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I will introduce 15th century chess

Chess
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I will introduce 15th century chess

Historical background

The 15th century was the period of the Middle Ages - Renaissance in Europe.

Chess was played mainly in castles, palaces of nobles and scholars.

The game began to spread from Italy, Spain, France and was recorded in the first chess manual.

  1. Rules of chess and differences from today

Queen: Before the 15th century, the queen's moves were very limited (only 1 square diagonally). In the late 15th century, in Spain and Italy, the queen began to move more strongly, opening up modern chess.

Pawn: The rule of "going two squares on the first move" began to appear in Italy and Spain, making the game faster.

Castling: Not yet unified; many places still do not have official rules.

Checkmate: The way to end the game is basically similar but there are still regional variations.

  1. Chess books and theory

At the end of the 15th century, Francesco di Castellvi and Luis Ramirez de Lucena published books on chess.

These were the first documents on openings and middle-game strategy, marking the transition from a recreational game to a strategic art.

These books recorded model games, famous openings, and basic attacking tactics.

  1. Playing style

Direct attacking tactics: Mainly attacking the opponent's king from the beginning.

Middle game: Slower development of pieces compared to modern times, less complex coordination.

Endgame: Simple, focusing mainly on checkmating the king with a few auxiliary pieces, no deep endgame theory.

  1. Historical significance

The 15th century was the turning point of modern chess, especially in Europe.

The rule of stronger queen moves, the first two-square pawn moves, and faster openings made the game more dynamic and complex.

This was the foundation for the emergence of famous chess players and the Italian, Spanish, and French chess schools in the 16th and 17th centuries..