Luis Ramirez Lucena
Encyclopedia
Luis Ramírez de Lucena was a leading Spanish
chess
player. He wrote the oldest existing printed book on chess, Repetition of Love and the Art of Playing Chess (Repetición de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez con ci Iuegos de Partido), published in Salamanca
in 1497. The book contains analysis of eleven chess opening
s but contains many elementary errors that led chess historian Harold Murray
to suggest that it was prepared in a hurry. The book was written when the rules of chess
were taking their modern form (see origins of modern chess), and some of the 150 positions in the book are of the old game and some of the new. Fewer than a dozen copies of the book exist.
The Lucena position
is named after him, even though it does not appear in his book. (It was first published in 1634 by Alessandro Salvio
.) The smothered mate
(later named Philidor's legacy) is in the book.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
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...
player. He wrote the oldest existing printed book on chess, Repetition of Love and the Art of Playing Chess (Repetición de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez con ci Iuegos de Partido), published in Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
in 1497. The book contains analysis of eleven chess opening
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
s but contains many elementary errors that led chess historian Harold Murray
Harold James Ruthven Murray
Harold James Ruthven Murray , was an English educationalist, inspector of schools, and prominent chess historian. He was the first to publish the theory that chess originated in India...
to suggest that it was prepared in a hurry. The book was written when the rules of chess
Rules of chess
The rules of chess are rules governing the play of the game of chess. While the exact origins of chess are unclear, modern rules first took form during the Middle Ages. The rules continued to be slightly modified until the early 19th century, when they reached essentially their current form. The...
were taking their modern form (see origins of modern chess), and some of the 150 positions in the book are of the old game and some of the new. Fewer than a dozen copies of the book exist.
The Lucena position
Lucena position
The Lucena position is one of the most famous and important positions in chess endgame theory, where one side has a rook and a pawn and the defender has a rook. It is fundamental in the rook and pawn versus rook endgame. If the side with the pawn can reach this type of position, he can forcibly...
is named after him, even though it does not appear in his book. (It was first published in 1634 by Alessandro Salvio
Alessandro Salvio
Alessandro Salvio was an Italian chess player who is considered to be the unofficial world champion around the year 1600. He started an Italian chess academy in Naples, Italy, and wrote a book called Trattato dell'Inventione et Arte Liberale del Gioco Degli Scacchi, which was published in Naples...
.) The smothered mate
Smothered mate
In chess, a smothered mate is a checkmate delivered by a knight in which the mated king is unable to move because he is surrounded by his own pieces....
(later named Philidor's legacy) is in the book.