Serafino Dubois
Serafino Dubois ( born October 10, 1817 in Rome, † January 15, 1899 ibid ) was the most important Italian chess master of the 19th century.
Life and chess career
Dubois grew up in Rome, where he spent a large part of his life. Through publications and other chess related activities he was trying to earn his livelihood as a professional player. From the late 1840s was Dubois as the leading Italian masters.
Complicating his career had the special rules of chess his home. In Italy was the right of "free castling ", ie king and rook were allowed after the jump several possible fields are taking, including the original position of the other figure ( ie, for example Te1 and Kh1 ). There were also other differences. Farmers who pass with a double step, could not be captured en passant. In addition, farmers could only be converted into an already captured piece. Did not have your own character has been beaten, the farmer had initially remain on the promotion square.
Since larger tournaments inserting slowly, an ambitious player had to be limited in those days for competitions against potential rivals. In Rome in 1846 Dubois measure his strength with the top English players Marmaduke Wyvill, which he was, however, inferior to that of played without handicap games. In the following two decades Dubois denied numerous battles and was also resistant to the strongest opponents. In his most active years Dubois must be expected to ranks of the world 's best chess players. Its exact skill level is, however, difficult to estimate, because his performance was undoubtedly affected by the difficulty of the transition to the prevailing rules.
Nevertheless, Dubois has performed with success on the international stage. In the years 1855 and 1856 he attended the famous Café de la Regence in Paris, where he played against the leading masters. He defeated notably Jules Arnous de Rivière in a larger competition ( 22, -8, = 3).
Previously, Dubois had to cancel participation in the first international chess tournament in London in 1851, for material reasons. In the second London tournament of 1862 he reached the fifth rank (winner was Adolf Anderssen against Louis Paulsen ) and placed in front of the young Wilhelm Steinitz. In a subsequent match Dubois defeated by eventual champions with 5,5:3,5.
In 1863 he moved to the Netherlands. But two years later decided Dubois, who struggled with health problems, to return to his hometown of Rome. There he was active in journalism from now to a greater extent.
Importance for the Italian Chess
For the Italian Chess Dubois had outstanding importance in his lifetime. He was the only master of international renown and made in many ways to the promotion of chess deserves. So he gave in 1859 in Rome, together with Augusto Ferrante the first Italian chess magazine La Rivista degli Scacchi out, but soon had to cease publication.
His work was overshadowed by the ongoing discussion about the harmonization of international rules of chess. For many years corresponded Dubois for this purpose with French and Russian masters. Dubois proved to be followers of the status quo and tried to advertise internationally for a takeover of the Italian special rules. Here, the argument centered on the castling question that had great significance for the opening theory. Already in 1845 had dedicated these questions authored a book in French Dubois.
Between 1868 and 1874 Dubois published further writings on the openings and the question of the rules of chess, in which he pleaded in particular for the practice of free castling. Only in the 1880s Italy finally made the transition to the modern rules. Seen in this light, the use of Dubois had partially inhibiting effect on the Italian chess. The country could not build on his previous top position in any case after the delayed connection to the European chess.
Works
- Les principales ouvertures du jeu dans les deux of échecs Manières italienne et française, Rome 1845
- Le principali aperture del giuoco di scacchi sviluppate secondo i due diversi sistemi italiano e francese, two volumes, Rome 1868-1872
- L' italiano e l' arroccamento arroccamento francese e europeo, Rome 1874