'Tis the season to be a little melancholy, if you want to know the truth. Chess lovers have a lot to be thankful for these days, but there's an undeniable post-world championship match letdown now that Magnus Carlsen has successfully defended his crown again. And for a second straight holiday season, the specter of COVID-19 is hanging over the game.
Champion from ‘Queen’s Gambit’ is memorialized in Mobile
Today 8:32 AM
When “The Queen’s Gambit” became all the rage on Netflix last year, chess saw a massive jump in popularity and people became fascinated with its history and champions. But few may realize one of the champions mentioned in the series, New Orleans native Paul Morphy, is memorialized in Mobile, where he attended school.
Here’s the backstory.
Paul Charles Morphy was born June 22, 1837, in New Orleans to a wealthy family where his father and uncle spent their leisure time playing chess, according to David Lawson in the book “Paul Morphy: The Pride and Sorrow of Chess.”