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 Régence 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 Rivière 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.