Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 5.djvu/613

Rh CHESS 601 where the new game was called Axedrez de la Dama, being also adopted by- the Italians under the name of chess alia rabiosa. This revolution of the ancient method of play is contemporaneous with that tide of discovery which set in shortly after the conquest of Constantinople, and culminated in the introduction of typography, the discovery of America, the enunciation of the Copernican theory, &c. The time of the first important writer on modern chess, the Spaniard Ruy Lopez de Segura (1561), is also the period when the latest improvement, castling, was introduced, for his book (Libra de la invention liberal, y arte del juego del Axedrez), though treating of it as already in use, also gives the old mode of play, which consisted of a solitary leap of the king. Shortly afterwards, the old shatranj disappears altogether, the struggle for existence resulting as usual in the victory of the stronger. Of Lopez it may be said that he was the first who merits the name of chess analyst, as he gives reasons for his different variations in the openings, and for holding different opinions from his predecessor Dainiauo. At this time flourished the flower of the Spanish and Italian schools of chess the former represented by Lopez, Ceron, Santa Maria, Busnardo, and Avalos ; the latter by Giovanni Leonardo da Cutri (il Puttino), and Paolo Boi (il Syracusano). In the years 1562-1575, both Italian masters visited Spain, and defeated their Spanish antagonists, so that this period is rightly considered as that when international chess tournaments first took place. The following century yielded a great number of chess writers, but scarcely any great players ; and, in fact, during the whole 17th century, we find but one worthy to be mentioned, viz., the very ingenious Giacchino Greco (il Calabrese), whose recorded games abound in the most beautiful, but often not very sound, combinations. The middle of the 18th century inaugurates a new era in chess, for now the compilations and reprints of very indifferent writers were abandoned by the student and relegated to the collections of bibliophilists. Instead we find real chess players and painstaking analysts. The leading man of this time was Frangois Andre Danican Philidor. He was born the 7th of September 1726 at Dreux, near Paris, played chess very early, and was trained by the M. de Ketnur Sir de Legal, the then star of the Cafe&quot; de la Re&quot;gence, which has been the centre of French chess ever since the commencement of the 18th century. In 1747 Philidor visited England, and defeated the Arabian player Phillip Stamma by 8 games to 1 and 1 draw. In 1749 he published in London his Analyse des checs, a book which went through more editions and was more translated than a score of other works upon the game. In fact it was the chess Koran. During more than half a century Philidor travelled much in England, Holland, and Germany; but unfortunately he never went to Italy, the only country where he could have found opponents of first-rate skill. Italy was represented in Philidor s time by a trio renowned in the history of chess as forming the Modenese school Ercole del Rio, Lolli, and Ponziani. The style of these experts was less sound than that of Philidor, but certainly a much finer and, in principle, a better one. It may bs added that as an analyst the Frenchman was in many points refuted by Ercole del Rio, who wrote under the nom de plume of the Anonymous Modenese. Blindfold chess play, already exhibited in the llth century by Arabian and Persian experts, was taken up afresh by Philidor, who played on many occasions threo games simultaneously without sight of board or men. These exhibitions were given in London, which he visited every season from 1784 as the guest of the Chess Club in St James s Street ; and he died in that city on the 24th of August 1795. As eminent players of this period must be mentioned Count Ph. J. van Zuylen van Nyevelt (1743- 1826), and the German J. Allgaier (1763-1823), after whom is called a well-known brilliant variation of the King s Gambit. Philidor s mantle was taken up by Alexander Louis Honore Lebreton Deschapelles (1780- 1847), who possessed undoubtedly a great genius for the game, and was its champion for many years, notwithstand ing that he lacked all knowledge of the theory. The only player who is known to have fought Deschapelles not unsuccessfully on even terms is the veteran John Cochrane. The Frenchman generally declined to play except at odds, and he was ever ready to handicap himself liberally. He lost, however, a match (1821) to W. Lewis, to whom he con ceded the pawn and move, the Englishman winning 1 and drawing the 2 others. Deschapelles s greatest pupil, and the strongest player France ever possessed, was Louis Charles Mane&quot; de Labourdonnais born in 1797 who was the leader of the French school from 1821 until his death in December 1840. His most memorable achievement was his contest with the English champion, Alexander Mac- donnell, in a series of matches which resulted in the French player winning in the proportion of 3 to 2 of all the games played. The English school of chess commenced about the beginning of the present century, and Sarratt was its first leader. He flourished from 1808 to 1821, and was followed by his great pupil W, Lewis, who, however, exhibited his skill in practical play for a short time only, and will be principally remembered for his writings, which stamp him as a great and original chess analyst. His literary career belongs to the period from 1818 to 1848, and he died in 1869. A. Macdonnell has been already mentioned; he was born in 1798 and died in 1835. He was a very ingenious and brilliant player, but lacked soundness. To the same period belongs also Captain Evans, the inventor of the celebrated Evans Gambit (1828), who died at a very advanced age in 1873 ; Perigal, who participated in the correspondence matches against Edinburgh and Paris ; George Walker, for thirty years chess editor of Bell s Life in London, who is still alive ; and John Cochrane, who has crossed swords with every strong player from Deschapelles downwards, and is still in constant play. In the same period Germany possessed but one player who was above the mediocrities of the time, J, Mendheim, whose name is connected with Berlin chess, in which city he resided from 1810 to 1836. The fifth decennium of the 19th century is marked by the fact that the chess sceptre departed from the French school, and was grasped by the English. After Labourdonnais s death Fournie&quot; de Saint- Amant became the leading player in France ; as such he visited England in the early part of 1843, and contended successfully against the best English players, including Howard Staunton ; but the latter soon took his revenge, for in November and December 1843 the great match between Staunton and Saint-Amant took place in Paris, the English champion winning by 1 1 games to 6 with 4 draws. During the succeeding eight years Staunton maintained his reputation by defeating in matches upon even terms Popert, Horwitz, and Harrwitz, besides a number of strong amateurs to whom he conceded large odds. He had also two other matches with Harrwitz, one at pawn and two moves, and the other at pawn and move the former being won by Staunton, and the latter lost by him. Staunton s services in the cause of chess literature are adverted to below. That they were very great, and that the game in England owes much of its present popularity to him is not to be questioned, as also that for thirty years he occupied a position in the English chess world possessed by none of his contemporaries. Staunton was defeated by Anderssen at the London tournament in 1851, and from that time his match-playing V. 76