Evening star., 1941-09-21


column II you hare question, Drite
the Chess Editor. The Star. II you
kndiD the dnSUer to an interesting
question, this column wiH publish your
question and ansDer. Please uerifp all
ANSWERS submitted.
@. Who was the earliest writer on
chess?
A. Jacobus de Cesolis, monk and
master in theology of the convent
of the Dominican friars at Rheims,
born in the 18th or 18th century in
the village of Cessoles near Picardy
and Champagne, FRANCE, is regarded
by scholars as the earliest writer
on chess. His earliest manuscript
written in Latin and French, titled
DE Moribus Hominum, ct Ofnciis
Nobilium," is supposed to have been
written before the year 1900. The
original manuscript in Latin is said
to be preserved in the library of the
University Of Padua. Jehan de Wig
nay translated the Latin text into
French about 1460(?), and upon
Vignay's French translation Will
liam Caxton probably based his Eng
lish edition, called The Game ano
Playe of the Cheese" printed ir
England in 1474.
@. Was William Cations 1.-The
Game and Playe of the Cheese,
published in England in 1474, the
first book ever to be printed in
England?
A. No. Many scholars say Eyes
But at Cambridge there is a small
quarto bearing the imprint of OK
ford, 1863, which was the first
book to be printed in England, and
wooden type were used. Caxton
printed his chess book, in 1474
from metal type. and so the cor
rect answer Is: Caxton's "The Game
and Playe of the Cheese" was the
first book ever printed in England
from metal type. Caxton's book is
merely an English version of the
French translation by Jehan de
Vignay of the Latin manuscript or
chess written about 1900 by Jacobus
de Cesolis. the earliest known chess
writer.
@. Is chess taught in colleges?
A. At present no American COL
lege offers regular course of in
struction in chess. A number OF
universities have professors who
play at chess and deliver occasional
lectures on the game. In 1888 one
NJ. Osterberger held a profeSsorshir
of chess in the Royal Military Col
lege at Copenhagen, Denmark
Since 1880 Soviet Russia has subsi-
died the teaching of chess in Rus
sian schools. From the 18th century
chess has been taught in the schools
of Strobeck. Germany.
@. What is the most valuable SET
of chessmen in the world?
A. The most valuable single chess
man extant is the "Charlemagne
King" king piece carved in ivory
to represent an Eastern potentate
mounted on an elephant and sur
rounded by a guard of five horse
men and eight foot soldiers, bearing
an inscription in Kuflc, "of Yusut
al-Bahin's making" and purported
to be one Of the pieces of the set
of chessmen sent at the beginning
of the 9th century to Charlemagne
by none other than Caliph Harun-
ell Raschid. The "Charlemagne
King" today battered and broken
reposes in the Bibliotheque Ma
tionaIe in Paris.
@. What was the first chess COL
umn in the English language?
A. Probably the chess column in
troduced into Bells Life, London
through the influence of George
Walker, English publisher and chess
player, about 1884, at the time o.
the Alexander Mcdonnell and La
Bourdonnais match.
@. What was the first chess mag.
azine published in the United
States?
A. One hesitates to say. In 184t
Marache published the Chess Pal
ladium. which ran for three years
In l847 Stanley began the Ameri
can Chess Magazine, publishing ont
volume. In 1857 Daniel Willard
Fiske initiated at New York tht
Chess Monthly, which ceased to ap
pear in 1860 From 1858 to 1856
Paul Charles Morphy was a CO.
editor with Fiske of Chess Monthly
Chess Problem No. 371.
BY F. GAMAGE, Brockton. Mass, 1e4I.
(Original to The Washington Star
Washington, D. c., for entry in the 1941
Prize Composing Tourney
BLACk-10 MEN.