Edited by Francis M. Naumann. Text by Francis M. Naumann, Bradley Bailey, Jennifer Shahade.

The Art of the Game of Chess is the first English translation of Fr. Ruy López’s 1561 book about chess, Libro de la invención liberal y arte del juego del ajedrez. López was a priest who served as King Philip II’s confessor and royal advisor. As a connoisseur of chess, King Philip II promoted the game in his court, and it did not take long for López to become known as Spain’s and one of Europe’s greatest chess players. López is widely acclaimed as one of the most influential chess thinkers of all time whose theories of chess are an integral part of how chess is played today. Academics, including historians, linguists, sociologists, and Hispanists, as well as non-academics, especially chess enthusiasts, will appreciate this translation, which opens with a Foreword by Andrew Soltis, who is a Grandmaster and a United States Chess Hall of Fame Inductee, and includes a critical introduction and more than 275 footnotes.

This essential work provides modern explanations of principles, varieties, and techniques of combination maneuvers, plus the ideas behind them. Examples from the games of many great players provide illustrations. 200 diagrams.

Dr. Tarrasch begins with the endgame-because itrsquo;s easier for a novice to deal with a few men than the entire 32. An important and extensive discussion of the middle game follows. Finally, the author deals with openings and offers enlightening comments on many historically important variations. Over 340 diagrams and 12 complete games.

Over 60 masterly demonstrations of the basic strategies of winning, featuring games by the greatest chess masters — Capablanca, Tarrasch, Fischer, Alekhine, Lasker, others. Each game offers a classic example of a fundamental problem and its best resolution, described and diagramed in the clearest possible manner for players of every level of skill. 146 illustrations.