He and his son were the principal editors of the French monthly chess magazine, La Stratégie. He was the author of several chess books.
"Jean-Louis Preti .. was born at Mantua in 1798. At the age of 28, being involved in some political conspiracy, he had to leave suddenly his country to escape the severity of Austrian martial law. He crossed
the Alps with his young wife and found refuge in France. He settled at Bordeaux, where he gave music lessons and very soon became professor at the Royal College. In consequence of over-work his health gave way, he had to resign his professorship, and from hence dates his connection with Chess in France. In 1844 he settled permanently in Paris, took part regularly in the weekly contests of the Cafe de la Regence, and
established his position in the rank of the foremost Parisian players. We find his name frequently mentioned in the French Chess periodicals from '49 to '62.
He was one of the few witnesses of the ever-memorable Anderssen-Morphy match. In 1867, after the International Tournament for the Emperor's prize, which Kolisch carried off, a Tournament was arranged at the Regence and Mons. Preti took second place, Czarnowski, who had made a fair score in the International, being first. Mons. Preti excelled still
more as Chess-writer; he worked very assiduously in the fields of French Chess literature.
Numerous are the works he has written, aided by his collaborator the Abbe Durand, whose death we announced a few months ago. Since 1856 he published nine Chess works, in 1866 he became the founder of the monthly magazine La Strategie, which has already reached its fifteenth volume. We had the advantage of being personally acquainted with M. Preti, and can give testimony of his high social qualities. For some years past his son, Mons. Numa Preti, had eased his shoulders from the burden of the Editorship of La Strategie, and he may be considered a worthy successor to the worthy founder of the French Chess periodical. 1
1 "Chess Monthly" 1881, p.223.
Wikipedia article: Jean-Louis Preti
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