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Philidor
Philidor 
 

Number of games in database: 51
Years covered: 1749 to 1795
Overall record: +14 -3 =3 (77.5%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 31 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 King's Gambit Accepted (6) 
    C35 C33 C38
With the Black pieces:
 Bishop's Opening (5) 
    C23 C24
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   A Smith vs Philidor, 1790 0-1
   J Bruehl vs Philidor, 1783 0-1
   Philidor vs NN, 1749 1-0
   Philidor vs NN, 1750 1-0
   Philidor vs NN, 1749 1-0
   Philidor vs NN, 1749 1-0
   NN vs Philidor, 1749 0-1
   Philidor vs J Bruehl, 1789 1-0
   Philidor vs NN, 1749 1-0
   Sheldon vs Philidor, 1790 0-1

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   Obds (Part 1) by Penguincw
   Philidor by Okavango
   Philidor by rjuranek
   Philidor by Runemaster
   a-1749 by wina
   1 by gr2cae
   early games by wwall
   Chess Prehistory by Joe Stanley
   Chess Prehistory by Okavango
   17 Chess Prehistory Lid by Littlejohn

GAMES ANNOTATED BY PHILIDOR: [what is this?]
   NN vs Philidor, 1749


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PHILIDOR
(born Sep-07-1726, died Aug-31-1795, 68 years old) France

[what is this?]

Philidor (né François André Danican)
Born: Dreux, France
Died: London, England

His grandfather was a Hautboy-player at the Court of Lewis XIII. An Italian Musician named Philidor, was admired at that Court for his performance on the same instrument; and after his departure the King gave Mr. Danican the Sobriquet or nick-name of Philidor, which has still remained in the family. His father, and several of his brothers, belonged to the band of Lewis XIV and Lewis XV.(1)

He was both a chess and musical prodigy—his first musical composition was played before King Louis XV when he was only 11 years old. He was taught chess by Kermur Sire De Legal, who initially gave him rook odds, until the young Philidor became too strong for his teacher.

In 1744 Philidor played two chess games blindfolded simultaneously in public in Paris, a feat never before known to have been accomplished. In 1749 his "Analysis of Chess" was published in London, the first chess book to explain the openings, the middlegame, and the general strategy of chess. The book claimed that Les pions sont l'ame du jeu, a phrase that became widely known as 'the pawns are the soul of chess', a maxim known to chessplayers ever since.

Three different important endgame positions are known as the Philidor position.(2) One of them, illustrating a defensive technique in the rook and pawn versus rook ending, is among the most fundamental endgame positions.(3) Philidor's analysis of the Philidor position in the rook and bishop versus rook ending, demonstrating a complicated and difficult win for the superior side, is perhaps the most profound analysis of an endgame up until that time.

Philidor's name is also associated with a standard chess tactic commonly known as Philidor's Legacy, a smothered mating pattern involving a queen and knight. However this is only a traditional name, as the tactic first appeared in print by a book by Luis Ramirez de Lucena.

Sources
(1) Chess, "Anecdotes of Mr. Philidor Communicated by Himself", Twiss, London 1787, p149
(2) Wikipedia article: Philidor position
(3) 100 Endgames You Must Know, Jesus Maria de la Villa Garcia, New in Chess.

References
Wikipedia article: Francois-Andre Danican Philidor; List of Operas by Philidor: Wikipedia article: List of operas by Philidor; YouTube recording of Philidor's Sancho Panza (1762) / Opera-bouffon in one act / Opera LaFayette: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHzP...

Last updated: 2025-08-19 13:01:19

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 page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 51  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Philidor vs NN 1-0281749Analyse du jeu des ÉchecsC30 King's Gambit Declined
2. Philidor vs NN ½-½241749Analyse du jeu des ÉchecsC31 King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit
3. Philidor vs NN 1-0521749Analyse du jeu des ÉchecsC33 King's Gambit Accepted
4. Philidor vs NN 1-0231749Analyse du jeu des ÉchecsC33 King's Gambit Accepted
5. Philidor vs NN 1-0221749Analyse du jeu des ÉchecsC35 King's Gambit Accepted, Cunningham
6. Philidor vs NN 0-1441749Analyse du jeu des ÉchecsC35 King's Gambit Accepted, Cunningham
7. Philidor vs NN 0-1401749Analyse du jeu des ÉchecsC35 King's Gambit Accepted, Cunningham
8. Philidor vs NN 1-0231749Analyse du jeu des ÉchecsC32 King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit
9. Philidor vs NN 1-0401749Analyse du jeu des ÉchecsC23 Bishop's Opening
10. NN vs Philidor 0-1321749Analyse du jeu des ÉchecsC41 Philidor Defense
11. NN vs Philidor 0-1281749Analyse du jeu des ÉchecsC41 Philidor Defense
12. Philidor vs NN 1-0161750Analyse du jeu des ÉchecsC38 King's Gambit Accepted
13. Bernard / Carlier vs Philidor 1-0321780Consultation Game000 Chess variants
14. J Bruehl vs Philidor 0-1471783Philidor Blindfold Simul 3b, LondonC23 Bishop's Opening
15. F Maseres vs Philidor 0-1581783Philidor Blindfold Simul 3b, London000 Chess variants
16. T Bowdler vs Philidor ½-½511783Philidor Blindfold Simul 3b, LondonB20 Sicilian
17. Philidor vs J Bruehl ½-½491787Casual game, rook odds for pawn and move000 Chess variants
18. J Bruehl vs Philidor ½-½441787Philidor Blindfold simul, 2b LondonC23 Bishop's Opening
19. Leycester vs Philidor 0-1291788Casual game, knight odds000 Chess variants
20. Leycester vs Philidor ½-½791788Casual game, knight odds000 Chess variants
21. Leycester vs Philidor 1-0491788Casual game, knight odds000 Chess variants
22. de Beaurevoir vs Philidor  0-1561788Casual game, odds of pawn and two moves000 Chess variants
23. de Beaurevoir vs Philidor  0-1371788Casual game, odds of pawn and two moves000 Chess variants
24. Leycester vs Philidor 0-1351788Odds London000 Chess variants
25. Philidor vs J Bruehl 0-1201788Casual game, rook odds for pawn and move000 Chess variants
 page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 51  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Philidor wins | Philidor loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 9 OF 12 ·  Later Kibitzing>
May-21-10  Marmot PFL: <CapablancaFan122> They both played NN.
May-21-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  alexmagnus: <So you can get from Steinitz to Anand in 4 steps: Lasker, Lilienthal, Smyslov, Anand>

