Paul Charles Morphy was born on June 22, 1837 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. It is also the date of birth of a chess legend that has lived in the minds and hearts of chess players around the world for over 150 years.
Many considered him and still consider him the greatest chess master of all time, a brilliant genius whose brilliant games still inspire admiration in all chess circles.
As a boy he made rapid progress with the scarce chess literature of the time and by the age of 12 he was beating not only his cousins, but also the best players in New Orleans: James McConnell and Eugène Rousseau.
In 1850, he created a real sensation. That year, the famous Hungarian champion Löwenthal, known worldwide as one of the strongest players in Europe, visited New Orleans. He visited Morphy's house and played two games with the boy. The result was astonishing. Little Paul won one game, and the other ended in a draw.
Over the next seven years, Morphy put chess aside, during which time he completed high school and law school.
His strongest opponents were:
Adolf Anderssen - German chess master and Professor of Mathematics
Johann Löwenthal - Hungarian chess master
Daniel Harrwitz - German (Prussian) chess master

                                                   Morphy vs. Löwenthal, 1858

On the afternoon of July 10, 1884, Morphy was found dead in New Orleans. The cause of death was said to be a stroke caused by a cold shower after a long walk in the heat. He was only 47 years old.