DAMIANO DA ODEMIRA.

Extremely rare, beautifully illustrated early chess book in Spanish and Italian – ‘the first chess book published in Italy’ (Hooper, p.85). This is one of the earliest editions and the first to include depictions of the individual chess pieces in the initial list (cf. Van der Linde). In particular, ‘the modern form of the Rook as tower’ first appears in this ed. (Murray, p.772).

Pedro Damiano da Odemira was a Portuguese apothecary and chess player, of whom little is known. He first published his chess book in 1512. It is renowned for maxims such as ‘If you have a good move, check if there is a better one’, and an early mention that each player should have a light square on the right-hand side. Damiano’s is only the third early chess book – following Vicent’s and Lucerna’s – written after the change of rules in 1475, when the Queen and Bishop appeared instead of the Fers and Aufin. This also led to the study of openings, and generally ‘most of the endgame knowledge garnered in the preceding 800 or 900 years [had become] obsolete’ (Hooper, p.145).  

The 10 chapters discuss the names of chess pieces and universal regulations; the following – all illustrated, and bilingual – deal with playing techniques, focusing on the pawn and the knight, the last is devoted to playing blind-fold, with techniques to remember the location of each piece on the board. ‘Damiano declares there are only two ways of commencing the game […]. Under the first method he includes variations of the Petroff, the gambit now called after him, and the Giuoco Piano. The second method is The Queen’s Gambit accepted. […] His reputation during the 300 years following his death rested not on his analysis but upon his collection of problems’ (Murray, p.788). Albeit known as ‘Damiano Defence’, this move was actually criticised by Damiano as weak. A most interesting work in a wonderful copy.

The library of English chess player J.W. Rimington Wilson (1822-77), rich with rarities, was sold after his death. Rev. George Innes was head of Warwick School from 1792, for 50 years.

The bibliographical history is complicated. It was first published in 1512 (cf. Van der Linde), an ed. absent in USTC, which features instead one from 1518. It was republished a few times in 1520-40, mostly in 8vo, undated and without imprint. No prority has been established. All these early eds survive in 1-2 copies only. Palau lists this as the third; Sander calls this the fifth ed. and dates it after 1524, after Van der Linde, based on wear to the woodcuts.