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The King's Men Sun, May 14, 1972 – Page 49 · The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky) · Newspapers.com
Fischer May Give America First Official Championship by Merrill Dowden
Q.—We have heard that if Bobby Fischer defeats Boris Spassky in their forthcoming title match, he would become America's first world chess champion. What about Paul Morphy? Wasn't this American world champion more than a century ago?
A.—There was no official world chess champion until 1886, when Wilhelm Steinitz, a native of Prague, won the title by defeating Dr. J.H. Zukertort. But Morphy, who as born and bred in New Orleans, was undoubtedly the strongest player of his time, and in the opinion of many the greatest player that ever lived. In 1858, he went to Europe and defeated all the leading masters, including the great Adolph Anderssen of Germany. Morphy then returned to the United States and offered to meet any player in the world, giving the considerable odds of move and Pawn. No one would accept the challenge.
Before Morphy, however, Howard Staunton of Great Britain established himself as unofficial champion in 1843 by defeating Pierre de Saint-Amant of France, in a match that was generally considered as the first to be held under the strict conditions of championship competition. Anderssen displaced Staunton by winning the first international chess tournament at London in 1851.
Winning the championship today is a vastly more complicated affair. One must successfully go through a series of challenge matches, just to earn the right to play the world champion.
