Pedro Damiano
Encyclopedia
Pedro Damiano was a Portuguese
chess
player who lived from 1480 to 1544. A native of Odemira
, he was a pharmacist
by profession
. He wrote Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi et de li partiti, published in Rome
, Italy
, in 1512; it went through eight editions in the sixteenth century. Damiano describes the rules of the game
, offers advice on strategy, presents a selection of chess problem
s (see diagram), and analyzes a few openings
. It is the oldest book that definitely states that the square on the right of the row closest to each player must be white. He also offers advice regarding blindfold chess
principally focused on the need to master notation based on numbering the squares 1-64 .
In his opening analysis, he suggests that after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 the reply 2...Nc6 is best and 2...d6 (now called the Philidor Defence
) is not as good. Damiano rightly condemned 2...f6 as the worst reasonable defence (Black can play 2...Qh4 or 2...Qg5 which is worse), but ironically and deceptively this opening has been given his name (Damiano Defence
). He states that 1.e4 and 1.d4 are the only first moves and that 1.e4 is better. He examines the Giuoco Piano
, Petrov's Defence
, and the Queen's Gambit Accepted
.
In this book Damiano suggested chess was invented by Xerxes
which would be the reason why it was known in Portuguese as Xadrez and in Spanish
as Ajedrez. In fact, these words come from old Persian
chaturanga via Arabic
xaţrandj.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
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 who lived from 1480 to 1544. A native of Odemira
Odemira
Odemira is a municipality in the Portuguese region of Alentejo with a total area of 1,720.6 km² and a total population of 25,738 inhabitants....
, he was a pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
by profession
Profession
A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
. He wrote Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi et de li partiti, published 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...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in 1512; it went through eight editions in the sixteenth century. Damiano describes the rules of the game
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...
, offers advice on strategy, presents a selection of chess problem
Chess problem
A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, that presents the solver with a particular task to be achieved. For instance, a position might be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two...
s (see diagram), and analyzes a few openings
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...
. It is the oldest book that definitely states that the square on the right of the row closest to each player must be white. He also offers advice regarding blindfold chess
Blindfold chess
Blindfold chess is a form of chess play wherein the players do not see the positions of the pieces or touch them. This forces players to maintain a mental model of the positions of the pieces...
principally focused on the need to master notation based on numbering the squares 1-64 .
In his opening analysis, he suggests that after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 the reply 2...Nc6 is best and 2...d6 (now called the Philidor Defence
Philidor Defence
The Philidor Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:It is named after the famous 18th-century player François-André Danican Philidor, who advocated it as an alternative to the common 2...Nc6...
) is not as good. Damiano rightly condemned 2...f6 as the worst reasonable defence (Black can play 2...Qh4 or 2...Qg5 which is worse), but ironically and deceptively this opening has been given his name (Damiano Defence
Damiano Defence
The Damiano Defence is a chess opening characterized by the opening moves#e4 e5#Nf3 f6?The ECO code for the Damiano Defence is C40 .-Details:...
). He states that 1.e4 and 1.d4 are the only first moves and that 1.e4 is better. He examines the Giuoco Piano
Giuoco Piano
The Giuoco Piano is a chess opening beginning with the moves:Common alternatives to 3...Bc5 include 3...Nf6 , 3...Be7 , or 3...d6 .-History:...
, Petrov's Defence
Petrov's Defence
Petrov's Defence is a chess opening characterised by the following moves:Though this symmetrical response has a long history, it was first popularised by Alexander Petrov, a Russian chess player of the mid-19th century...
, and the Queen's Gambit Accepted
Queen's Gambit Accepted
The Queen's Gambit Accepted is a chess opening characterised by the moves:The Queen's Gambit is not considered a true gambit, in contradistinction to the King's Gambit, because the pawn is either regained, or can only be held unprofitably by Black...
.
In this book Damiano suggested chess was invented by Xerxes
Xerxes I of Persia
Xerxes I of Persia , Ḫšayāršā, ), also known as Xerxes the Great, was the fifth king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire.-Youth and rise to power:...
which would be the reason why it was known in Portuguese as Xadrez and in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
as Ajedrez. In fact, these words come from old Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
chaturanga via Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
xaţrandj.