Contents
0. The twin chess and draughts
Chess historians: “Chess played a decisive part in the development of draughts”. True or not true? Click here.
1. Value-free science
Our society considers chess as superior to draughts. Right or wrong? Click here.
2. An English romance of chivalry
Chess historians: “Draughts bears the name of the chess queen. That tells us everything”. True or not true? Click here.
3. The origin of the French game name dames
The name was born in 14th c. French and does not go back to the name of the chess queen. Click here.
4. The reformed chess queen
In the 15th c., chess players modernized their game, with a new queen as the eye-catcher. They took the name for this new piece from the draughts language. Click here.
5. The new chess queen: influence from draughts?
The name of the new chess queen suggests influence from draughts on chess.
Click here.
6. Tables and morris
In next chapters there will be attention to the board games tables and morris too. For a description of both board games click here.
7. The tables turned: draughts influenced chess
Chess historians: “Draughts had an older name. This name proves that draughts originated from chess”. True or not true? Click here.
8. The common Spanish citizen
Draughts had an older name indeed, but another one than chess historians claimed, and it has nothing to do with chess. Click here.
9. Arab influence in medieval Spain
A manuscript from 1283 described the board games played in late medieval Spain. Among them a game that looks like draughts. Click here.
10. Draughts in 13th c. Spain
Why the 1283 manuscript indeed described draughts. Click here.
11. Penetrating into the past
Why draughts in the 14th c. received a new name. Click here.
12. Chess twaddle?
Chess historians assure us: “Chess was the great board game of the Middle Ages”. Twaddle or truth? Click here.
13. Medieval gaming material
Twaddle or no twaddle? The gaming boards bought by the nobility gives us the answer. Click here.
14. Yes, chess twaddle!
The chess twaddle from chapter 12 refuted: chess was not medieval’s most popular board game. Click here.
15. Chess and draughts in medieval England
Chess historians: “In medieval England chess was the most popular board game; draughts was an almost unknown game”. True or not true? Click here.
16. Invisible chess
In France after 1500, chess was only played by small groups; for the general public chess was an invisible game. This was true for the Middle Ages too. Click here.
17. Target: the medieval literature
The conviction of chess historians that chess was the great board game of the Middle Ages, has come across in a time they only had literary sources at their disposal. Fancy stories are / are not a reliable source. Click here.
18. About repetition
Medieval stories are / are not a reliable source for the historiography of board games (1). Click here.
19. About originality
Medieval stories are / are not a reliable source for the historiography of board games (2). Click here.
20. About props
Medieval stories are / are not a reliable source for the historiography of board games (3). Click here.
21. Chess in the Middle Ages
“The medieval knights were real chess devotees”: rubbish or historical truth? Click here.
22. Draughts, the most popular board game of the Middle Ages
A conclusive proof by the language. Click here.
23. To the origins
Draughts cannot be younger than 500 AD. The game must have been played in a territority in Europe where a Latin dialect was spoken. Click here.
24. Draughts and symbolism
In the past, the draught board was a Christian symbol. What was its meaning? Click here.
25. The symbolic function of the medieval draught board
Click here.
26. Developing draughts
About the birth of draughts. Click here.
27. The origin of draughts
Draughts was possibly invented around the 2nd c. AD. Click here.
28. About the relation between chess and draughts
The old story: chess gave draughts its promotion. The new story: draughts gave chess its promotion. Click here.
29. Medieval draughts: capturing. Click here.
30. Medieval draughts: free capture and the huff
The Alfonso about capturing: compulsary? Click here.
31. The huff in England
The rise of the English game name draughts and the disappearance of the medieval game name checkers. Click here.
32. England versus the United States
The American name for draughts is checkers and the English name draughts. Why? Click here.
33. From board to box
The advent of the gaming box. Click here.
34. Medieval morris
About the popularity and status of morris. Click here.
35. The medieval evolution of draughts. Click here.
36. Chess in post-medieval Germany
In the post-medieval German society chess was for centuries an invisible game. Click here.
37. Board games in France in the period 1500-1700
In 16th and 17th c. France draughts was the majord board game; chess was impopular and socially invisible. Click here.
38. Chess and draughts in The Netherlands, 16th c.
Draughts was generally known; the social position of chess is not clear. Click here.
39. Tables in The Netherlands
The position of tables in The Netherlands in bygone ages. Click here.
40. Chess and draughts in The Netherlands, 17th c.
In 17th c. Holland and Flanders draughts was a major board game. Chess was nearly an unknown game. Click here.
41. Chess and draughts in the Netherlands, 18th c.
In 18th c. Netherlands, chess players borrowed from draughts players words which had to do with promotion; this proves influence from draughts on chess. Click here.
42. The first Dutch chess books
How 18th c. Holland discovered the existence of chess. Click here.
43. Philidor, chess player in Paris
Philidor and chess and draughts at the Royal Court. Click here.
44. Philidor learned chess
Where did Philidor learn chess: at home, in the coffee house or in the concert hall? Click here.
45. Philidor in Holland
In December 1745, Philidor travelled from Paris to Rotterdam. What did he find there with regard to chess and draughts? Click here.
46. Philidor’s hike through Holland
How Philidor survived in Holland. Click here.
47. Philidor, chess and draughts player
Philidor succeeded in blindfold chess but failed in blindfold draughts. Is draughts more difficult than chess? Click here.
48. Philidor writes his book
The scheme of Philidor’s book is comparable with a 18th c. Dutch draughts book. Draughts is demonstrably a richer game than chess. Click here.
49. Philidor’s innovation
Antonius van der Linde (1874): “With Philidor’s strategy, draughts penetrated into the soul of chess”. Click here.
50. Philidor complains
His complaint: “Chess players are seriously affected by draughts players”. Click here.
51. The bare king
In four countries at least (France, Spain, Italy and Germany), players played chess as if they were playing a game of draughts; influence from draughts on chess? Click here.
52. About intellectueals
Chess historians: “Eighteenth century intellectuals felt attracted to chess because of its intellectual appeal”. The same intellectuals, however, liked to play draughts too. Click here.
53. Chess, an intellectual game
How did chess get its intellectual image? Not because in the 18th c. so many intellectuals played chess, for these intellectuals played draughts too. Click here.
54. Nobility
“Because of its nature, chess was an attractive game for nobility”, chess historians claimed. This claim is wrong: the same social class also felt attracted by draughts. Click here.
55. Peerage and chess
Chess historians claim that there was a historical relation between chess and nobility, but this claim is untenable. Click here.
56. Chess coming up
Eary 19th c.: first Dutch chess club. Click here.
57. The Bonapartes
Napoleon and his brothers played chess and draughts. Click here.
58. From association for gentlemen to chess club
In the 19th c. Netherlands the game chess evolved to the sport chess, via several stages. Click here.
59. Morris in the northern Netherlands
Morris in the European civilization, a summaring survey. Click here.
60. Chess in the Netherlands before the 19th century
Investigations in Amsterdam. Click here.
61. The rise of chess in Europe
The beginnings are in France, late 17th c. Click here.
62. The rise of chess in France and the Netherlands. Click here.
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