three games.{{efn|One of the games was given as a draw in Sergeant's ''Morphy's Games of Chess'' (1957), taken from Löwenthal's collection of Morphy's games (1860), but Lawson (1976) considers that the correct score was that published by other sources, such as the ''New York Clipper'', in 1856, as submitted for publication by Ernest Morphy.}}

===Schooling and the First American Chess Congress===
[[File:Paul Morphy standing New York 1859.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|Morphy in 1857, studio of [[Mathew Brady]]<ref name="cb_operagame">{{Cite web |last=Fischer |first=Johannes |date=October 18, 2017 |title=50 games you should know: Morphy vs. Duke of Brunswick, Count Isoard |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/50-games-paul-morphy-simple-powerful-strong |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408154216/https://en.chessbase.com/post/50-games-paul-morphy-simple-powerful-strong |archive-date=April 8, 2023 |access-date=August 1, 2023 |publisher=ChessBase}}</ref>]]
Beginning in 1850, Morphy played relatively little chess for a number of years, instead focusing on his education. Diligent in his studies, he received a [[bachelor's degree]] in 1854 from [[Spring Hill College]] in Mobile, Alabama, with his graduating thesis detailing what he saw as the narrow logical limits on justifications for war and secession by the southern states.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=xi}} He proceeded to spend an additional year on campus studying mathematics and philosophy, and in May 1855 was awarded a [[master's degree]] with the highest honors.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=33–35}}

Morphy went on to study law at the [[Tulane University|University of Louisiana]] (now Tulane University), receiving an [[Bachelor of Laws|LL.B.]] degree on April 7, 1857. It has been claimed that Morphy memorized the complete [[Louisiana Civil Code]] during the course of his studies.<ref>[[Edward Winter (chess historian)|Edward Winter]], [http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/memory.html Memory Feats of Chess Masters], Chess Notes 2764 & 2886</ref>{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=35}}

Not yet the required age to practice law, Morphy found himself with free time after graduation.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=41}} That year, he received an invitation to participate in the First [[American Chess Congress]], to be held from October 6 to November 10, 1857, in New York. Morphy initially declined, but later changed his mind at the urging of [[Alexander Beaufort Meek]], a judge and close family friend.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=45-46}} The main event of the Congress was a 16-man knockout tournament, with each round consisting of short multi-game matches contested by the opponents.{{sfn|Fiske|1859|pp=59–61}} Also competing was the strong German chess master [[Louis Paulsen]], who was already aware of Morphy's talent, and said openly beforehand that he would be the tournament's victor. Moreover, while the competition was underway Paulsen repeatedly stated that if Morphy were to visit Europe, he could prove his status as the game's greatest living player.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--not stated--> |date=September 25, 1858 |title=Biography of Paul Morphy |trans-title= |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/50469338/ |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |page=2 |access-date=December 12, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> As predicted by Paulsen, Morphy defeated James Thompson in the first round, his family friend Meek in the quarter-finals, the German master [[Theodor Lichtenhein]] in the semifinals, and ultimately Paulsen himself in the finals, to win the tournament's grand prize.{{sfn|Fiske|1859|pp=74–95}}

After his victory, Morphy was immediately hailed as the chess champion of the United States, but he appeared to be unaffected by his sudden fame. According to the December 1857 issue of ''Chess Monthly'', "his genial disposition, his unaffected modesty and gentlemanly courtesy have endeared him to all his acquaintances."{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=78-79}} While staying in New York during the fall of 1857, Morphy played 261 games, both with and without odds. In regular games, Morphy's overall record was 87 wins, 8 draws, and 5 losses.{{sfn|Kasparov|2003|p=35}}<ref>{{harvnb|Lawson|2010|p=78}} gives 85 wins, 4 losses, and 8 draws.</ref>

Also in 1857, Morphy founded the Chess Club of New Orleans, becoming its first President.{{sfn|Fiske|1859|p=419}} Early in the following year, he was recruited by [[Daniel Fiske]] to serve as co-editor of his ''Chess Monthly'' publication, a position he held until the end of 1860.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=76-77, 273}}
{{clear}}

===Europe===
[[File:Morphy Löwenthal 1858.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|Morphy vs. Löwenthal, 1858]]
[[File:Winslow Homer - Paul Morphy, the Chess Champion - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|Engraving of Paul Morphy by [[Winslow Homer]] appearing in ''[[Gleason's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion|Ballou's Pictorial]]'' (1859)]]

