The Old Texts - Part 5

16^th and 17^th centuries

Allegory where the author seems to regret the very great privilege given now to the Queen and the Bishops. The text talks about “la dame enragée”. The author laments saying than now the "prudent and wise Rooks and discrete Knights" are just useless: “les Rochz qui sont les sages et prudens capitaines et les Chevaliers discrets ne servent plus de rien."

A Spanish chess MS preserved in El Escorial (MS O III) contains important problems of modern chess. It is dated exactly in 1500. Author unknown. No relevant connections to previous Spanish texts, except several hints of relations to Italian chess players.

It is the manuscript of the famous Italian mathematician Luca Pacioli (1445c.-1517c.) which was believed to be lost and which has been recently discovered (announced Dec. 2006) by the Fondazione Palazzo Coronini Cronberg of Gorizia. This manuscript was dedicated to the marquise of Mantova, Isabella d'Este. The 48 papers of the Coronini Manuscript containing numerous practical demonstrations of the game of chess with the solution keys, are perfectly kept and the chess pieces are finely drawn and coloured in black and red; so finely as to make the discoverer cautiously suspect that it might be the hand of another artist, maybe Leonardo da Vinci as they worked together around the year 1500. This manuscript has raised a lot of interest among in the Chess world as it contains games from both the mediaeval rules and the new (a la rabiosa, "mad" queen) rules which were just introduced at the end of the previous century.

This text, from the end of 15th or beginning of 16th c., tells the story of Yudhishthira, devoured by the passion of the game, who having lost at dice both his kingdom and his wife, Droopudee, then having earn them back, wanted to learn how to play Chaturanga (4-Handed, with dice) in order to bet them again. Vyasa, his assistant, taught him the rules and gave him some invaluable advices. Nevertheless, Yudhishthira still lost at this game dominated by chance. He then left in exile in a deep forest along with his four brothers.
According to a theory launched by Sir William Jones in 1790 then taken again by Hiram Cox in 1801 and Duncan Forbes in 1855, it was believed that this text was composed before our era and that the game it describes was, consequently, the ancestor of all Chess form (this was Cox and Forbes conclusion, Jones was thinking differently). The history was very beautiful, too beautiful surely because, even nowadays, many authors still hold it for historical truth and continue to perpetuate it in spite of all serious work ( since van der Linde in 1874 or Murray in 1913) which incontestably showed that Chaturanga for 4 players with dice was not the predecessor but a mere variant of the reasoned game for 2 players.
The misunderstanding comes from the fact that this text was mistakenly confused with the Bhavishya Purana, a Sanskrit text belonging to the long poem entitled "Mahabharata" made up towards 550 - 500 BC.
Nevertheless, it remains the extraordinary longevity of this variant, already described in 1030 by al-Beruni and still played in India in the 20th century.

Another text from the end of 15th or beginning of 16th c, attributed to Sulapani and which also gives the rules of the Four Handed game.

Probably of Spanish origin, this manuscript appears as an attempt to spread the new Chess outside Spain, possibly in France as the Chess problems it contains are illustrated with diagrams with the pieces represented with their initial in French. It deals exclusively with the new game. It is conserved in the Göttingen library in Germany. Many historians thought and think that Lucena himself was the author of this manuscript.

An important source, from Constance, describing the rules of the old game as played in German lands. This text has been re-published twice, by Köbel from Oppenheim (c. 1520) and Egenolff from Frankfurt (1536). It is an abbreviation of the Schachzabellbuch (von Ammenhausen).

A painting by the young Lucas van Leyden (1494-1533) who put Courier chess in the center of his composition. That masterwork is now on display at the Gemäldegalerie of Berlin, Germany.

A treatise with medieval Chess problems (old rules) from Joannes Chachi from Terni in Umbria. Was accompanying a Latin treatise about Rythmomachy written by an Englishman at the instance of the Archbishop of York (1465-76).

Written in Italian by the Portuguese chemist Pedro Damiano. It is the first treaty of quality about the new European style of play. It is very likely that Damiano was a pseudonym. José Garzon affirms that the true author of this treatise was ... Francesch Vicent!

Long Latin poem wrote in 1513 by the Italian Hieronymus Vida. He tried to suggest more significant names for the pieces like the Archer for the Alfin (the Bishop) and the Elephant, then the Tower for the Rook. This last denomination will be used in French (Tour) and will lead to the verb "to castle" in English even though nothing proves that it is due to Vida.

A treatise with medieval Chess problems (old rules).

Publication of a collection of Xiangqi problems. (70 short end-games and solutions).

Another publication of a collection of Xiangqi problems.

A lost treatise from this very famous Renaissance mathematician. Composed in 1520-1522 but finally published in 1524. The Spanish historian Ricardo Calvo has demonstrated that the few words we know from this work indicates that Cardano had read the famous Vicent's book, the 1st treatise ever published about modern Chess in 1495.

