Among statesmen and politicians we find such names as the Earl of Chatham, Pitt, C. J. Fox, Lord Godolphin, Lord Sunderland, St. John and Wedderburn.

Prominent as players as well as supporters were General Conway, Count Bruhl, the French Ambassador, Duke de Mirepois, the Turkish Ambassador, Dr. Black, Sir Abram Janssens, G. Atwood, (one of Pitts’ secretaries), Mr. Jennings, Mr. Cotter, and the Rev. Mr. Bouldeer.

Voltaire and Roussca were friends of Philidor, so also was David Garrick the actor; supporters in the musical world were numerous.  A combination of high appreciation for chess and music combined is often found.

Philidor died in 1795.  Sir Abram Janssens had already departed in 1775, as the recognized best player and one of the greatest enthusiasts, his loss left a great void in chess, Scandigh, Benedict, Prout and Asfra are musicians with whom we have ourselves played chess.

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The Carlovingian dynasty

In A.D. 757 Constantine Capronymus, Emperor of the East sent to King Pepin as a rare present the first organ ever seen in France.

Charlemagne’swager

The romance of Guerin de Montglave turns wholly upon a game of chess at which Charlemagne had lost his Kingdom to Guerin.

The short dialogue which preceded this game on which so great a stake depended, as narrated by the hero of the story to his sons is characteristic, and has thus been modernized by the Compte de Tressan, “I bet,” said the Emperor to me “that you would not play your expectation against me on this chess board, unless I were to propose some very high stake.”  “Done, replied I, I will play then, provided only you bet against me your Kingdom of France.”  “Very good, let us see,” cried Charlemagne, who fancied himself to be strong at chess.  We play forthwith, I win his Kingdom, he falls a laughing at it, but I swear by St. Martin and all the Saints of Aquitain, that he must needs pay me by some sort of compensation or other.  The Emperor therefore by way of equivalent surrenders to Guerin, all right to the City of Montglave, (Lyons), then in the hands of Saracens which is forthwith conquered by the hero, who afterwards names Mabolette the Soldan’s daughter.

The earliest chess anecdote in France is given by Augustus, Duke of Luneburg in his great work on chess.  It is extracted from an old Bavarian Chronicle, then in Library of Marcus Welsor, and states that Okarius, Okar or Otkar, Prince of Bavaria had a son of great promise, residing at the Court of King Pepin.  One day Pepin’s son when playing at chess with the young Prince of Bavaria, became so enraged at the latter for having repeatedly beaten him that he hit him on the temple with one of his rooks so as to kill him on the spot.  This anecdote is confirmed in another Bavarian Chronicle, and in the Guirinalia 1060.  The acts of Saint Guirin by Metellus of Tegernsee.  The murder of Okar happened during the reign of Pepin 752 to 768.