Up to this time, Morphy was not well known or highly regarded in Europe. Despite his dominance of the American chess scene, the quality of his opponents was relatively low compared to Europe, where most of the best chess players lived. European opinion was that they should not have to make the journey to the United States to play a young and relatively unknown player, especially as the United States had few other quality players to make such a trip worthwhile.{{sfn|Edge|1859|pp=12-16}}

{{blockquote
|The American Chess Association, it is reported, are about to challenge any player in Europe to contest a match with the young victor in the late passage at arms, for from $2,000 to $5,000 a side, the place of meeting being New York. If the battle-ground were to be London or Paris, there can be little doubt, we apprehend, that a European champion would be found; but the best players in Europe are not chess professionals, but have other and more serious avocations, the interests of which forbid such an expenditure of time as is required for a voyage to the United States and back again.
|''[[The Illustrated London News]]''|December 26, 1857{{sfn|Edge|1859|p=16}}
}}

Morphy returned to his home city with no further action. The New Orleans Chess Club determined that a direct challenge should be made to European champion [[Howard Staunton]].

{{blockquote
|Sir,—On behalf of the New Orleans Chess Club, and in compliance with the instructions of that body, we the undersigned committee, have the honor to invite you to visit our city, and there meet Mr. Paul Morphy in a chess match ... {{pb}}... it was suggested that Mr. Morphy, the winner at the late Congress and the present American champion, should cross the ocean, and boldly encounter the distinguished magnates of the transatlantic chess circles; but it unfortunately happens that serious family reasons forbid Mr. Morphy, for the present, to entertain the thought of visiting Europe. It, therefore, becomes necessary to arrange, if possible, a meeting between the latter and the acknowledged European champion, in regard to whom there can be no scope for choice or hesitation—the common voice of the chess world pronounces your name ...
|''New Orleans Chess Club to Howard Staunton''|February 4, 1858{{sfn|Edge|1859|pp=17-18}}
}}

Staunton made an official reply through ''The Illustrated London News'', stating that it was not possible for him to travel to the United States and that Morphy must come to Europe if he wished to challenge him and other European chess players.

{{blockquote
|... The terms of this cartel are distinguished by extreme courtesy, and with one notable exception, by extreme liberality also. The exception in question, however (we refer to the clause which stipulates that the combat shall take place in New Orleans!) appears to us utterly fatal to the match ... {{pb}}... If Mr. Morphy—for whose skill we entertain the liveliest admiration—be desirous to win his spurs among the chess chivalry of Europe, he must take advantage of his purposed visit next year; he will then meet in this country, in France, in Germany, and in Russia, many champions whose names must be as household words to him, ready to test and do honor to his prowess.
|''The Illustrated London News''|April 3, 1858{{sfn|Edge|1859|pp=21-22}}
}}

[[File:PaulMorphySittingLookingChessboard.jpg|thumb|upright=0.80|right|Morphy in 1859<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LjYWAAAAYAAJ |title=Chess in Philadelphia |publisher=Billstein & Son |year=1898 |editor-last=Reichhelm |editor-first=Gustavus C. |at=Frontispiece |editor-last2=Shipley |editor-first2=Walter Penn |editor-link2=Walter Penn Shipley}}</ref>]]
Eventually, Morphy went to Europe to play Staunton and other chess greats. Morphy made numerous attempts at setting up a match with Staunton, but none ever came through. Staunton was later criticized for avoiding a match with Morphy, although his peak as a player had been in the 1840s and he was considered past his prime by the late 1850s. Staunton is known to have been working on his edition of the complete works of Shakespeare at the time, but he also competed in a chess tournament during Morphy's visit. Staunton later blamed Morphy for the failure to have a match, suggesting among other things that Morphy lacked the funds required for match stakes—a most unlikely charge given Morphy's popularity. Morphy also remained resolutely opposed to playing chess for money, reportedly due to family pressure.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=120-122|loc=quoting [[Charles Maurian]]}}

Seeking new opponents, Morphy crossed the [[English Channel]] to France. At Paris's [[Café de la Régence]], the center of French chess, Morphy soundly defeated resident chess professional [[Daniel Harrwitz]]. While there, he also defeated eight opponents in blindfolded simultaneous exhibitions.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=125-134}}

