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

tbe frrs1*nler ro exahine a BAsrc ENDGAME (R+B
v. R) in deplh, alrhough rhal was almost his only
contibution 10 thjs phas of rnc gamc. He was
already regarded as the strongesl player in F.ane,
tbe Netherlands, and England, and lhe book
consolidaled his chess reputation. He was received
in fashionable sociely. att.nding lor example thc
weekly chess dinnc6 giren bvthe French Amba$
sador. the DDke oI Mirepon.
In 1751Philidor lelt England for Germany. He
played belore King Feidinand at Polsdam i hc look
hk mistres there. and becaue ol he. had some
diffculty with seleral officers . . . as a result of
which he had to depart unelpecledly-. He played
three blindlold ganes simultancously at Benin.
winning them all, visiled severaL ourts, and
relurned to England, Nhere he stayed until Nov.
1754. Back in France afler nine yeart absence hc
gave more or his time ro musical composilion,
although he found time in 1755 lo play his last
match againsr Legall Nhen, saysNss, the sludent
beai his naster. td 1760 he marned a singcr,
Ang€liqueHenriefie-Elisabeth Richer (1?3G
1809). lhc gayand tivelydauehterof amusician,by
whon he had seven children. The surviving
coresPondence suggens a happy marriage. He
was said ro b. an amiable man conpletely devoid
of wit. Hh wilei brother cane earty one tuorning
10 find rhe Philidors in bed and shouted, whafs
this, sister,I6nd you inbed wnb M Philidor. Bul
that\ oy Nifc', rcplied the bewildered man. An
enbarrassed admner once tned to excuse Phili
dofs bonng onveBarion by saying Thalman hd
no common sense-il is all ecnins ' H€ x as idgery
at thc chcslboard, his legs rarely still.
la 1711 an\l 1T2 (ot 1'173) Philidor nade brief
tnps to play ches at the Salopian Col'fce-housc,
near Charing Cross, In 1774 English chess enthusiasts
lou.d€d Pa.sloei chess club *nh a dnlin
guished menbership lidited to 100. A fu.d Nas
raised ro enable Philidor to spend lrotrFeb. 10
Mayatthe club, visits wtich continuedfor some 20
ycare. Hcrc hc gave tes$ns lor acrowneacbi and
here he gave the 6rst ol bis ladous blindiold
displays to tbe Londoi publici rhe achievemenr.
not tnc resull (= l- 1). sasconside.ed astonishine:
'A Nonderolsu.h magnitude. . . as ould notbe
credired, Nilhout repeated experience oi ibe
fact The world,za May 1183. Hc gavc at lcast
ten such displays. the lasl in 1795. In 1?77 he
published a revised edition oI his book.
The Doily Picaruae, a N.N Orleans nesspaper,
once described rhe Golden ACe olches asstariing
with Pbilidor and ending with MoRpEy. adding that
oie could only guess what eirher 6ighr have
aaonplished had he turned hisremarkable lacul
ties to 'useful pursuitJ. If nusic be considered
uselul tben in tbe case ollhilidorNe do knor: in
parallcl with his .he$ carecr nc Nas a music
conposerof comparablebilliance and orieinality.
Philidofs contenporanes iound it dilficult ro
belicvc hc could ex.el in lwo fields and in ihc
Public Adrertiset ot 9 De.. 1153 he rook spa.c 10
PHILIDOR 251
deny the runour that he Nas no1 lhe author oI
@rtain nusic, adding,'the art olmusicndbeen at
all times his consta.t sludy and application. and
chess only his dive6ion'. WIen he was ll Philidor
had a 6otetperfomedbelore L.uis xv, Nho gave
lhe composerfve louh d'or. While i. England he
set to music congreve s ode to Music' (not, as
nistakenly reported , Dryden s odetostcecilia)
and Hand el, pres en1 a1 i1s firs1 performao ce. gave i1
qualiied approvar. As a composet ot opira bouffe
(comic opea) Phi li do. excelled He Rrote 2l such
vorks:nd anorherfonr*irh collahorators .ne of
them J. J. Rousseau. C'4.ae, Seculane (,1119), Te
Delm (1786) (to cclebrate one ol Georse IIIS
periods ol sanity), and ode,4,slate (1788) were
hisaajorconcertsorks. He has been rated abole
Gretry, and hjs ToD ./0"6 was called the finesl
snrk in ih. rh.,rre He N,\ rhe fint to use dr
descripnJ \L. Mdracholferru"r, 1761). the unacmnpanied
vocal quarlet (Toh Jon6). ^nd
a
duer ol tso independcnt and appare.tly i.congruous
mclodies. Ailer a perfomance oI Ie
S,r.Er in 1?6,1he was called b! the audience, the
6rsi composer 10 be so distincuishcd in Paris.
Emelinda, Princess of Narway 11766), a sand
opcrawith ballet,sopleased Louis XV that he gale
Philidor a pension oI25 louis d or lrom hn priq
purse. Hn nusic was largely ignored in England.
Diderolwiote, I m not surprned thal in England
alldoors are closcd to a greal musician and openlo
a lamous chess-player'i but Philidols Sains lron
chess subsidized hn compositions , Io r wh ich he sas
Royal patronage eventually brought mnfortune
io Philidor. ln Dec. 1792 he left France lor
England, never ro return: following the revolution
the playing of his music (and lherelore pa.t ofhis
income) ceased abruplly, lor political rather than
nusical.easons. Alterbnchessleaso. in 1793he
aas unable 10 relum 10 Francc afld his lamily (at
least during the lifetimc of another Cafd de la
Ragence chess-player, Robespiere). He tried lo
have his name removed ftom the lisl ofln!8/ir, but
succeeded only wben he was dying. Depressed
because hcwould.otsee his wile again. snffering
from gour. and short ol tunds, he made his last
bone ar 10Rrder Street, neai StJanes's Church,
Iiccadilly. where he qas buried on 3 Sep1. 1795,
three days aller his death.
The Con€die-F.anlaise gave a benent conen
for hG widos Nho was in inancial difliclllies. The
Cnv ol Pans had a terracotra bul madc hy Pajou.
who added a sellinlentioncd inscriplio.:
Avon lon iDc cr rongdnic,
Parres mai.s de Pajou von son bu{e suhre_
C'cn sclon moi le \on le plus digne denvie:
In 1840 the Cny authodties, no lo.ger sharing
thisvicw, disposcdof the bust. Aletlerinthe Cn€ss
Plalet s Chroticle, 1841, stated tbat d poitran of
Pbilidor by Gainsborough was in the po$e$ion ol