Century XVII  
1600 Greco, Gioacchino born in Celico, Italy. Great 17th century Italian player.
1600 Appearance of professional players who made their living at chess.
1600 Castling established as a single move; still regional variations.
1600 Nilakantha writes the BHAGAVANTABHASKARA, which has a chess section
1600 Stalemate in England is a win for the side whose King is stalemated
1604 Salvio publishes the 1st comprehensive chess book, in Naples; Trattato.
1605 Ohashi-Sokei appointed chief shogi player in Japan.
1612 Buoncompagno, Duke of Sora and illegitimate son of Pope Gregory XIII, leading Italian chess patron.
1612 Polerio died.
1612 Salvio wrote a chess tragedy in verse (La Scaccaide).
1612 Arabic manuscript (Y)
1613 Chess on stage in Shakespeare's The Tempest (Miranda playing Ferdinand).
1614 Stalemate was a loss according to A. Saul of England.
1614 Don Quixote published; refers to chess.
1614 Arthur Saul's FAMOUS GAME OF CHESSE PLAY published. Thought Xerxes invented chess.
1616 Selenius publishes the earliest German book on openings, in Leipzig. (Lopez's book)
1617 Carrera prints a book on all aspects of chess (Gioco Degli Scacchi).
1617 Carrera suggests new piece, the champion (combines rook and knight).
1617 Carrera suggests enlarging the chessboard to 10 x 8.
1619 Greco compiles a manuscript on openings to a patron in Rome.
1620 Modern version of castling established in France.
1621 Greco wins 5,000 crowns at the Court of the Duke of Lorraine, Paris.
1621 Burton writes Anatomy of Melancholy and mentions chess.
1622 Chess used in a play caled THE SPANISH CURATE.
1622 Greco went to London where he was robbed of his 5,000 crowns.
1623 Greco presents chess manuscript to Nicholas Montstephen.
1623 Greco began the practice of giving complete games.
1624 Middleton's play suppressed by James I & Middleton went to prison.
1624 Greco defeats all opponents at the court of Philip IV.
1624 A play, "A Game of Chess" by Thomas Middleton, written. Anti-Spanish.
1625 History of St Demys Abbey saying Charlegmane gave them a chess set.
1630 Charles I is a chess addict, spending all his time at chess.
1633 Ecclesiastical lawyers declare chess as legal.
1634 Greco, Gioacchino died in the West Indies; strongest player of his day.
1634 Salvio publishes an account of Leonardo da Cutri, IL PUTTINO.
1634 Salvio starts a chess academy in Naples.
1634 Salvio republishes his Trattato; attacked Carrera.
1635 Louis XIII was a chess addict.
1636.06.29 Hyde, Thomas, chess historian, born in Billingsley, England.
1640 King Charles I of England is a keen chessplayer.
1640 1st mention of Scholar's mate in 2nd edition of Saul's chess book.
1640 Modern version of castling established in England.
1640 Salvio died.
1641 1st mention of chess in America, in a history of Dutch settlers.
1643 Civil War pamphlet called The Game at Chess published.
1647 Charles I was playing chess when the Scots surrendered.
1647.09.18 Carrera, Pietro died in Messina, Italy. Sicilian historian & antiquarian.
1649 The Tsar Alexei punished chessplayers by whipping and prison.
1650 Venetian merchant conducts a corr. game against Slovenia player.
1651.05.13 Frederick William I of Prussia gives chess board to town of Strobeck.
1652 1st coffee house opened in London. Chess was played there.
1654 Cunningham, Alexander born in Scotland. Diplomat and historian. Cunningham gambit.
1655 Cunningham, Alexander born in Scotland. Classical scholar.
1656 ROYALL GAME OF CHESS PLAYE, by Beale, 1st published smothered mate.
1656 Earliest edition of Greco's work published, in English.
1658 Khalifa writes Arabic bibliography; has catalog of chess books
1660 The Shah Jehan builds a chess palace.
1663.04.23 Chess sets presented to the Tsar.
1665 Abu; Earlist dating of Abu 'l-fath manuscript.
1666 Selenus died.
1666.09.17 August der Jungere, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg (Gustavus Selenus) died in Wolfenbuttel, Germany.
1667 Giovanni Girolamo Saccheri born. Played 3 games blindfold.
1669 Tsar Alexei Mikhailovitch orders 10 sets of chessmen.
1669 Greco's manuscripts published in Paris.
1670 Cafe de la Regence opened in Paris. Closed in 1916.
1672 Next English book since 1656, a re-issue of Saul and Barbier.
1675 Leibniz, the german philosopher, played chess.
1680 A chess academy was conducted at Fountainbleau.
1683 Piacenza writes book describing flank openings as fianchetti.
1685 Muscovite embassy to Louis XIV defeated French players in Paris.
1686 Tsar liberates man from confinement whose crime was playing chess and swearing.
1687 1st account of chess in Siam by La Loubere, envoy to Louis XIV
1690 Books on the origin of chess published in Naples by Marco Severino.
1690 The medieval's king leap makes its last appearance in the 'Traite'.
1690 1st time openings are classified in an orderly way.
1690 'Traite de Lausanne' written by B. Asperling.
1692 Slaughter's coffee house in London founded for chessplayers.
1694 Hyde publishes the 1st scholarly attempt of oriental chess origins, De Ludis Orientalibus.
1695? Bertin, Joseph born at Castelmoron-sur-Lot. Chess author.
1697 Herbelot's BIBLIOTHEQUE ORIENTALE, gives some chess history.
1698 Giambattista Lolli born in Nonantola. Chess author.
1698 TRAITE DES LAUSANNE by Gentil published. 1st appearance of QGCG.