Short list of historic chess events
http://www.logicalchess.com/info/history/0-1799.html
I've reduced the collection considerably and kept that, what I thought interesting enough in the moment. The list is only a spotlight and occasionally rather wrong with the dates. Nonetheless it creates a sort of overview.
I'm astonished, that even in 14th century Chess had a lot to do with prohibitions, especially for the clergy. Perhaps there is a sort of explanation, wy Petrarca didn't mention chess in his wok (he belonged to the clergy). Perhaps the entry: "1420 German king (= Sigismondo) abandons the prohibition of chess." had been a greater signal, after this time chess prohibition seems to have stopped.
Interesting is also, that Charles the Bold of Burgundy (-1477) was called the best chess player of his time. Dito, that a Bolognese manuscript ca. 1440 gained some fame as a good chess book and my attention, however, at other place it's said, tha t it was made in 13th century.
0531 INDIA; Chess introduced into Persia from India during reign of Khusrau Nushirwan. (531-578).
0550 Chaturanga, earliest chess precursor, created in the Punjab.
0570 CHINA; Form of chess being played in China with dice.
0630 Chatrang (old Persian word for chess) developed from chaturanga.
0638 Islamic conquest of Persia changes chatrang to shatranj.
0651 Arabic conquest of Persia completed; shatranj popular.
0655 TALIB; Caliph Ali Ben Abu Talib, son-in-law of Muhammad, disapproves of chess for Muslims.
0680 CANONS; 50th rule of the canons forbids chess.
0690 JAPAN; Chess prohibited in Japan by the Emperor Jito.
0735 Living chess introduced in Europe by Charles Martel (688-741).
0770 WOMEN; 1st mention of women chessplayers.
0790 CHESS PIECE; Earliest known chess piece dates to this period.
0795 CHINA; 1st reference to Chinese chess in the HUAN KWAI LU (Book of Marvels).
0800 Moors bring chess to Spain. Chess reaches Italy.
0801 Charlemagne (742-814) introduced to chess.
0820 RUSSIA; Chess introduced in Russia thru the Caspian-Volga trade route..
0850 Decimal chess invented. Board is 10 x 10. 1st use of dice in chess.
0895 GREEKS; Chess introduced to the Greeks; call it zatrikion.
0900 EUROPE; Chess introduced into Europe.
0900 INDIA; Chessplayers in india wages their fingers in chess matches.
0910 al-lajlaj (the stammerer) is the first to publish openings.
