The Works of Damiano, Ruy-Lopez, and Salbio, on The Game of Chess; Translated and Arranged: With Remarks, Observations, and Copious Notes on the Games. Containing, also, Several Original Games and Situations, by the Editor, to which are added, The Elements of the Art of Playing without seeing the Board.

FIRST EDITION. 8vo. (21 x 13.5 cm). ppxviii+382+[2, publishers adverts]. Full contemporary calf rebacked, spine ruled in blind and lettered in gilt, sides with decorative gilt border. 2 black & white engravings illustrating chess-boards. Ex libris Adam Smith Annand with his armorial bookplate to front pastedown. Binding scuffed, occasional light spotting (heavier to prelims and endpapers), generally a good solid copy. Jacob Henry Sarratt (1772 - 6 November 1819) was one of the top English chess players of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Sarratt was renowned as a player and author and adopted the title "Professor of Chess". He was the first professional player to teach chess in England. He introduced into England the chess rule that a stalemate is a draw, which was commonly used on the continent of Europe. He coined with his works of 1813 and 1821 the term Muzio Gambit. He was a pupil of Verdoni and later the teacher of William Lewis and Peter Unger Williams. Includes translations of Questo libro e da imparare giocare a schachi e de le partite (1512), by Damiano, Libro de la invencion liberal y arte del juego del axedrez (1561) by Lopez, and Il puttino (1634), by Salvio. (Whyld and Ravilious, 1813:2).…