May 2, 2005

   It might be mentioned at this time that the game given by Sergeant [Game XCVII] in
Morphy's Games of Chess as played between Paul and Dr. A. P. Forde was not played
by Paul Morphy, nor is it a blindfold game. Dr. Ford's opponent was Ernest Morphy
and the game was played October 5, 1840.
   The game was sent by Ernest as his game to the Cincinnati Sunday Dispatch and
Porter's Spirit of the Times in 1859. The author [Lawson] has the original score as
recorded by Ernest Morphy. Therefore, this game should not appear in future
collections of Paul Morphy's games.

- from: Paul Morphy: The Pride and Sorrow of Chess by David Lawson

Philip Sergeant in his Morphy's Games of Chess credits this game as a blindfold partie between Paul Morphy and Dr. A. Forde. Although I have of course read David Lawson's Paul Morphy: The Pride and Sorrow of Chess, the fact that this was indeed a game between Ernst Morphy and Dr. Forde didn't strike me until it was brought forcefully to my attention.

The stunning part is that in this game Ernest Morphy played every bit as brightly and spiritedly as Paul had later in his Opera Box Game.

Deep inside Ernest Morphy was the heart of a poet.