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ITALY

Opposite Italienisch Linde has 1,348 to 1,358, but the story of the rebuke of the Bishop of Florence by Cardinal Damianus, for playing chess in a tavern when he should have been at prayers, given by Forbes and repeated by Linde, is of earlier date (1061), Buzecca’s blindfold play at chess on the invitation of Dante’s patron, the Master of Ravenna, before a distinguished company, is attributed to the year 1266.

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KRIEGSSPIEL

To Sanskrit Tschaturanza (column 1) under the head of “Kriegsspiel,” A.D. 954, is affixed to Arabisch (column 10), the same year 954 appears. (Note.  To this date of 954 I cannot help adding for once a query mark like those in which Linde’s book abounds (!!).

To Persich (column 7) 1000 (!) Fransofitch 12 Jht, English 13 Jht, Spanisch 1283, Italien 1348-1358.

To Tschinesich, Japanisch, Siamesich, Birmesich, and Tibetisch, under Aeltestes Datum Columns, 2 to 6 Unbekannt appears as well as to Tschaturanga column 1, notwithstanding the date of 954 in another place.  An the above are under the one head of “Kriegsspiel.”

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SCHACHSPIEL

Under this head Italienisch is 1512, Latienisch 1525, Franzofitch 1560, Englisch 1562, Deutsch 1606, Danisch 1752-1757, Schwedisch 1784, Ungarish 1861.

Dr. Van der Linde has nothing about the Roman edict of 115 B.C., or the other three points, which first caused our desire to invite a little more attention to the subject of the probable origin of chess, viz.:  (1) Alcuin and Egbert’s contemporary records, with Pepin, Charlemagne, Harun, the Princess Irene, and Emperor Nicephorus, the humane enlightened and glorious Al Mamum, with his treasures of learning, Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit translations (2 & 3).  Fortunately for the encyclopaedia writer of 1727, and the poet Pope, their articles have escaped his notice.  We naturally try to discover what Bretspiel and Nerdspiel was, according to Linde’s own notions, and when they ceased and chess began, both chess and Nerdspiel had been heard of and were terms used before Al Masudi and Ibn Khallekun wrote.  Why does not Linde attempt to explain why Harun, Walid, Razi, Al Suli, the Khalifs, and others up to the Shahnama poem, Anna Comnena and Aben Ezra call it chess, and nothing else, and again we ask how can he reconcile his own author, Masudi’s statement that Al Suli’s chess was declared more beautiful than all in the Caliph’s garden (he died in 946), with his own statement that chess was first known in Arabia, in 954.

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Dr. A. Van der Linde