0920 Chess pieces are given Persian names.
0988 Ibn an-Nadim writes on a whole succession of leading players and chessbooks.
0999 EINSIEDELIN; Earlist known literary account of chess in Europe, the Einsiedeln Verses, Switzerland.
0999 Versus de scachis is a 98-line poem describing the game & its rules.
1000 EUROPE; Chess is widely known throughout Europe.
1000 OTTO II; The daughter of Otto II (955-983) was "won" from a chess match.
1000 RUSSIA; Chess reaches Russia from Byzantium and from the the Vikings.
1005 AL-HAKIM; Chess is banned in Egypt by al-Hakim; and all chess sets were burned.
1008.07.28 ERMENGUAD; 1st written reference to chess in Europe, from a will of Ermengaud I, Count of Urgel.
1050 GERMAN; Earliest reference of chess in the German literature, the Latin epic Ruodlieb.
1055 POEM; Chess poem, Ludus scacorum or Elgia de Ludo Scachorum, written.
1060 William the Conqueror breaks board over head of Prince of France.
1061.12 DAMIANI; Cardinal Damiani of Ostin forbids the clergy to play chess.
1066 BRITIAN; Chess introduced into Britain.
1078 ALFONSO; King Alfonso VI of Castile played chess with B. Ammar.
1078 Seville was spared from siege due to a chess game.
1080 Normans name the financial departments exchequer.
1081 ALEXIUS; Emperor Alexius I comes to power. Plays chess with his court.
1082 PERSIA; Regulations of chess in persia are published.
1090 Boards with alternating light and dark squares are introduced.
1092 IBN-EZRA; Abraham Ben Ibn-Ezra b. in Tudela, Spain. Author of Hebrew chess works.
1093 CHURCH; Chess is condemned by the eastern orthodox church.
1097 FRENCH; 1st French reference to chess.
1100 Chess becomes accepted as a regular featue of noble life.
1100 EUROPE; 1st Central European reference to chess.
1100 POLAND; Chess introduced in Poland.
1100 Shogi played in Japan.
1110 ZONARES; John Zonares, Eastern Church monk, excommunicated chessplayers.
1115 BYZANTINE; The emperor of the Byzantine empire is a chess addict.
1120 LEWIS; Oldest known chess set, the Lewis chessmen, from this period.
1125 BYZANTINE; Chess is banned in some byzantine churches.
1128 St. Bernard (1090-1153) forbids the knights templars from chess.
1130 Draughts, a variant of chess, invented in the south of France using backgammon pieces.
1150 Draughts (checkers) started in France.
1167 SPAIN; Earliest spanish reference to chess.
1190 NECKAM; Alexander Neckam devotes a chapter to chess in his treatise, On the Nature of Things.
1190 Neckam condemns chess for being frivolous.
1190 RICHARD I; King Richard I (1157-99) learns chess while on the crusades.
1195 MAIMONIDES; The rabbi Maimonides includes chess among the forbidden games.
1199 LACKLAND; John Lackland, King of England, was a keen chess player.
1200 Courier chess, played on a 12x8 board, introduced.
1200 Great chess, played on a 100 square board, introduced.
1208 SULLY; The bishop of Paris, Odo Sully, bans chess from the clergy.
1210 Morality of chess according to Pope Innocent III (1160-1216) written.
1220 DICE; Chess is no longer played with dice to determine moves.
1230 Astronomical chess introduced.
1230 Icelandic ST OLAF'S SAGA contains a chess incident. 1st appearance of chess in the Norse lands.
1240 FORBID; Chess forbidden to the clergy in Worcester, England.
1252 JOHN; THE INNOCENT MORALITY chess allegory written by John of Wales.
1254.12 St Louis IX of France restricts chess to laymen.
1255.05.08 FRANCE; Provincial Council of Beziers in France forbids chess.
1258 Mongols sacked Baghdad.
1260 HENRY; King Henry III (1207-72) instructs the clergy to leave chess alone.
1262 Russian word for chess (shakmatny) is introduced.
1273 Cotton MS is the earliest English collection of chess problems.
1275 PAWN; Option of pawn double move on the 1st move introduced in Italy.
1279 Chinese introduce new pieces to Chinese chess (siang ki)
1283 Alfonso manuscript completed. Compiled for Alfonso X, Castile King. Called Libro del Acedrex.
1290 Lombard lawyer, Guido de Baysio, formulate rules to govern chess.
1291 PECKMAN; The Archbishop of Cantebury, John Peckman, forbids chess.
1295 BONUS SOCIUS is 1st European MS using a coordinate notation.
1299 Priests were forbidden from playing chess.
1300 Cessole writes 'Book of the customs of men and the duties of nobles'. Chess morales. (liber de moribus)
1309 HUGO; Ponce Hugo, Count of Ampurias, donates chessmen to the cathedral of Gerona.
1310 FORBID; Chess forbidden to the clergy in Germany (Council of Trier).
1320 CARDS; Playing cards introduced.
1322 KALONYMOS; Jewish rabbi, Kalonymos Ben Kalonymos, condemns chess in his Eben Hohan.
1323 CHATRANG-NAMAK written; oldest of Pahlawi works
1329 FORBID; Synod of Wurzburg, Germany forbids chess.
1330 Citadel chess invented. Extra square at each corner.
1335 Robert, King of Hungary, sent John, King of Bohemia, a chess set.
1337 Ammenhausen writes about courier chess.
1340 persian 'treasury of sciences' includes 3 chapters on chess.
