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Greco the Great by Robert T. Tuohey
- William Shakespeare (Sonnet 104)
Baugin: The Five Senses, 1630 The period known as the Renaissance dates from the mid-fourteenth to the mid-seventeenth centuries. It was here, with the tremendous excitement attending upon the rebirth, and subsequent development, of the long-latent Greco-Roman arts and sciences, that the platform for modern times, the eighteenth century Enlightenment, was constructed. Succinctly stated, every area of European culture was advanced during the Renaissance. And chess was included. The most important player and analyst of this time was Gioachimo Greco (1600 – 1634). His hand-written booklets, originally presented to wealthy patrons who had studied under him, would, even during his short lifetime, be recopied and printed throughout the whole of Europe. Indeed, one might even argue Greco to be the “father of opening analysis”. Even today, with 400 years and a gazillion chess books between us, the name Greco, along with one or two of his delightful miniatures, are still known to the enthusiast. For example, his eponymous mate: Greco - NN [C53] 1620
But who was Gioachimo Greco?
Gioachimo Greco was born in 1600 in the small town of Celico, in the rural province of Calabria, Italy. Beyond the traditional assertion that the family was poor, little of certainty can be said of his upbringing. However, seeing as the boy learned not only to play chess, but indeed even to write, it may be assumed with some confidence that the father was at least a low-level government official or small landowner. Regarding Greco’s entrée to the Royal game, all is, again, unfortunately dark. Here, however, tradition coincides with common sense in claiming that during his teens Greco advanced his understanding via a close study of the writings of Lucena (Repeticion, 1487), and Lopez (Libro de la invención liberal y arte del juego del Axedrez, 1561), as well as any other game-scores in circulation (note 1). Two surviving examples (one incomplete) may serve to give some feeling for the style of the times. In the first, the master Busnardo makes short shrift of a plucky amateur. The place is Rome, the date 1590: Busnardo - NN [C53]
Our second example, same date and location, concerns the masters Polerio and, again, Busnardo. Although incomplete, I choose this game to dispel the common notion that Renaissance chess consisted of nothing more than tactical forays. Polerio,G - Busnardo [C33]
At least two general points may be drawn from these games: 1) rapid, sacrificial attack was often, although not always, modus operandi (“Audentes fortuna juvat” to quote Caesar - fortune favors the bold), and 2) while a very few opening systems (namely the Ruy Lopez) and combinative play were well-developed among masters, neither seems to have filtered down to the amateur level. (See link below to download pgn of 15 Renaissance-times chess games!) These, then, were the materials that Greco set his mind to. By 1617 his labors had begun to yield fruit: Greco was well-known within his home province of Calabria. The Duke of Lorena, in nearby Spain, was, like many of his class, a patron of the arts and sciences (note 2), and sent for the young master to come and demonstrate his prowess. The visit was a all-around success with the Duke receiving not only lessons but also Greco’s first hand-written booklet. The rising star, now with a bit of gold in his pocket and a letter of recommendation in-hand, traveled on to Rome, seeking his greater fortune. At the Italian capital, Greco’s fame continued to spread. As a player, his particular insight into the openings, combined with a well-honed Romantic attack arsenal (e.g., the KB down the “Italian diagonal” striking at f2/f7), made him quite dangerous. As a teacher, he was popular as well: his manner of instruction, echoed in his prose, was lively and rustic in character. All these qualities combined to earn him the good-natured nickname “Il Calabrese”.
The Chess Players, by Cornelius de Man (1621 – 1706) “Vedi Roma e poi mori”? In Greco’s case, quite the opposite: To see Rome and live ~ indeed, to live beyond the borders of Italy! The young maestro’s fame, carried abroad in the mouths of traveling noblemen and via the pages, copied and recopied, of his manuscripts, had quickly spread across the whole of Europe. The French, however, with fine Gallic sense, were the first to cry: Vive le Greco! And so on to Paris our man goes. The Duke of Lorraine (note 3), holding court alternately at Paris and Nancy, was Greco’s primary French patron ~ and a munificent patron he was: for a few months work the clever Calabrese was rewarded with a sack of 5000 crowns.
