Schacksnack

In this video, I, International Master Thomas Engqvist, explain why A First Book of Morphy by Frisco Del Rosario is such an outstanding and rewarding book — not only for beginners and post-beginners, but also for club players, advanced players, titled players, professional chess players and chess teachers.

What makes this book exceptional is its consistently clear and highly instructive approach. A strong pedagogical thread runs throughout the entire book, helping the reader understand not merely what Paul Morphy played, but why his moves and decisions are so instructive.

More than 60 of Morphy’s games are examined through the lens of Reuben Fine’s 30 playing principles from his classic Chess the Easy Way, together with two additional principles by Cecil Purdy.

Having worked through the entire book, I highlight the ideas and insights that I, as both a chess player and a chess teacher, find particularly valuable — including lessons that are often difficult to find presented so clearly in other chess books.

This is a remarkable book that demonstrates the enduring value of studying Paul Morphy and understanding the classical foundations of chess.

Although Mark Dvoretsky’s fellow Russian chess trainer Mikhail Shereshevsky has argued that studying Morphy is not as essential as studying Steinitz, the importance attached to Morphy by such great champions as Mikhail Botvinnik, Bobby Fischer and Anatoly Karpov suggests that his games still have much to teach us.

Whether you are improving your own chess or teaching others, A First Book of Morphy deserves serious consideration.