5. Nxe5 Bxd1??

<i'm searching for the name of the author(middle xviii-th cent) of following verses: "Les Philidor, les Légal, à ce jeu Sont aujoud'hui les plus grands capitaines
Figurez-vous les Condés, les Turennes:
L'un est brilliant, rapide, plein de feu
L'autre combine, observe et risque peu;
L'un a l'attaque impétueuse et vive,
L'autre savant, circonspect et profond,
Est dans son camp fort pour la défensive
Auprès de lui l'ennemi se morfond">

I wish I could help, but I've never seen this before. It seems to have been a French writer or poet who was also a frequenter of the Café de la Régence.

Were Voltaire or either Jean-Baptiste or Madame Suard poets?

Or Diderot? who wrote such things as:
"If the weather is too cold or too rainy, I take refuge in the Regency Café. I like to watch the games of chess. The best chess players in the world are in Paris, and the best players in Paris are in the Café de la Régence. Here, in Rey's establishment, they battle it out—Legal the Profound, Philidor the Subtle, Mayot the Solid. One sees the most surprising moves and hears the stupidest remarks. For one can be an intelligent man and a great chess player, like Legal, but one can also be a great chess player and a fool, like Foubert and Mayot." ( http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/did... )

I'm even having some trouble with the translation (into English) particulary with "les Condés" and "les Turennes".

The verses are quoted in a text, included in the 1916 (8th Ed.) of the "Bilguer",(the last, famous 'Schlechter' edition), in an introdutory text by O. Koch, who declares that the Author of the strophe is unknown Well, we can speculate about an authorship from some of the best known French writers, why not...

Someone who visited Paris in the 1780s or thereabouts and brought home an elegant chess set was Thomas Jefferson - the chess set if on display at Monticello. But I guess it's probably not him.

I sense some allusion to the contrast between Oliver and Roland in the Chanson de Roland. But that doesn't help much either.

I've always wanted a Handbuch des Schachspiels, especially Schlechter's edition (though I'm not so choosy). But I don't read German. Have you ever heard of an English translation?

So, Condé and Turenne are person's names? For some reason, I had thought that Turenne might have something to do with a Rook. I think it must have had more to do with the hefe-weise I was drinking! But I do think I see what you mean about the "les"... making it more poetical than grammatical.

If Condé and Turenne were Generals, was it the author's intent to imply that Philidor was the Condé of chess, while Légal was the Turenne of chess?

<Someone who visited Paris in the 1780s or thereabouts and brought home an elegant chess set was Thomas Jefferson - the chess set if on display at Monticello.>

<bishopberkeley> gave a link (on the Morphy page?) several months ago to a photograph of Jefferson's chess set at Monticello. It might have been the Monticello site. I don't remember it mentioned anywhere (though I could be wrong, of course) that it had come from Paris. That makes it all the more interesting. Thanks.

<I sense some allusion to the contrast between Oliver and Roland in the Chanson de Roland>

The Song of Roland (in English) has always been one of my favorite poems (along with the Iliad, the Aeneid and Beowulf) but I haven't read it in a while. I was glad just to be reminded of it. Thanks again.

The Bilguer - photocopíed Editions of the first and also of the last (8th) above mentioned are available in German (Edition Olms, Zurique) - I have no notice about translations (for the while - a search is possible, surely)