A First Book of Morphy

By Frisco Del Rosario

A First Book of Morphy aims to illustrate the teachings of three great chessplayers with games played by the first American chess champion, Paul Morphy. The book presents more than 60 of Morphy's brilliant and instructive games in demonstration of basic chess principles written by grandmasters Reuben Fine and Cecil Purdy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1412039061
• ISBN13: 9781412039062
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A great teacher!

A great way to learn the fundamental principles behind chess. You can learn a strategy and go over a game of Paul Morphy. Apply the things you learned from this book and you will definitely see your game improve!

Great book, bad notation choice.

As previous reviewers have said before, the book is fantastic. Unfortunately it has a peculiarity that makes it somewhat hard to read. The author wants to do without any indicators (!, !!, ?, !?, etc), which says have been abused in the past. Well, the author takes that premise to the extreme, removing all indicators, including the capture and check symbols. For example, Nxc3+, Nxc3, Nc3 and Nxc3# are written as Nc3 on this book. It may not sound as a big deal, but it eventually gets tiresome. It is specially annoying when side-lines are given. Here is to hoping the next revision is printed on Algebraic or Descriptive notation.

Clear and Concise

Mr. Del Rosario is an expert in the subject of teaching chess. I have first-hand knowledge of this and vouch for his abilities. This book is clear, very well designed, and he gets right to the point. Definitely worth a place in the library of chess players of all levels.

Economy & Lucidity a la Morphy

Nineteenth century American prodigy Paul Morphy never wrote anything about how to play chess, but his games are sparkling examples of classical chess principles at work. He had a talent for discovering magical moves that wound his opponents up in knots -- check, check, and mate out of nowhere. How did he do it? Everyone agrees that it was his insight into principles and his tactical genius that allowed him to dominate the greatest masters of Europe in his day. So, a book of Morphy's games would be entertaining and inspiring. But Frisco del Rosario has done more than compile brilliancies from Morphy's games -- he uses carefully selected games as case studies to illustrate principles enunciated by chess writers such as Fine, Horowitz, and Purdy. On the one hand, you have a principle, such as "Develop with threats" and on the other you have an application, "Morphy vs. Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard." The back and forth between principle and illustrations is well-choreographed and told in a lean and lucid manner. The beauty of this approach is del Rosario's choice of games to illustrate the principles -- they are all crystal clear. The cumulative wisdom of the principles themselves form a unified approach to good chess. Very helpful are del Rosario's explanations of tactical sidelights that informed the decisions of Morphy and his opponents. Some authors go overboard on this and leave you mired in detail. Not in this book. The text, like the games of Morphy, moves quickly. Read it and play through the examples for enjoyment, and you'll feel the effects next time you're faced with a decision over the board.

This is THE must have book

This book is incredible. I have bought (and sold!) many different chess books but this is the first that has had a dramatic impact on my game. I have been to many of the author's lectures that were based on this book. It was how I was able to rediscover my game and got me back to the core principles of how to win a game (vs. memorizing the 20 variations to the xyz defense to the abc attack). It made chess fun again and had me winning more games. The book is very readable and well thought out. It is also very powerful - you can spend a little time with it and still have a solid improvement - or you can spend a lot more time and be amazed at how much it can do for your game and your perspective on chess. With regard to applicability, it has a wide range. I am using it with my young kids and know a bunch of expert players who love it also. I can't recommend it highly enough.