Ise Sayadori was a poet from the end of Muromachi period (1392-1573). In his Sogo Ozoshi, he gave the following protocol for Shogi: "When you face your shogi opponent open the box containing the pieces and put the pieces on the board...to finish setting them up too quickly is a breach of politeness. It is also impolite to be too slow and to make the opponent wait. Practice therefore so that you can set up the pieces in just the right time. This applies also to both middle shogi and little shogi." This reference to little Shogi is important for the word "Shogi" by itself means large Shogi (Dai Shogi) at that time.

Another publication of a collection of Xiangqi problems.

A treatise with medieval Chess problems (old rules) printed by Denis Janot the younger in Paris.

Discovered in 1922, this 84 pages text contains 28 chess problems and an analysis of 20 openings and bears Lucena's signature ("Luzena" in black ink, with an initial rubric in red). The Paris manuscript, as it is known, is written in a mixture of old French and Catalan.

Text concerned with military matters, written by Godavaramisra, scholar and court poet of Indian king of Orissa (gulf of Bengal), Prataparudradeva (reigning 1497-1540). It gives rules of a large chess variant on a 14x14 board with 32 pieces for each side. Here, the King is the most powerful piece as he can move like a Queen. Other pieces have awkward moves as well. There are a Crown Prince, a Minister, a Commander, four Horses, four Chariots, four Elephants, four Sword-Bearers, four Spear-Bearers, four Archers and four Machinists.

Apparition of a ten-volume book containing 550 end-games with solutions and some complete games.

Diary or footnotes (published under the Japanese title "Bigan nikki so") saying that the author, the Korean Yu Hui-ch'un (1513--1577) played Sanggi (written with the Chinese characters for Xiangqi) against his acquaintance Kim Yo. We do not even know what kind of chess (Xiangqi or Janggi?) these two played.

The 16th century author Sim Su-kyong (1516-1599) describes for the first time the materials that were used to make Janggi (Korean Chess) pieces. He said that Janggi pieces were mainly made from wood, with carved characters that are filled with paint or lacquer. However, it is not known when Janggi pieces got the octagonal shape they have today.

A recently described work by the celebrated scholar poet Melputtur Narayana Bhattathiri of Kerala, who belonged to the second half of the 16th century. It included eigh verses about 2-handed chaturanga, on which only six have come down to us. The pieces include Footmen (Patti), Chariot (Ratha), Horse (Turaga), Elephant (Danti), Minister (Mantri) and King (Deva). The moves it describes are exactly those of the primitive Indo-Persian game. The Chariot moves like a Rook, the Elephant jumps one square diagonally and the Minister moves one step diagonally. Only the first Footman can move two squares forward. Other Keralan source from the 16th century are Punam Namboodiri's Ramayana Campu and the anonymous Candrotsava.

This is the fifth book of an encyclopedia from South India, the Bhagavantabhaskara written by about 1600 or 1700. It describes with details the South Indian game, said "intellectual game" (Krida Buddhibalashrita), which did not known the modern moves yet. Elephants which move like Rooks occupied the corners of the board, close to the Rajah was the Mantri (or Adviser, 1 step diagonally) and close to them were the Camels (jumping 2 steps diagonally).

One of the last treatise dealing with medieval Chess problems (old rules).

In this diary, the piece maker Minase Kanenari (1514-1602) says that he has produced with his son 618 sets for Sho Shogi, 106 for Chu Shogi, 2 for both Dai Shogi and Dai-Dai Shogi, 3 for Maka-Dai-Dai Shogi and 4 for Tai Shogi between 1590 and 1602.

In a chapter of this book published in Leipzig, Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1579-1666, known under the pseudonym of Gustavus Selenus), describes three sorts of Chess played in Ströbeck. One of them is Courier Chess (along with medieval and modern games) and this is the account giving all its rules.

Carrera (1571-1647) published a 640 pages book about Chess where he described a new variety of his invention on a 10x8 board with 2 extra Pawns, a Centauro (b1, b8) moving like Rook+Knight and a Campione (i1, i8) moving like Bishop+Knight.

Text written by Xie Zaihang (1567 - 1624) at the time of Ming: "Xiangqi, according to tradition made by King Wu of Zhou in the time of his final campaigns against Shang; if that is not so, at least it became popular among military personnel in the time of the contending realms, as in this time chariot warfare was still important". Specialists think today that there is a voluntary or involuntary confusion with the king (wang) Wu (1122-1115 BC) of the dynasty of Zhou whose rise marked the history of China with the modest emperor (di) Wu (580-643 AD) of the dynasty of the Northern Zhou which did not leave large thing in the collective memory. Except if it were one day shown that it is well under his reign that Chess were invented.

The manuscripts from Gioachino Greco (1600-1634), a skilled player surnamed "il Calabrese", (manuscripts composed in 1623-1625 for his rich patrons in France and England).

As a matter of fact, the title is about Orange or Tangerine. This book represents a summary of remarkable accomplishments with complete games and a collection of 133 end-games. Still a valuable reference for beginners. "There was once an orange field in which two enormous tangerines were grown. When the tangerines were peeled, it was found that inside each two old men were sitting facing each other, playing chess".