1347 CESSOLIS; 1st translation of the Cessolis morality into French.
1350 Margiolano of Florence is recognized as the leading blindfold player.
1360 Les Amoureux Eschecs written. Best example of romantic allegory.
1369 Chaucer (1343-1400) writes about chess in his poem The Book of the Duchess.
1370 ARRANGEMENT; Earlist known chess puzzle called arrangement.
1370 GREGORY; Pope Gregory xi (1329-1378) is an avid chessplayer.
1374 Timur names his son shah-rukh after playing chess
1375 Charles V (1337-80) of France prohibits chess.
1380 William of Wykeleham, founder of Oxford, forbids chess.
1392 Charles VI (1368-1422) forbids chess.
1397.02.05 Louis, Duke of Orleans, purchased an elaborate chessboard.
1405 TIMUR; Mongol emperor Timur died.
1407 Louis, Duke of Orleans, died. Chessplayer.
1408 MOHAMMED; The Sultan Mohammed plays live chess in Grenada, Spain.
1410 Martin of Aragon is an avid collector of chess sets and books.
1416 Jews of Forli banned all games of chance except chess.
1420 German king abandons the prohibition of chess.
1422 Cracow manuscript states that stalemate is a draw.
1422 Cracow poem attributes the invention of chess to Ulysses.
1425 ROYAL; 1st reference to chess as 'the royal game' in Lydgates translation.
1430 Charles VII (1403-61), King of France, is a chess addict.
1437 JAMES I; King James I of Scotland was playing chess when he was murdered.
1440 CIVIS BONONIAI, collection of chess problems, incorporated in Florentine manuscript.
1450 PROBLEM; Custom of attaching to each problem an author.
1454 CIVIS; Best copy of Civis Bononiae's manuscript made. Now in Modena.
1454 Living chess played in Morostica, Italy for the hand of a lady.
1457.05 Charles, Duke of Orleans, wins a rare chess manuscript.
1460 Charles the Bold (1433-77) considered the best player of his time.
1464 statute included chessmen in a list of goods which were no onger to be imported.
1465 Charles D'Orleans d. Chess player and father of Louis XII.
1465 Orleans, Charles d' died. French prince and chessplyer.
1467 BALLET; Colonna's Hypnerotomachia Poliphili describes chess balet.
1470 INNOCENT MORALITY published. 1st printed reference to chess.
1471 Gottingen manuscript published. 1st work devoted to modern chess.
1472 HARDBACK; 1st hardback book dealing with chess published.
1472 MORALITY; 1st printing of the Gesta Romanorum morality, in Latin.
1474 Caxton (1422-1491) publishes 'the game and playe of chesse.'
1474.12 Gottingen manuscript in the hands of King Alfonso V of Portugal.
1475 CHESS; Beginning of modern chess starts in southern Europe.
1476 CHARLES; At Louvaine, Charles the Bold forbids cards & dice, but not chess.
1477 Charles the Bold died.
1480 ? Damiano, Pedro born in Odemira, Portugal. Wrote 1st chess book in Italian.
1485 GAME; 1st known modern chess game recorded.
1490 En passant is introduced.
1490 PAINTING; 1st chess painting 'the chess players,' by a Venetian artist.
1490 VIDA; Marco Girolamo Vida born.
1492 Ferdinand played chess while Columbus negotiated.
1495 BOOK; 1st practical chess book printed, by the Catalan Vicent treatise on openings.
1495 INQUISITION; During the Inquisition, living chess was played.
1495 Vicent publishes his Catalan chess book, 1st practical chess book to be printed.
1496 BOOK; Oldest surviving book dealing with practical play printed by Lucena; Repeticion de Amores.
1497 Lucena writes 1st printed book on chess playing; dedicated to Prince Juan.
1498 Mennel presents manuscript to Emperor Maximilian I that chess is a game of skill.
1500 FIRDEWSI; World's longest poem, by Firdewsi, recounts how chess was invented.
1500 JEWS; Chess becomes a recognized pastime for Jews on the Sabbath.
1500 SCACHS; The Catalan Scachs d'amor chess poem written.
1503 Firdewsi completes a chess book which includes Dilaram's mate.
1509 JAVA; 1st Portuguese expedition off Malacca. The Javans recognized chess
1510 Vida writes his poem, Scacchia Ludus, the 1st mention of a goddess of chess.
1512 BOOK; 1st chess book to be published in Italy, by Damiano in Rome. 2nd extant chess book.
1512 Damiano doesn't mention medieval chess.
1512 Damiano says chess was invented by Xerxes (Axedrez is Sp for chess).
1512 Manuscript copied by Guarini at Rome was last Italian collection of medieval chess.
1513 Vida writes chess poem Scacchia Ludus.
1516 CASTIGLIONE; Book of the Courtier written by Castiglione. Mentions chess.
1518 DAMIANO; 2nd printing of Damiano's book, Questo libro, printed in Rome.
1520 LEYDEN; Lucas von Leyden paints THE CHESSPLAYERS, showing Courier chess.
1522 VASSILI; Clergy ordered not to play chess by Vassili III.
1524 DAMIANO; 3rd printing of Damiano's book.
1525 SCACCHORUM; Unauthorized version of SCACCHORUM LIBER published in Florence.
1525 VIDA; Scacchia ludus by Vida published in Lyons; pirate version.
1527 Vida published SCACCHIA LUDUS, a famous poem on chess, Rome.
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Addition to the 1440 entry CIVIS BONONIAI
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/bckg/englis ... noniae.htm
Boncampagno da Signa /disputed author
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boncompagno_da_Signa