Chess Analysed: Or Instructions By which a Perfect Knowledge of this NOBLE GAME May in a short time be acquir'd.

PHILIDOR, A. D. [François André Danican].

Published by For J. Nourse and P. Vaillant. London Second edition in English. Small 4to, 1762

About this Item

pp. viii, 80, 83-146. [This mispagination is an original error, the text and register are continuous and complete]. Original calf, spine with raised bands and original label, the first gathering is protruding a bit from the book-block, with some early signatures relating to the PROBY family - 'Martha Proby the gift of her beloved mother. This book belonged once to my dear father', subsequently - 'A. W. Edmonds from her dear sister Martha, Feby. 1864', trifling wear at the spine ends and edges, overall a very good copy. *ESTC T120495 - The first edition, in French, was probably published in Paris in 1749, though using the false imprint of London. It was issued in a run of 443 copies, paid for by subscription and was translated into English and published in the following year by Nourse and Vaillant. These same publishers issued the second edition, offered here, in 1762. Philidor was a musical prodigy, enrolled with the choir of the Chapel-Royal in Versailles. As a pageboy in the royal chapel, he studied music with Andre Campra and learned to play chess by observing his fellow musicians play. He was also a prodigy at chess, initially having been taught by Kermur, the leading French player. In 1744 Philidor played two chess games blindfolded simultaneously in public in Paris, the first time blindfold play against 2 opponents was recorded. After various vicissitudes in his musical career, he moved to London, gaining his reputation as a world-class chess player, subsequently moving to Holland in 1748, publishing L'analyse du jeu des Eschecs in 1749. SEE The Oxford Companion to Chess : 'For the first time an author explained with detailed annotations how the middle-game should be played; for the first time the strategy of the game as a whole was described; for the first time the concepts of the blockade, prophylaxis, positional sacrifice, and mobility of the pawn formation were laid down. Philidor's famous comment, "Les pions sont l'âme du jeu" (in the English edition " the Pawns; they are the very Life of the Game"), was often misunderstood. He believed that ignorance of correct pawn play was the biggest weakness of his contemporaries. Some thought he was saying that pawns were more important than pieces, others that everything should be subordinated to the aim of promoting pawns. Philidor was also the first writer to examine a basic endgame (R + B v.R) in depth, although that was almost his only contribution to this phase of the game.'.

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Chess Analysed: Or Instructions By which a Perfect Knowledge of this NOBLE GAME May in a short time be acquir'd.
• Publisher: For J. Nourse and P. Vaillant. London Second edition in English. Small 4to
• Publication Date: 1762
• Edition: 1st Edition