In Paris, Morphy suffered from a bout of [[gastroenteritis]]. In accordance with the medical wisdom of the time, he was [[leech|treated with leeches]], resulting in his losing a significant amount of blood. Although too weak to stand up unaided, Morphy insisted on going ahead with a match against the visiting German master [[Adolf Anderssen]], considered by many to be Europe's leading player. The match between Morphy and Anderssen took place between December 20, 1858, and December 28, 1858, when Morphy was still only 21 years of age.<ref name="Paul Morphy Timeline">{{Cite web |title=Paul Morphy Timeline |url=http://www.edochess.ca/batgirl/Timeline.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806031450/http://www.edochess.ca/batgirl/Timeline.html |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |access-date=July 9, 2020 |website=edochess.ca}}</ref> Despite his illness Morphy triumphed easily, winning seven while losing two, with two [[draw (chess)|draws]].{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=170-172}} When asked about his defeat, Anderssen claimed to be out of practice, but also admitted that Morphy was in any event the stronger player and that he was fairly beaten. Anderssen also attested that in his opinion, Morphy was the strongest player ever to play the game, even stronger than the famous French champion [[Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais|La Bourdonnais]].{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=177-179|loc=quoting a letter from Anderssen to [[Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa|von der Lasa]]}}

Morphy gave numerous simultaneous exhibitions in both England and France, sometimes [[blindfold chess|while blindfolded]], in which he regularly played and defeated eight opponents at a time.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=113–116,128–134,199}}

===Hailed as champion===
[[File:Paul Morphy.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|1859 engraving of Morphy, by Daniel Pound<ref name="cb_operagame" />]]
Still only 21 years old, Morphy was now quite famous. While in Paris, he was sitting in his hotel room one evening, chatting with his companion Frederick Edge, when they had an unexpected visitor. "I am [[Nikolai Borisovich Galitzin|Prince Galitzin]]; I wish to see Mr. Morphy", the visitor said, according to Edge. Morphy identified himself to the visitor. "No, it is not possible!" the prince exclaimed, "You are too young!" Prince Galitzin then explained that he was in the frontiers of [[Siberia]] when he had first heard of Morphy's "wonderful deeds". He explained, "One of my suite had a copy of the chess paper published in Berlin, the ''Schachzeitung'', and ever since that time I have been wanting to see you." He then told Morphy that he must go to [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia, because the chess club in the [[Winter Palace|Imperial Palace]] would receive him with enthusiasm.{{sfn|Edge|1859|p=195}}

Morphy offered to play a match with Harrwitz, giving [[Chess handicap|odds of pawn and move]], and even offered to find stakes to back his opponent, but the offer was declined.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=182}} Morphy then declared that he would play no more formal matches, with anyone, without giving at least those odds.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=183}}

In Europe, Morphy was generally hailed as world chess champion. In Paris, at a banquet held in his honor on April 4, 1859, a laurel wreath was placed over the head of a bust of Morphy, carved by the sculptor [[Eugène-Louis Lequesne]]. Morphy was declared by St. Amant "the first Chess player in the whole world".{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=201-203, quoting St. Amant in ''Le Sport''}} At a similar gathering in London, where he returned in the spring of 1859, Morphy was again proclaimed "the Champion of the Chess World".{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=208}} He may also have been invited to a private audience with [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]].{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=214-215}} At a simultaneous match against five masters, Morphy won two games against [[Jules Arnous de Rivière]] and [[Henry Bird (chess player)|Henry Edward Bird]], drew two games with [[Samuel Boden]] and [[Johann Löwenthal|Johann Jacob Löwenthal]], and lost one to [[Thomas Wilson Barnes]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Maróczy |first=Géza |title=Paul Morphy. Sammlung der von ihm gespielten Partien mit ausführlichen Erläuterungen |publisher=Olms-Verlag |year=1979 |isbn=9783112335703 |edition=reprint |location=Zürich |pages=303–310 |language=de |author-link=Géza Maróczy |orig-date=1909}}</ref>
{{Wikisource|The Boston Banquet to Paul Morphy}}
Upon his return to America, the accolades continued as Morphy toured the major cities on his way home. At the [[New York University|University of the City of New York]], on May 29, 1859, [[John Van Buren]], son of [[Martin Van Buren|President Martin Van Buren]], ended a testimonial presentation by proclaiming, "Paul Morphy, Chess Champion of the World".{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=221-225}} In Boston, at a banquet attended by [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]], [[Louis Agassiz]], Boston mayor [[Frederic W. Lincoln Jr.]], and [[Harvard University|Harvard]] president [[James Walker (Harvard)|James Walker]], [[Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.|Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes]] toasted "Paul Morphy, the world's Chess Champion".{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=232-233}} Consumer products including the "Morphy Hat" and the "Morphy Cigar" were named for him, as was the Morphy Baseball Club in Brooklyn.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=237}}

At the New York testimonial dinner, Morphy made an assessment of chess that has been widely paraphrased:
{{blockquote|Chess never has been and never can be aught but a recreation. It should not be indulged in to the detriment of other and more serious avocations&mdash;should not absorb the mind or engross the thoughts of those who worship at its shrine; but should be kept in the background and restrained within its proper province.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=223-224}}}}
Nowadays this may seem ironic or even paradoxical in light of Morphy's dedication to chess. But at the time, Morphy's remarks did not cause surprise.

