Charles Amedée Maurian
Born: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Died: Paris, France
He was the closest and life-long friend of Paul Morphy. In October 1862, in the midst of the Civil War, he accompanied Morphy to Cuba on a Spanish steamboat, with the ultimate destination of Paris in 1863. All together, there are 75 known games between Maurian and Paul Morphy.
Obituaries
"News of the death in Paris, France, of Charles Amedée Maurian, formerly of this city, and famous in Europe and in this country as a chess student of vast erudition, will be received with regret by his friends in New Orleans, and especially by the members of the Chess, Checkers and Whist Club, of which he was one of the founders, the first vice president afters its organization, and, at the time of his death an honorary life member." (1)
"In the death of Charles A. Maurian, at Paris, France, on Monday last, the whole chess world has suffered a very great loss, but the chess fraternity of this city will feel the blow most deeply, for here the loss is of a rarely personal character owing to Mr. Maurian's great coterie of New Orleans friends. Seldom has a local player been so lauded for his chessic prowess, and never has one been more genuinely and unanimously admired for his personal character; indeed it does not seem too much to say that, in the passing of Mr. Maurian, the Chess, Checkers and Whist Club has lost one of its most revered members, and the Crescent City, one of its noblest sons.
Charles Amedee Maurian was born in New Orleans, May 21, 1838, of distinguished French ancestry. His after was Charles A. Maurian, for many years judge of the parish and City Civil Court, while his mother, Miss Lasthénie Peychaud, came from one of the most aristocratic San Domingo families. Among the early recollections of Mr. Maurian's is his remembrance of seeing Paul Morphy, then only twelve years old, just eleven months the elder of the young Charles, playing chess with the latter's grand-parents, and, so darkly sometimes is the future veiled, that the little Charles wondered how any boy could be interested in a game so quiet and unamusing! Some few years later, this child friendship was cemented into a life-long esteem, for in 1853, the two lads were at school together, at Spring Hill College, Mobile, Ala., and, while Charles was temporarily a shut-in in the college infirmary, Paul taught him the rudiments of the royal game. The pupil made wonderful progress and, at first receiving the odds of Queen from his genius-tutor, he soon grew strong enough to have the odds of a Knight only—and on these terms he and Paul Morphy played to the very end.
Apropos of this last, Mr. Maurian was wont to relate, modestly, of course, as was always his way, but humorously, too, how at the Paris congress of 1867, the late Herr Rosenthal, then the French champion and one of the leading masters in the grand tourney, had announced that inasmuch Morphy had given the New Orleanian the odds of Knight, he (Rosenthal) could yield him the half-Knight, i.e., the games being alternately at Knight-odds and on even terms. Imagine the surprised chagrin of the confident Frenchman when the resulting match of fourteen games was won by Mr. Maurian, who had scored all the Knight-odds parties and the majority of the even-term ones!
Five years after his introduction to the game, Mr. Maurian entered his first tournament, at the New Orleans Chess Club, and, although barely in his twentieth year, he won the highest honors. Subsequently, he took part in various local contests, invariably achieving eminent positions, but he was never known to engage in a public tournament outside his native city. For upwards of thirty years, he was recognized as an active amateur of the very high class and standing and during this period he met many famous masters on even terms, always making an excellent showing even against such chess Titans as Capt. Mackenzie, Tchigorin, Zukertort and Steinitz. During the past twenty years or so, however, Mr. Maurian had retired from active play, but he still maintained his interest in all things pertaining to his favorite game, being accounted always one of the most profound and erudite students of chess, and, although, unfortunately, he has written no books, his contributions to chess literature, in the way of essays and annotations, have been both numerous and valuable.
Being thus such a deep student of Caissa, it is natural that Mr. Maurian should have turned to chess editorship, and his first column appeared in the New Orleans Delta, March 14, 1858, and lasted until Nov. 25, 1860, being the first regular chess department ever established in the Crescent City. In February, 1883, he became co-editor and one of the originators of the chess department of The Times-Democrat and for many years contributed regularly to this column. He was, also, among the founders of the New Orleans Chess, Checkers and Whist Club, having been elected to the first presidency of this association, and, at the time of his death, he still remained an honorary member of the club.
Feb. 26, 1862, Mr. Maurian was married to Miss Marie Meffre-Rouzan, and thus only about ten months ago, the long happy couple celebrated their golden wedding with half a century of beautiful comradeship to look back upon. Since 1890, Mr. and Mrs. Maurian resided in Paris, returning every few years, however, of a pleasant winter among their many close friends in New Orleans." (2)
Sources
(1) New Orleans Times-Democrat, 1912.12.03, p2
(2) New Orleans Times-Democrat, 1912.12.08, Part Second, p8
Kibitzing