Text from Chen Renxi (1581 - 1636) which attributes the origin of Xiangqi to the time of Contending Realms (475-221 B.C.) "Yong Menzhou said to Mengchangjun: Mylord, if you are at leisure, play Xiangqi; thus it was a thing from the time of the Contending Realms. Because in the strategy of the Contending Realms the people of this time used elephants just as in the board game strategy (qishi)". The prince Mengchang mentioned here was a well-known man who lived in the late third century BC.

The essential standardised rules of modern Shogi appears in this book by Sokei Ohashi's son, Soko Ohashi . Sokei Ohashi (1555-1634) was, with Honinbo Sansa, the founder of the first professional Shogi school in Japan. Soko Ohashi (1576-1654) was the second lifetime Meijin (Grand Master).

An essay from Chang Yu (1587-1638) constitutes the first known description of the rules of Changgi, the Korean Chess. It is already strictly identical to modern Changgi. Alas, the text says nothing on the shape of and materials used for the pieces.

A bibliography including a short catalog of chess books. It mentioned as-Sarakhsi, a physician dead in 899 along with as-Suli. Khalifa is also the writer of the Royal Asiatic Society of the manuscript believed to be authored by ash-Shatranji around 1400.

The Chess player (Dutch: Schaker) is the most known drawing from the album Liver Amirocum, made by the Dutch painter Jan de Bray and showing a player, probably the artist himself, at Courier chess. This masterwork is in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague (The Netherlands).

A description of Chu Shogi which is played over a 12x12 board with 46 pieces per player. Few years later, he published a collection of 50 Chu Shogi problems. Ito Sokan (1618-1694) was the 3rd Meijin.

Complete title is "I Campeggiamenti degli Schacchi, o sia nuova disciplina d'attachi, difese, e partiti del giucco degli Schachi". Published in Turin, this work proposed, among other things, to use a 10x10 squares board with the ordinary chessmen plus 2 extra Pawns, a Centurion (placed on d1, d10) leaping to any 2nd square (diagonally or orthogonally) and a Decurion (placed on g1, g10) with the original move of the medieval Queen (or Fers, 1 step diagonally).

Thomas Hyde (1636-1703) published his Mandragorias seu Historia Shahiludii in 1689, then his De Historia Nerdiludii in 1694 and then published both books bound together under the new title: De Ludis Orientalibus the same year. The author was Professor of Hebrew and Arabic at Oxford University. The work is written in a mixture of Latin, Hebrew, Greek and sometimes Persian and Arabic. It is the first really scientific treatise about Chess History, it is also the first Chess book to introduce Xiangqi, the Chinese game, to Europeans. Hyde confused the Persian word for Chess, Chatrang, with "satrang", the mandrake plant, the root of which resembles the human figure, and he hence derived his fanciful title of "mandragorias".

Another book of complete games with elaborated strategies. Exact date of writing is unknown (during the Kangxi (a Qing emperor) period, 1662-1723).

Book from a Buddhist monk describing large Shogi variants (sho shogi, standard shogi, wa shogi, chu shogi, dai shogi, tenjiku shogi, dai dai shogi, maka dai dai shogi, and tai shogi) and showing the old version of the Shogi having a Drunk Elephant on the second rank. The text says: "In the Tenbun era (1532-1555), the emperor Go-Nara ordered to Hino Haramitsu and Ise Sadataka to withdraw the Drunk Elephant." At least two editions are know, from 1694 and 1696.

This work is preserved in the "Zhaodai congshu bieji" (Collection of volumes in the present age) by Zhang Chao and mentions a Xiangqi variant for 3 players. Each player had 18 pieces, 2 extra Flags (moves straight for 2 steps but once it is in enemy territory, it can move any number of steps horizontally or vertically - for Lo - or advances two steps straight followed by a step in diagonal - for Banaschak) and 2 Fires (moves diagonally for 1 step and cannot retreat) which replaced 2 Soldiers. There were also city-walls, mountains and sea on the board.

According to Leventhal, there is another 3-Handed variant from the same Qing era. It is the Sanguo Xiangqi which is played over an hexagonal board with the regular 16-pieces set. However, Murray, citing a 1876 German source, reported that each players had two new pieces named Flag or Fire or Wind (depending on the camp). That new piece advances two steps straight followed by a step in diagonal, without jumping. This game evoked the war of the Three Kingdoms (Wei, Shu, Wu), a famous episode of the Chinese history (221-264). Li affirms that a certain Yao Kung-wu (Chao Gongwu) described this game in 1151, but this is probably the result of a misunderstanding.

It has been reported that at least 6 works bear that title of Shogi Zushiki. There is one published before the end of 17th century which describes the setup and moves of standard Shogi, Chu shogi, Dai shogi, Tenjiku shogi, Dai Dai shogi, Maka Dai Dai shogi, and Tai shogi. It also mentions Wa shogi, Tang shogi, seven-person Chinese chess, Ko shogi, and Taikyoku Shogi on 36x36 board! Nothing indicates that it was the same Shogi Zushiki than Soko Ohashi's book published in 1636 (see above). It would be strange if it were the case as Ko Shogi is supposed to have been invented by the Confucian scholar Ogyu Sorai who lived within (1666-1728) only.

This book from late 17th century describe enlarged Shogis as well.