C’est la vie! Greco returned to Paris and his former patron, the Duke of Lorraine. The Duke, realizing that, indeed, le style c’est l’homme, not only recouped Greco’s loss but even added a few crowns to boot. Vive la France!
During this time, although we again lack details, Greco came into fellowship with the Jesuits (a.k.a. The Society of Jesus). This group was (indeed, is) something of an elite within the rigid hierarchy of the Holy Roman Catholic Church: deeply pious, highly learned, and tremendous defenders of, and proselytizers for, the One True Faith (parenthetically, and sub rosa, it should also be noted that more than a few of the good brothers had a fondness for pushing the little wooden pieces ~ although, doubtless, ad majorem Dei gloriam - To the Greater Glory of God). Thus it was, in 1634, attached as an adjunct to an intrepid congregation of Jesuits, that Greco set sail for the East Indies. En route, however, struck by a sudden illness, Gioachimo Greco was taken unto the hand of God. Greco left his entire worldly fortune to the Jesuits. His chess legacy, however, is ours. Greco: Monumentum aere perennius (Greco: A monument more lasting than bronze.)
Notes: 1. Broadly speaking, these three early works differ as follows: 1) the Lucena treats primarily (as older Arabic and Oriental chess texts) of mating combinations and endgame positions (see David Surratt’s three part article on the famous Lucena position here ); 2) the Lopez book examines a handful of openings in-detail; and 3) the Greco manuscript looks extensively, though briefly, at opening mistakes and their prosecution. There is a large body of documentation on the development of chess literature; The Oxford Companion to Chess is probably the best place to start. On the net, see: http://www.excaliburelectronics.com/history0699.html http://www.goddesschess.com/chessays/chessays1.html 2. Don’t fall into the common trap, however, of romanticizing these fellows: the majority of the Middle Ages, largely due to the machinations of local nobility and powerful merchants, was a time of incessant warfare. Leonardo Da Vinci, for example, while often lacking commissions for artistic work, was in constant demand as a military engineer. 3. LORRAINE [Lorraine ] , Ger. Lothringen, region and former province, NE France, bordering in the N on Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany, in the E on Alsace, in the S on Franche-Comté, and in the W on Champagne. It is now divided into four departments - Moselle, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, and Vosges. In Moselle dept., of which Metz is the capital, German is widely spoken along with French. The rest of Lorraine is French-speaking. Nancy is its economic and intellectual center. (Source: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition; 6/7/2005). See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_of_Lorraine 4. Although, to give the English their due, they make up for this blunder in their very decent treatment of Philidor. For more info on 15th century England, a time-line can be found at http://sharpgary.org/1600-1670.html , and a nice map of old London at http://web.utk.edu/~mcade/main.html. 5. For more info on this interesting guy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_IV_of_Spain and http://www.bartleby.com/65/ph/Philip4-Sp.html. 6. The scan of the Greco manuscript is from http://www.kb.nl/vak/schaak/afbeeldingen/schaakafb-en.html. 7. The Baugin and Man paintings are from http://www.wga.hu/index.htm. This is one of the most useful art sites on the web. Visit the Web Gallery! 8. In conclusion, it should be apparent, what with the partial info, that no proper modern biography of Greco exists (or, indeed, could even be written). In researching this article, I’ve had recourse to a great number of documents (the majority in Spanish, Italian, French, and German). Surveying the lot, I was impressed by a) the relatively small amount of solid fact, in constant conjunction with b) the relatively large amount of repeated information and contradiction and confusion (e.g., dates, locations, game-scores). The most reliable source in English (although, finally, no better than much of the rest) is, again, The Oxford Companion to Chess.
Downloads: 1. 15 hand-picked games from 1475-1590 : 15 Early Games (link to pgn) 2. 73 games by the master : Greco’s Legacy (link to pgn)
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