Editing François-André Danican Philidor (section)

===''l'Analyse du jeu des Échecs''===
{{AN chess|pos=secright}}

In 1749, Philidor published his famous book ''Analyse du jeu des Échecs''. He printed a second edition in 1777 and a third in 1790.<ref>Murray, p. 863.</ref> The book was such an advance in chess knowledge that, by 1871, it had gone through about 70 editions and had been translated into English, Spanish, German, Russian and Italian. In it, Philidor analyzed nine different types of game openings. Most of the openings of Philidor are designed to strengthen and establish a strong defensive center using pawns. He is the first one to realize the new role of the [[pawn (chess)|pawn]] in the chess game, and his most famous advice was the saying "The pawns are the soul of chess."
More precisely Philidor said:
<blockquote>
Mon but principal est de me rendre recommandable par une nouveauté dont personne ne s'est avisé, ou peut-être n'a été capable; c'est celle de bien jouer les pions; ils sont l'âme des Echecs : ce sont eux-mêmes qui forment uniquement l'attaque et la défense et de leur bon ou mauvais arrangement dépend entièrement le gain ou la perte de la partie.<ref>This quote first appears on [https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1050358s/f19.image# p. xiii] of the preface of Philidor's ''L'Analyse des Echecs'', 1749 edition.</ref>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Translation: My main purpose is to gain recognition for myself by means of a new idea of which no one has conceived, or perhaps has been unable to practice; that is, good play of the pawns; they are the soul of chess: it is they alone that determine the attack and the defense, and the winning or losing of the game depends entirely on their good or bad arrangement.
</blockquote>
He also included analysis of certain positions of [[Philidor position#Rook and bishop versus rook|rook and bishop versus rook]], such analysis being still current theory even today. He demonstrated an important drawing technique with a [[rook and pawn versus rook endgame]] in what is known as the [[Philidor position]]. The [[Philidor Defence|Philidor Defense]] (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6) is [[List of chess openings named after people|named for him]].  Philidor's book was the very first to give detailed annotations on how to play the middlegame, present chess strategy as a whole, and present the concepts of the blockade, prophylaxis, positional sacrifice and mobility of the pawn formation.<ref>David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld, ''[[The Oxford Companion to Chess]]'', Oxford University Press; 2nd edition (November 21, 1996)</ref>

Early critics of the ''Analyse du jeu des Échecs'' include those of the Modenese School ([[Ercole del Rio]], [[Giambattista Lolli|Lolli]] or [[Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani|Ponziani]]), who in contrast to the French, advocated a free piece play, [[gambit]] openings and tactical complications; they also found some of the variations reported in the ''Analyse'' to be unsound (in particular those related with ...f7–f5 push in the Philidor Defence: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5).  Some of Philidor's disciples—[[Bernard (chess player)|Bernard]], [[Carlier (chess player)|Carlier]], [[Leger (chess player)|Leger]], and [[Verdoni (chess player)|Verdoni]], who met at the [[Café de la Régence]] under the name of the ''Société des Amateurs''—also criticized his work.  In their book, ''[[Traité des Amateurs]]'', they expressed many criticisms and comments on his earlier printed book, arguing that the variations reported in Philidor's ''Analyse'' are more instructive than correct.  Nevertheless, the games in the ''Traité'' can be regarded, together of those of Philidor, as typical examples of the understanding of chess during the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], and the ''Société des Amateurs'' was much closer to Philidor than to the Modenese school.