This New Orleans restaurant was once home to America’s first chess superstar

Paul Morphy’s Chess Craze Conquers New Orleans

In 1857, New Orleans went chess crazy, all thanks to a 20-year-old kid named Paul Morphy.

Raised at 417 Royal Street, he shocked America by crushing the top players at the First American Chess Congress in New York. After his win, Morphy turned down the $300 prize, taking only silver cups and a tray.

Back home, his fame sparked a city-wide obsession.

Soon, stores ran out of chess sets, newsboys talked chess moves, and even cops studied the game while walking their beats. Morphy then went to Europe and beat everyone there too.

Today, his childhood home lives on as Brennan’s Restaurant, where his legacy waits in the Morphy Room.

A 9-Year-Old Boy Beat a General at Chess

Paul Morphy grew up in a rich New Orleans Creole family in 1837.

He learned chess just by watching his dad and uncle play during Sunday family gatherings at their Royal Street home. Without lessons, little Paul shocked everyone by solving a tough game position.

At age 9, he beat General Winfield Scott twice, winning the second game in just six moves.

By age 12, everyone in New Orleans knew Paul was the best chess player in town after winning games for three straight years.

The Day a Chess Master Got Schooled by a Kid

Johann Löwenthal, who fled Hungary during the 1848 revolution, visited New Orleans in 1850. He treated 12-year-old Paul like a cute kid at first, even patting his head.

As they played, Löwenthal’s eyebrows kept rising whenever Paul made smart moves. The boy won all three games against this pro chess master.

This victory put Paul on the map beyond New Orleans, showing that this Louisiana kid had serious skills.

School Books Replaced Chess Boards for a Few Years

Paul cut back on chess after beating Löwenthal to focus on school.

He went to Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, finishing with a math and classics degree in 1854. He stayed an extra year to study more math and philosophy, getting his Master of Arts in 1855.

Two years later, he earned his law degree from what’s now called Tulane. People said he memorized the entire Louisiana Civil Code while studying.

The Tournament That Changed Everything

At 20, Paul was too young to practice law after graduating in 1857, so he had free time. He first turned down an invite to the First American Chess Congress in New York.

His family friend Judge Alexander Beaufort Meek talked him into going. Paul dominated the 16-player tournament, winning each match by wide margins.

In the finals, he beat German master Louis Paulsen with 5 wins, 2 draws, and just 1 loss.

New Orleans Went Wild for Chess

When Paul returned to New Orleans in winter 1857 as America’s chess champion, the whole city caught chess fever. Until summer 1858, you couldn’t walk down a street without hearing chess talk.

Stores sold out of chess books, boards, and pieces. Newsboys chatted about chess moves while selling papers.

Even police officers studied chess problems during their patrol shifts, trying to get better at the game.

The Chess Club That Started a Movement

Paul started the Chess Club of New Orleans in 1857 and became its first president. The club challenged European champion Howard Staunton to come to New Orleans for a match.

Staunton refused, saying Paul needed to come to Europe instead. While in New York in fall 1857, Paul played 261 games, winning 87, drawing 8, and losing only 5.

He also joined Daniel Fiske as co-editor of Chess Monthly magazine starting in January 1858.

Taking His Talents Across the Atlantic

In 1858, Paul went to Europe. Though invited to the Birmingham tournament, he chose one-on-one matches instead.

He easily beat top English players like Thomas Barnes (19-7) and Henry Bird (10-1). Howard Staunton kept making excuses to avoid playing Paul, claiming he was busy with Shakespeare work.

Paul amazed crowds by playing multiple opponents at once, sometimes blindfolded, often beating eight players simultaneously.

During a break at “The Barber of Seville” in Paris, he played what became known as the famous “Opera Game.

The Match That Made Him a Legend

Paul traveled to Paris and easily beat Daniel Harrwitz at the famous Café de la Régence.

He won despite fighting a stomach illness and being weakened by leeches treatment, which doctors back then thought helped. Paul then pushed to play against Adolf Anderssen, considered Europe’s strongest player.

In December 1858, he beat Anderssen with 7 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws. After the match, Anderssen admitted that Paul was “the strongest player ever to play the game.”

America’s First Global Sports Hero

The European chess world crowned Paul as the unofficial world chess champion. At a Paris banquet on April 4, 1859, they placed a laurel wreath on a bust of him.

London held a similar ceremony calling him “Champion of the Chess World. ” Some say Queen Victoria even invited him for a private meeting.

French master Saint-Amant called Paul “the first Chess player in the whole world. ” At just 22, he had become one of America’s first international sports stars.

Fame Couldn’t Survive the Civil War

Paul came back to New York on May 11, 1859, greeted with patriotic celebrations. New York University held a special gathering where he got gold and silver Tiffany chessmen.

Harvard scholars attended a Boston banquet for him, where James Russell Lowell gave a toast. Baseball clubs and cigars got named after him when his fame peaked.

Though he tried to start a law practice in New Orleans, his chess fame overshadowed his legal career. The Civil War broke out soon after, with his family fleeing to Havana and Paris when Union soldiers arrived.

Chess in New Orleans never bounced back to its pre-war excitement, and Paul stopped playing competitive chess by 1870. He died suddenly in 1884 at just 47 years old.

Visiting Brennan’s Restaurant, Louisiana

Brennan’s Restaurant at 417 Royal Street in the French Quarter serves Creole cuisine and invented the famous Bananas Foster dessert. You need advance reservations, which open 60 days before your visit.

Gentlemen must follow the dress code at dinner. You can watch tableside flambéed dishes being prepared.

Valet parking costs $8 at the Omni Royal Orleans Garage Thursday through Monday.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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