Would Paul Morphy had been the first world champion if he didn't get sick?

but especially me!

Morphy was a busy man, he was a laywer by profession, and he never considered chess as a respectable job to start with.

I don't believe Morphy practiced law one day in his life.

edit: from wiki:

"Having vanquished virtually all serious opposition, Morphy reportedly declared that he would play no more matches without giving odds of pawn and move.[5] After returning home he declared himself retired from the game and, with a few exceptions, gave up public competition for good. Unfortunately, Morphy's embryonic law career was disrupted in 1861 by the outbreak of the American Civil War. Opposed to secession, Morphy did not serve in the Confederate Army. During the war he lived partly in New Orleans and partly abroad, spending time in Paris and Havana, Cuba.

Possibly because of his antiwar stance, Morphy was unable to successfully build a law practice even after the war ended. His attempts to open a law office failed; when he had visitors, they invariably wanted to talk about chess, not their legal affairs. Financially secure thanks to his family fortune, Morphy essentially spent the rest of his life in idleness. Asked by admirers to return to chess competition, he refused."

that should be true

He died with the title, therfore he was officially a lawyer even though he didn't practiced that profession the moment he had recieved it.

That hardly makes him a busy man, he did have the title, but after he stopped playing chess, and stopped his ideas of being an active lawyer, he didn´t do anything untill one day he died. Doing nothing doesn´t count as being busy.

sort of

Morphy was the gateway in between Anderssen and Steinitz. Whether he would have adjusted to this new, positional style of play is up for debate. If he had have, Morphy probably would have been a match for Steinitz, perhaps even better. But had he not adjusted he would have suffered just as Blackburne, Spiellmann and Marshall did.

i'm sure he would give Stienitz a headache even if Stienitz won

Nnaa33:

"than you should really check out his game against the Consultants which he played blindfolded while watching an opera"

How can you watch and opera if you're blindfolded?

" Financially secure thanks to his family fortune, Morphy essentially spent the rest of his life in idleness."

That statement could be misleading. Morphy frittered away his share of the inheritance with frivolous lawsuits. He sold most of his chess stuff because he was broke. The South lost the war so the Morphy confederate money was worthless. The Union army allowed them to live in their own home when they took over the city in 1864. Morphy may have spent the rest of his life in idleness---but it wasnt because he was wealthy.

You guys do realize that this thread died a year ago, right?

Well then---how come a live wire like you is hanging around on this thread---are you a zombie?????

Possibly...but a very picky zombie.  If you're brain isn't gourmet, you're safe. 

 These are different era's, so you cant compare..