Pedro Damiano (Portuguese: Pedro Damião; Damiano is the Italian form, much like the Latin Damianus; 1480–1544) was a Portuguese chess player. 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 problems (see diagrams), and provides analyses of 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 (Murray 1913, 788–89).
In this book Damiano suggested chess was invented by Xerxes, which would be why it was known in Portuguese as xadrez and in Spanish as ajedrez. In fact, these words come from Sanskrit caturaṅga via Persian and Arabic šaṭranj.
The well-known chess aphorism "If you see a good move, try to find a better one", sometimes misattributed to Lasker and other writers, can be found in Damiano's book; similar sentiments were expressed by al-Suli regarding shatranj, the Persian precursor to chess.[1]
According to the historian José Antonio Garzón, Damiano was a pseudonym, and his book was written by Francesc Vicent.[2]
^Edward Winter, Chess Notes 7837 & 7841 "Si hai buon tratto per la mano guarda se ne sia altro megliore"
^A World of Chess, Jean-Louis Cazaux and Rick Knowlton, p. 246
PedroDamiano (Portuguese: Pedro Damião; Damiano is the Italian form, much like the Latin Damianus; 1480–1544) was a Portuguese chess player. A native...
The Damiano Defence is a chess opening beginning with the moves: e4 e5 Nf3 f6? The defence is one of the oldest chess openings, with games dating back...
checkmate is named after PedroDamiano. One can also think of similar mates like 'Damiano's knight' and 'Damiano's rook' or even 'Damiano's king' (See Queen mate...
right column should be light-coloured; this convention was endorsed by PedroDamiano at the end of the 15th century. In contemporary chess, a digital board...
published in Salamanca in 1497. Lucena and later masters like Portuguese PedroDamiano, Italians Giovanni Leonardo Di Bona, Giulio Cesare Polerio and Gioachino...
Piano is one of the oldest recorded openings. The Portuguese writer PedroDamiano played it at the beginning of the 16th century and the Italian Greco...
published in Salamanca in 1497. Lucena and later masters like Portuguese PedroDamiano, Italians Giovanni Leonardo Di Bona, Giulio Cesare Polerio and Gioachino...
present opening analysis, as do PedroDamiano (1512) and Ruy López de Segura (1561). Ruy López's disagreement with Damiano regarding the merits of 2...Nc6...
describe chess moves. In his 1561 book, Ruy Lopez, seeking to debunk PedroDamiano, advocated 2...d6 as superior to 2...Nc6, on the grounds that 2...Nc6...
systematic way." Fifteen years after Lucena's book, Portuguese apothecary PedroDamiano published the book Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi et de...
earliest treatises on modern chess by the likes of Luis Ramirez Lucena and PedroDamiano (late 15th and early 16th century) also include studies. However, these...
the treatise Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi signed by PedroDamiano. It is assumed that the book contained 100 endgames. The original Catalan...
Santiago Vila Nova de Milfontes PedroDamiano (1480–1544) a Portuguese chess player and pharmacist by profession Pedro de Almada Pereira (1835 in Odemira...
poet (born 1496) December – Denis Janot, French printer Unknown dates PedroDamiano, Portuguese chess player and writer (born 1480) Nilakantha Somayaji...
one of the first books published about modern chess in Europe, after PedroDamiano's 1512 book. It was written by Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura in...
Game of Chess) with the first reference to a goddess of chess. 1512 – PedroDamiano publishes one of the first chess treatises, Questo libro e da imparare...
liberal y arte del juego del Axedrez in 1561, based on the work of PedroDamiano de Odemira Questo Libro e da impare giocare a scachi et de la Partite...
Nf3 Be7 – named after Alexander Cunningham Damiano Defence – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6 – named after PedroDamiano although he gave the refutation rather than...
Pope Pius XI (Italian: Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (Italian: [amˈbrɔ:dʒo daˈmja:no aˈkille ˈratti]; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939),...
directors such as Luigi Comencini, Mario Monicelli, Salvatore Samperi, Damiano Damiani, Pasquale Squitieri, Francesco Rosi, Walerian Borowczyk, Marco...
directed by Jackson Tisi and filmed in Canada. It features Anitta and Damiano David, the vocalist of the Italian band Måneskin, playing a couple in a...
interpreted various genres, working alongside italian directors such as Damiano Damiani, Mario Monicelli, Dino Risi, Marco Ferreri, Carlo Verdone, Ettore...
people with the surname include: Chip Damiani (1945–2014), American drummer Damiano Damiani (1922–2013), Italian screenwriter and film director Donatella Damiani...
Celestine Joseph Damiano (November 1, 1911 – October 2, 1967) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as apostolic delegate to...
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