The Real Paul Morphy is ECF Book of the Year 2025

We are proud of all of our books, but the ones that win an award are always special! It is with great pleasure we can say that The Real Paul Morphy by Charles Hertan has been selected as Book of the Year 2025 by the English Chess Federation.

There were four books on the 2025 shortlist, three of which are from the New In Chess group. The jury, consisting of Ray Edwards, Jovanka Houska, and Sean Marsh, described the book as 'A worthy tribute to a player often described as ‘The pride and sorrow of chess.' and mentioned, 'The book is beautifully produced, with many excellent photographs.'

The jury report starts with: 'In today’s hectic chess world, it is easy to forget that the game we play now is built on foundations established many years ago. A biography of a player — perhaps the most talented who ever lived — who influenced chess enormously is this year’s Book of the Year.'

'Charles Hertan writes well and clearly. As a professional psychotherapist, he is well qualified to consider the mental issues associated with Morphy’s decline.' was said about the author.

You can read the full report on the website of the English Chess Federation.

Please do check out the other books New In Chess has published as part of this series. They are highlighted below.