so weird... hikaru wasted the timer to win

@boilingFrog said in #40:
> Magnus is a wealthy man now. Maybe, much like Morphy, chess is now snapping into his life's proper perspective?
>
> They are both about the same age as when Morphy 'normalized' his life ...

Wasn't Morphy always a wealthy man independent of his chess?

@ThePaulKrapence said in #41:
> Wasn't Morphy always a wealthy man independent of his chess?

Now that you mention it, yes, it sure seems like it. He traveled in style when he visited the world's best chess masters on their home turf ... a wealthy New Orleans family would be my guess.

According to his biographers, Paul Morphy became extremely indignant whenever anyone would suggest (even innocently) that he was a chess "professional." In those days, the word "professional" had certain connotations that were something like "mercenary," and Morphy resented the notion that he might be playing chess for monetary gain. Even when match stakes had to be arranged as a condition of a match, it seems the prize money was never Morphy's motivation. Morphy was an attorney in New Orleans. I'm not sure Morphy's family was exactly rich, but they weren't poor.

It's interesting to me that, in order to improve the standing of chess and the livelihoods of chess players, Garry Kasparov and others a few decades ago decided to insist that chess players be considered "professionals." I understand that the motivation was to help top players receive just compensation for their creativity in chess, but in a way something was lost, perhaps because "commercialism" unfortunately accompanied "professionalism."

The move toward "professionalism" also coincided with the rise of reliance on computer engines for analysis and home preparation. It's possible that the increase in prize fund money for top players (under the banner "professionalism") also contributed to the unfortunate temptation for some players to consult computer engines not only for home preparation, but also in some cases for unfair assistance during competitions.

@jadubovic said in #43:

> In those days, the word "professional" had certain connotations that were something like "mercenary," and Morphy resented the notion that he might be playing chess for monetary gain.

Very true, and it went deeper than that. "Professional" implied that you needed the money, and the only people that needed to be recompensed for their playing time were the labouring classes. To be called a professional was tantamount to being labelled working class, and social elites did not care for this one jot.

The professional/amateur classed distinction was a very strong feature of early codified sports such as association football and cricket in England, where amateurs were celebrated over and above the "grubby" professionals, and it took many decades for professionalism to be grudgingly allowed, although it took decades longer for it to even begin to be socially accepted.