chess-The Oxford Companion to Chess - First Edition by David Hooper & Kenneth Whyld

villaec soulh east of Chennitz (now Karl Man
Stadt), to adverthe lhe local manuladure of chess
se1s. A postnark used in p'uN, 1958, celebrared
the so(lds nrst great meelins ofcomposes.
P. C. Bumelr, Ct.$ o, Sra-pr (1972) is an
illulratcd record ofchcss stamps. 1947-71.
J. Sulclifle and H. U[srrdEer.check ate,5\ols.,
1975 80, is a conprehensive lreatise Bilh English
PIITLIDOR, FRANqOIS.ANDRE DANICAN
(1726 95), reputedly the best chess-player of his
tine aulhor or rhe no{ infruentirl hook .n rhe
modcrn gamc. composcr of music. Thc iamily
name, p.eviously Dannm (and belore that Dunczn
when his sdnrilh rn.e$.r\ s€tled in N..
mandy), vas ch.nged to Philidor in ihe 17tb
century ailer Louis Xlll, tcarine Michcl Danican
playthe hautbois, exclaimed'J'ai trouv€ un second
Filidori (a relerence ro anltalian 6urt nusicia.).
Franqois Andrd\ Iather Andre (..16,17 1730).
keepcr ol thc king\ musi. library. madc an
extensive colledion oI otrlenporary and old
musics@res1h!tnightotherwisehavebeen
losr ro
poste.ity aod introdnced the Concert spnitucl
bublic conen) in 1725.
Franlois Andre (he latei disarded the Fran-
Cois) shoscd cany talcnt for music. entering the
.hoir of lhe Chapel-Royat. VeBailles, ar 1hc
unusuallyloungageof 6. His66tcbessexperieoce
(aslater de$ribed byhiseldest son) vas at rhe ase
of 10. During spclls of inacti,ity somc ol rhe 80
court muicians would play ches on a long tablc
$nh sn nnaid boa.ds. The youn8 Philidor offered
10 play a. old musician whose opponent was
absenl. Th. old man laughingly agrccd. but his
good humourvanished whenbebegan to losc. The
boy give checkmate and ran lrom the room.
tearing the consequences of his opponenfs *ounded
pride. From aboui the age of 14, his loice having'
broken, Philidorspent much of his lime onchess,
often in the .AFi DE r.A RiGENCE. and he paitly
neglected his studies. lnstrucled by r-Ecar-r., thc
leadine French ches ptayer. Philidor hecame as
proncienl as bis teacher in about rhree years.
Legal. who had once playcd a blirdlold gane and
had found lhe strain excessive. askcd Philidor
whetner he couid play this way. Philidor replied
that he thought he could for he had ofien pl.yed
games in his head shile in bcd al nignt Ailer an
easy succes wilh a sinsle same he played in public
two blindfold gades sinultaneously. He aLso
acquired mnsiderablc skill at Polish draughls.
Towa.ds the end of 1745 Philidor rvcnt to
Rouerdanibe was not an instrunenhlist hinsell
but he was to assisl in presenling 12 concerts
statrias a l3-year-old pirl. LaDza, qho played the
harpsichord, a.d ihe vntuos violinist Geminiani.
The girl died, rhe concerrs were caneUed, and
Philido. was strandcd in the Netherlands aithout
money. Tte opportunilf lo play chcss abroad,
which nay have influenced bis decision io travel,
becane a necessnyr and he eamed his living by
tcaching and playing chess and draughts, chiefly
amongarmyofficen at fteHaeuc.In 1747 hevent
to London where Sir Abraham Janssen, a strong
English player, infoduced tin to srAMMA, .uN-
NTNGFAM, the Lords Elibank, Godolphin. and
Sundcrland, and olhcn who me1 for chess in a
p.ivate room at Slaughier's coffee-house. Tnere
Philidor played a natch {ilh Slanda gividg odds
of the draw Gee HANDTCAP) and backing hinsetf
live to lourj Philidor won eigbr eamcs. drew onc
(which counted N a los), and lost one, He als
beat Jansen (+4 1). In 17,18 Philidor Nrore his
tamous book. Hc {as then at Aix-la-Chapclle,
whe.e he met the lourth Earl ol Sandwich rpon
whose advice be havelled ro Eindhoven, rheDute
of Cumberland\ headquarte(s, Despite his S@tlish
blood Philidor had no qualns in soliciting, so
smn alter Ctlloden, tbe palronaee ol lhe Duke.
Fo.ty-6ve aimy oilicers ordered 119 ol the 127
subscnbed copies.lhe Duke raking 50 oflhem.
lA 1719 l, analtse du j.u d.s EcheLs was
publhhed in Londoni lhe 66r edilion of4-43 copies
was folowed by rwo lurtber editions $e sane year
and an English edilion in 1750. Morc lhan 100
cdilions. io many languages, we.e published
subsequently For the first lime an aulhor explained
with delailed annolations ho* the middle
game should be playedi for the nrsl line the
strategy oI the game as a whole was described:for
the first time rhe conepls of lhe BLockDE,
TIECE, 'Nd
MOBILM
ofrhc pawN FoRMArioN scrc laiddown. Philidor\
lamous comment, 'Les pions sont l'eme du jeu' (in
tbe EnSlish edition'. . . the Pawnsr lhey are the
very Life of the Game ), sas often misundeslood
He bclicved that ignorancc of corrcct pawn play
was lhe biggest weakness ol his contempo.aries.
Sone thought he was saling that pawns were oore
inporlanl than pieces, others thal everything
should bc subordinared to thc aim oI promoting
pavas. (see s.Hools ots.HEss.) Philidor sas also
Philidori an ensravins ol1772