Paul Morphy vs Vasily Smyslov
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Paul Morphy | Vasily Smyslov | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1837 | 1921 |
| Died | 1884 | 2010 |
| Country of birth | United States | Russia |
| Star sign | Cancer | Pisces |
Who they are
Paul Morphy
In the parlors of antebellum New Orleans, a child of eight sat across from his father and an uncle and began absorbing a game that would consume and ultimately destroy him. Paul Charles Morphy had not been formally taught chess. He had watched the adults play, absorbed the rules by observation, and by the time he asked to join a game, he was already capable of beating grown men. The year was 1845. Within a decade, there would not be a stronger player alive on earth.
Full biography of Paul Morphy →
Vasily Smyslov
There is a quality in the chess of Vasily Smyslov that analysts have struggled for decades to name precisely. The word most often used is harmony — his pieces moved as if pulled by gravitational attraction to their correct squares, his positions unfolded with the logic of a musical composition, his endgame technique translated apparently equal positions into victories with a consistency that approached the mechanical. But harmony is an aesthetic judgment, and Smyslov's chess was something more than aesthetically pleasing. It was, in the deepest sense, correct — and correctness sustained over a career…
Full biography of Vasily Smyslov →
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: United States and Russia.
- 84 years separate their births (1837 and 1921).
- Their lifetimes never overlapped.
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Paul Morphy or Vasily Smyslov?
- Paul Morphy. Paul Morphy was born in 1837, Vasily Smyslov in 1921.
- What field is each of them in?
- Paul Morphy is filed under Sports (Chess). Vasily Smyslov is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- No - their lifetimes do not overlap.