Morphy was engaged to write a series of chess columns for the ''[[New York Ledger]]'', which started in August of 1859. They consisted primarily of annotating games of the [[La Bourdonnais – McDonnell chess matches]] of 25 years before, plus a few of Morphy's own games. The column ended in August of 1860.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=242-244}}

===Retirement from chess and later life===
{{Wikisource|Paul Morphy: His Later Life}}
After returning home in 1859, Morphy intended to start a career in law. He did not immediately cease playing serious chess; on a visit to Cuba in 1864, he played a number of games with leading players of that country, including [[Celso Golmayo Zúpide]], the champion, all at odds of a knight. For the rest of his life, Morphy would not compete in another tournament or serious match without odds, a stipulation he would stress repeatedly.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=272, 290-294, 300}}

Morphy was late to start his law career,{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=251, 294-298}} not having done so by the time the [[American Civil War]] broke out in 1861. His brother Edward had joined the army of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] at the very beginning of the war, while his mother and sisters had emigrated to Paris.<ref>Thomas Eichorn, Karsten Müller and Rainier Knaak, ''Paul Morphy: Genius and Myth'', 2003 ChessBase, Hamburg</ref> Not much is known about Morphy's Civil War service; David Lawson cites contemporary reports that Morphy had briefly been on the staff of [[Pierre Beauregard]], as well as being seen at the [[First Battle of Manassas]]. Lawson also recounts a recollection by a Richmond resident in 1861 describing Morphy as being "an officer on Beauregard's staff".{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=280}} Other sources indicate that Beauregard considered Morphy to be unqualified, but that he had indeed applied for a staff position.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taylor Kingston, ''Morphy: More or Less?'' |url=http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review410.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206213239/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review410.pdf |archive-date=December 6, 2010 |access-date=June 21, 2010}}</ref> During the war, he spent time both in New Orleans and abroad, spending time in [[Havana]] (1862, 1864){{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=282-283, 293-294}}<ref>Andrés Clemente Vázquez, ''La odisea de Pablo Morphy en La Habana'', La Propaganda Literaria, Habana 1893.</ref> and [[Paris]] (1863).{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=285-291}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Neistadt |first=Jakov |title=Shakhmaty do Steinitza |publisher=Fizkultura i sport |year=1961 |location=Moscow |pages=184 |language=ru |oclc=2821562}}</ref>

After the war, Morphy remained unable to build a successful law practice.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=294-295, 301-303}} According to records, Morphy attempted at least three times to open and advertise a law office, with each endeavor ultimately being abandoned.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=294-298, 301-303}} It has been speculated that his celebrity as a chess player worked against him, overshadowing his attempted practice.{{sfn|Sergeant|1916|p=25}}{{sfn|Lawson|2010|p=303}} Financially secure thanks to his family's fortune, Morphy essentially spent the rest of his life in idleness. When asked by admirers to return to chess competition, he refused. In 1883, Morphy encountered [[Wilhelm Steinitz]] on the street while Steinitz was visiting New Orleans, but declined to discuss chess with him.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=322–323}}

===Mental illness===
Morphy showed signs of deteriorating mental health in his final years. By 1875, his mother, brother and a friend tried to admit him to a Catholic sanitarium, but Morphy was so well able to argue for his rights and sanity that they sent him away.{{sfnm|1a1=Lawson|1y=2010|1p=304|2a1=Hertan|2y=2024|2p=350}} Morphy had shown signs of a persecution complex; he sued his brother-in-law, for example, and tried to provoke a duel with a friend. Hertan notes that it is not easy to determine just when this behavior began, or what might have triggered it, but gives as an example some incidents described in a letter by [[Charles Johnson Woodbury|Charles J. Woodbury]] to [[The Hartford Times]] in 1873.{{sfn|Hertan|2024|pp=349-350}} By 1879, according to a letter to the ''Cincinnati Commercial'' from a Dr. L. P. Merideth, Morphy was talking to himself and responding to imaginary salutations.{{sfnm|1a1=Lawson|1y=2010|1pp=308-309,370|2a1=Hertan|2y=2024|2pp=353-354}}

