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75 GRECO, Gioachino. The Royall Game of Chesse-Play. London: printed for Henry Herringman, 1656 AMONG THE EARLIEST ENGLISH CHESS MANUALS First edition of one of the earliest English-language guides to chess, a translation of Trattato del nobilissimo giuoco degli scacchi , by Gioachino Greco, the greatest chess player of the century, which had previously only circulated in manuscript. These manuscripts “became one of the most important productions in the literature of chess” (Murray, p. 830). Greco’s book takes the form of 94 illuminating chess gambits, prefaced with an explanation of the game, its rules, and speculations on its history. Regional variations in certain rules are noted, as too are different terms for pieces and moves. The translator Francis Beale, in his dedication to the Earl
of Lindsey, writes that he hopes the book would help both those “small proficients” at chess “to take a greater delight” in “this pastime”, while also helping experienced plays like the Earl. The book includes the first known use of the verb “castle” (Murray, p. 832). “The book also contained a frontispiece portrait of Charles I. The daring inclusion of this portrait during the Commonwealth period indicates that [Beale] was a royalist” ( ODNB ). So too, it reflected the admiration of Charles I for chess (as noted in the title) and for Greco. In the same spirit, the book includes a poem on chess by the cavalier poet Richard Lovelace. Greco’s name is given as “Biochimo” on the title page – “either the original translator, or the copyist of the M.S., or the editor of the printed edition, appears, first, to have misread the Italian of Greco’s Christian name; and then, secondly, (like a good Cavalier,) to have had Shakspeare’s Cymbeline running in his head. In this way, Gioachino Greco Calabrese, (with
a lopping off of what served at least for a surname,) came to take the odd shape of plain Biochimo” ( Chess Monthly , May 1861, p. 135). The original manuscript which the book was taken from is now lost. It is notable that the edition had no imitators, and Greco’s work did not appear again in English until 1750. Small octavo (142 × 89 mm). Contemporary sheep, rebacked with red label, edges speckled red. Portrait frontispiece of Charles I. Neat early notation to initial binder’s blank. Bound without initial blank; errata leaf bound at front rather than rear. Binding firm, sheep somewhat rubbed, frontispiece a little short at foot and with small patch of restoration at bottom fore corner (neither affecting image), title border shaved and with neat restoration to a few peripheral nicks, neat excision to fore edge of pp. 11–12 not affecting text, short inner margin with text close to hinge. A very good copy. ¶ ESTC R23418. H. J. R. Murray, A History of Chess , 1913. £7,500 [154196]
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SUMMER 2022
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