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L'univers des Échecs

L'univers des Échecs (`The Universe of Chess') is the title of a book of Pascal Reysset and Jean-Louis Cazaux that appeared in the end of 2000. In the book, the authors give the rules and background on a number of variations of chess. This includes chapters on the first variants of chess, the changes made to chess in the Middle Ages in Europe, history and rules of Chinese Chess (Xianqgi) and Japanese Chess (Shogi), and several other historical and/or regional variants. Several modern variants of chess are also described, like Avalanche chess and Bughouse (Tandem chess). The book has a strong focus on giving the historic and social backgrounds of the games that are described. We read about famous chess players, the origins of chess pieces, Shatranj problems, and much more.

If you are able to read French, then you will find in this well-written book a lot of information on chess and many of its important variants.


WWW page created: December 15, 2000.