The period between 1500 and 1800 A.D. saw significant developments in the game of chess as well as a new phenomenon—the rise of chess celebrities. Beginning in lower Europe and gradually moving north toward England, chess gained popularity while undergoing alterations to its rules, meaning a new chess was born after the end of the Middle Ages. The 1700s saw chess shift from aristocratic pastime to intellectual preoccupation, meaning its former fan base was lost while a new, wider one was found. By the time 1800 arrived, chess had become a new game with its stars, heated competition, and canonical technical literature, and was far more difficult and moderately different that its medieval manifestation.

Three Significant Rule Changes

Chess experienced a shift in rules around 1500. Though little had changed throughout the Middle Ages, around the beginning of the 16th century three new rules were adopted throughout chess-playing Europe. The first was a move extension for pawns, by which they could now move an extra square (so long as they were in their original square). Additionally, the bishop’s move was extended and therefore given roughly the same value as a knight piece. Last, the queen was allowed new moves, reflecting the piece’s modern day allowable movements, making her—in contrast to her general weakness in medieval times—not only a strong piece on the board, but the strongest piece. Together these three rule changes made for quicker game play and made checkmate possible in fewer moves.

As documented in Luis de Lucena’s work Repeticion de Amores: E arte de axedrez, these rules spread throughout Europe quickly and were adopted in Germany and England by no later than the 1530s. Though Lucena denies that he’s the originator of the reformed game—and while he doesn’t provide the origins of the rule shifts—his work serves as hard evidence that the new rules were adopted quickly across a wide range of countries.

Lucena’s work also shows that while the exact source of the reformations was unclear, their birth can be narrowed down to a twenty-year period: They probably originated between 1470 and 1490, and were commonly accepted by the turn of the century. Documentation also delineates that the majority of chess activity took place in Portugal, Spain, and Italy.

Chess Becomes Game of the Masses

Social change was also wrought by these new rules. That is, since the game was now played at a quicker pace, took fewer moves in order to reach checkmate, and held more dire consequences for a weak move, it fell out of popularity with the aristocracy. The genteel attitude toward the game had been casual, seen as just one of many activities in which a gentleman should attain adequacy. With the new game, there was increased competition and a subsequent emergence of players who devoted themselves to this competition. Thus the aristocracy turned its attentions to other pastimes, while those who truly cared about the game delved into technical study of strategy.

During this time period, several players rose to prominence, partly thanks to their publications. Pedro Damiano from Portugal published Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi in Rome in 1512. There were several re-printings and it was translated into French and English. It was a bestseller of its day. Additionally, Spanish priest and bishop Ruy Lopez de Segura published Libro de la invencion liberal y arte del juego del Axedrez in 1561, another fundamental book on chess.

But the most famous player of this period was Italian Gioacchino Greco. Considered one of the first professional chess players, Greco is largely responsible for bringing Italian chess theory to northern Europe. He traveled to London and France in the 1620s and is rumored to have died in the West Indies. Altogether, his travels and theories on chess took hold in those places, and led to a new wave of chess playing: Chess was no longer a game restricted to an intellectual minority.

Yet even with more people playing chess in more regions, there was little effort to expand technical analysis, and most people who played—even those who were thoroughly enamored with the game—didn’t strive to become masters at it. This would change, however, in the 18th century.

Farther North, More Intellectual Appeal

The year 1700 A.D. marks a major turning point in chess history. With the wider dissemination of chess literature, the epicenter of the chess world moved from Italy to France, following other cultural shifts northward. With increasing difficulty of the game and more specified study of strategy and technique, those playing chess shifted from a widespread movement to a narrower intellectual following. The ever growing literature appealed to intellectual crowds and put off the casual players. The aristocrats still playing the game were equally put off by the increased competition, in which they often failed to prevail, and took up other hobbies.

However, even with the abandonment of the gentility—the social appeal that had sustained chess from a few hundred years—chess maintained its popularity thanks to a new social appeal, intellectuals and bourgeoisie. Though chess wasn’t as popular with aristocrats as before, a greater number of people had access to boards, pieces, and technical works, which caused chess’s popularity to balance out.

Also, to the benefit of the game, those who were now playing chess were doing so not because it was expected, as gentlemen had done for centuries, but because they were genuinely interested in it. The path was now cleared for both sustained popularity of chess and a higher standard of play.

New Breed of Chess Celebrities

Around 1750 a reappearance of prominent chess players occurred. Coinciding with this reemergence was another shift in the center of the chess world, from France into England.

The most famous chess player of this era was Francois-Andre Danican Philidor, who went by just Philidor. His book, L’Analyze de Eches, highlighted the importance of strategy using pawns, which had hitherto been given little importance. Analyze was a new kind of chess book, educational and beneficial both for those already knowledgeable of the game as well as those who were just learning the basics. It was immediately popular.

Philidor, like Greco, caused huge changes in the game. His fame and publications increased study of strategy as well as the quality of chess being played. The average game was better in 1800 than in 1750, and it was all thanks to Philidor.

As chess wound its way through history, seeping into culture in northern England and becoming a game played first by the masses and then by intellectual circles, it underwent various changes that transformed it into the game it is today. Yet there were plenty of changes still ahead, especially its total adoption by the intellectually elite. In next week’s article we will discuss how chess became a true thinking man’s game.

Sources:

Eade, James. Chess for Dummies. New York: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., 1996
Eales, Richard. Chess: The History of a Game. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985
www.wikipedia.org("History of Chess")