[[Ernest Jones]] published an article of psychoanalytic discussion of Morphy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jones |first=Ernest |date=January 1931 |title=The Problem of Paul Morphy; A Contribution to the Psycho-Analysis of Chess |url=http://www.edochess.ca/batgirl/Jones.html |url-status=live |journal=International Journal of Psycho-Analysis |volume=12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311194658/http://www.edochess.ca/batgirl/Jones.html |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |access-date=March 11, 2023}}</ref> [[Reuben Fine]] published a longer article in which Morphy was mentioned.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fine |first=Reuben |author-link=Reuben Fine |date=1956 |title=Psychoanalytic Observations on Chess and Chess Masters |journal=Psychoanalysis |volume=4 |pages=7–77 |number=3}}</ref> Both articles have been criticized for the use of unreliable historical sources.{{sfn|Lawson|2010|pp=313-319}}

Fine wrote that Morphy "arranged women's shoes into a semi-circle around his bed", and this has been widely copied and embellished upon.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winter |first=Edward |author-link=Edward Winter (chess historian) |title=Fun |url=https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/fun.html |website=Chess Notes}}</ref> But it is a misquotation from a booklet written by Morphy's niece, Regina Morphy-Voitier. She wrote: <blockquote>Now we come to the room which Paul Morphy occupied, and which was separated from his mother's by a narrow hall. Morphy's room was always kept in perfect order, for he was very particular and neat, yet this room had a peculiar aspect and at once struck the visitor as such, for Morphy had a dozen or more pairs of shoes of all kinds which he insisted in keeping arranged in a semi-circle in the middle of the room, explaining with his sarcastic smile that in this way, he could at once lay his hands on the particular pair he desired to wear. In a huge porte-manteau he kept all his clothes which were at all times neatly pressed and creased.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Morphy-Voitier |first=Regina |title=Life of Paul Morphy in the Vieux Carré of New-Orleans and Abroad |year=1926 |pages=38 |oclc=4938814}}</ref></blockquote>
Fine incorrectly claimed that the shoes described were ''women's'' shoes instead of Morphy's own. But in any case, Hertan dismisses the psychoanalytical studies:{{blockquote|While Freudian Psychoanalysis still has many adherents, no credible Psychotherapist today ascribes a Major Mental Illness to internal conflicts; the biochemical basis of Psychotic Disorders is too well understood.{{sfn|Hertan|2024|p=355}}}}

===Death===
{{multiple image |total_width = 310
 |image1 = StLouis1CemPaulMorphy.jpg
 |width1 = 2112 |height1 = 2816
 |caption1 = Morphy's crypt in [[Saint Louis Cemetery]] No. 1
 |image2 = Paul morphy Michael Nyika Copyright flickr.jpg
 |width2 = 335 |height2 = 500
 |caption2 = Morphy's gravestone
}}

On the afternoon of July 10, 1884, Morphy was found dead in his bathtub in New Orleans at the age of 47. The cause of death was described as [[congestion of the brain]] brought on by entering cold water after a long walk in the midday heat.<ref name="Times Democrat">{{Cite web |title=Obituary in the ''Times Democrat'' 1884 |date=July 3, 2013 |url=http://www.chess.com/blog/batgirl/charles-de-maurians-obituary-of-paul-morphy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222162605/http://www.chess.com/blog/batgirl/charles-de-maurians-obituary-of-paul-morphy |archive-date=February 22, 2015 |access-date=July 4, 2013}}</ref>{{efn|Congestion of the brain is no longer used as a diagnosis; Morphy may have suffered a stroke.{{sfn|Hertan|2024|p=358}}}} A lifelong Catholic, Morphy was buried in the family tomb in [[Saint Louis Cemetery]] No. 1, New Orleans, Louisiana.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Louisiana Digital Library |date=December 13, 2020 |title=Tomb of Paul Morphy in St. Louis Cemetery #1, New Orleans Louisiana in the 1930s |url=https://louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/state-lwp%3A3232 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407035237/https://louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/state-lwp:3232 |archive-date=April 7, 2023 |access-date=December 13, 2020 |publisher=Louisiana Works Progress Administration of Louisiana}}</ref> The mansion was sold by the family in 1891, and later became the site of the restaurant [[Brennan's]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Stahls |first=Paul F. |date=Jan–Feb 2018 |title=Walking Through History |url=https://www.louisianalife.com/walking-through-history/ |magazine=Louisiana Life |page=70 |issn=1042-9980 |access-date=December 14, 2023}}</ref>