Giovanni Leonardo Di Bona
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Leonardo di Bona or Giovanni Leonardo da Cutri (both given names can be seen also in the reversed order Leonardo Giovanni), known as Il Puttino
(1542–1587) was an early Italian
chess
master.
Giovanni Leonardo was born in Cutro
, Calabria
. He studied law in Rome
. In 1560, he lost a match to Ruy López in Rome. In 1566–1572, he travelled and played chess in Rome
, Genoa
, Marseille
, Barcelona
. He had played many times against Paolo Boi
in Italy and they were regarded as being equal in their chess strength.
Giovanni Leonardo di Bona won the first known international master tournament in the history of chess in Madrid
in 1575, therefore becoming the strongest chess master of the time. After their success at the Court of Spain
, Leonardo and Paolo Boi, both travelled, although separately, to Lisbon
, where they tested their chess skill against Il Moro, the eminent chess champion of King Don Sebastian, of Portugal
. Again, they both succeeded, first Leonardo, soon followed by Paolo Boi, in defeating Il Moro.
And again the King was generous with his rewards. After this triumph, Giovanni Leonardo di Bona, having been called the wandering knight (Il Cavaliere errante) by King Don Sebastian, left Portugal to return to Italy and settle in Naples
where he became the chess master for the Prince of Bisignano
.
Il Puttino
Il Puttino is a book published by Alessandro Salvio in 1634, full title:IL PVTTINOAltramente detto,IL CAVALIERO ERRANTEDEL SALVIO,Sopra il gioco de'Scacchi, con la sua Apologia contra il Carrera, diuiso in tre Libri. IN NAPOLI, Nella Stampa di Gio: Domenico Montanaro. 1634...
(1542–1587) was an early Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
master.
Giovanni Leonardo was born in Cutro
Cutro
Cutro is a town and comune in the province of Crotone, Calabria region, Italy. It is the place of birth of Vincenzo Iaquinta, World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus.-History:...
, Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
. He studied law in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. In 1560, he lost a match to Ruy López in Rome. In 1566–1572, he travelled and played chess in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. He had played many times against Paolo Boi
Paolo Boi
Paolo Boi was an Italian chess player. He is considered to have been one of the greatest chess players of the 16th century.He was born in Syracuse, Sicily and died in Naples.-External links:...
in Italy and they were regarded as being equal in their chess strength.
Giovanni Leonardo di Bona won the first known international master tournament in the history of chess in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in 1575, therefore becoming the strongest chess master of the time. After their success at the Court of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
, Leonardo and Paolo Boi, both travelled, although separately, to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, where they tested their chess skill against Il Moro, the eminent chess champion of King Don Sebastian, of Portugal
Sebastian of Portugal
Sebastian "the Desired" was the 16th king of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of Prince John of Portugal and his wife, Joan of Spain...
. Again, they both succeeded, first Leonardo, soon followed by Paolo Boi, in defeating Il Moro.
And again the King was generous with his rewards. After this triumph, Giovanni Leonardo di Bona, having been called the wandering knight (Il Cavaliere errante) by King Don Sebastian, left Portugal to return to Italy and settle in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
where he became the chess master for the Prince of Bisignano
Bisignano
Bisignano is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza, part of in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is situated on hills in the Crati valley, between the Pollino and Sila National Parks .-History:...
.