And what is the shortest <winning> chain from Steinitz to Anand?

May-21-10  WhiteRook48: probably 20 players or so
May-21-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: Happy birthday, Frank!
May-21-10  wrap99: <FHBRadley> Thanks for that list. It seems like it required so many players that it is probably just a limitation of historical records -- I bet it is closer in reality.

Is there any other human activity that has this linkage feature?

I guess one can see also in the Math Geneology project where people today have links (through thesis advisors) back to Gauss. Also, royalty and even US presidents (every US president probably met their predecessor).

May-22-10  Catfriend: <alexmagnus> Well, we have Lasker vs Lilienthal, 1936, for starters. Then, Smyslov vs Lilienthal, 1938, Smyslov vs Kasparov, 1981 and Kasparov vs Anand, 1991. But it can perhaps be improved.

The key is the amazing span of Smsylov's and Lilienthal's victories :)

Unfortunately, we don't have a decisive Botvinnik-Kaprov\Kasparov game.

May-22-10  Catfriend: <wrap99> Don't forget that chess was significantly less popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries. What makes the list so long (even after the improvements) is exactly that period of time - from Philidor to Andersen.

And yet, it can be shortened by yet another step!

Cochrane vs Zukertort, 1874 and Zukertort vs Steinitz, 1886.

So the revised optimal-so-far (non-beating) way from Philidor to Anand goes like this:

Philidor -> Atwood -> Wildon -> Lewis -> Deschapelles> - Cochrane -> Zukertort -> Steinitz -> Lasker -> Lilienthal -> Smyslov -> Anand.

May-22-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  alexmagnus: <Catfriend> that would be a <losing> chain.
May-22-10  Catfriend: <alexmagnus> Do you refer to my previous post about the winning chain from Lasker to Anand? It is of course a matter of definition:) I thought you're after a chain where each new player had defeated the previous one.

Here's the opposite chain: Lasker vs Alekhine, 1914, Alekhine vs V Mikenas, 1933, V Mikenas vs Smyslov, 1942, Kasparov vs Smyslov, 1975, Kasparov vs Anand, 1991.

It can also use Capablanca instead of Alekhine, Mikenas sure played lots of World Champions!

May-22-10  Catfriend: Another interesting chain of the same length (defined, according to <alexmagnus> as <losing>) is Alekhine vs Lasker, 1934, Alekhine vs V Mikenas, 1937, V Mikenas vs Tal, 1968, Tal vs Anand, 1989.
May-22-10  Catfriend: Sorry for the chain-spamming, but I've just found several new, revolutionary links:)

<winning> (and simply playing) - Lasker vs E Eliskases, 1936, E Eliskases vs Larsen, 1959, Anand vs Larsen, 1992

Most unfortunately for me, Lasker's other game against Eliskases is a draw.

However, we have another living legend helping us. And so we have the winning <losing> chain: Lasker vs Levenfish, 1925, Levenfish vs Korchnoi, 1953, Korchnoi vs Anand, 1991

May-22-10  sneaky pete: Another chain from Cochrane to Anand or Kasparov is with the links Staunton, Bird, Mieses, Euwe and Smyslov. William Lewis played a number of games, missing in this database, against Cochrane in 1820 and 1821. The Oxford Encyclopedia has 4 of them, with Lewis giving odds of QKt in one and pawn and 2 moves in the other three, so the link Deschappelles can be omitted.
Jul-31-10  vonKrolock: Some of his Operas: "Blaise le Savetier" (1759), "Emelinde Princesse de Norvège" (<"peut-être l'un des chefs-d'œuvre de Philidor"> according to Le Scribe) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLJv...

"Le Soldat magicien" (1760), "Le Jardin et son seigneur" (1761),

"Le Maréchal ferrant" (1761) with the 'Trio des Ânes' (the donkey's trio) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50B9... ,

the Aria 'Oui, je suis expert' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROQh... ,

Recitativo and Aria 'Brillant dans mon emploi' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9wu...

<nota bene: in that channel, it seems that André, Philidor's father, and his son are confounded - author is François-André, the son>

"Le Sorder"(1762), "Le Sorcier" (1764) , "Tom Jones" (1765) after H. Fielding's novel,

"Sancho Pança, Gouverneur dans l'Isle de Baratariais" (1762), performed in the USA (Wahington), in 2010. With Darren Perry (as Sancho Pança), Elizabeth Calleo (Thérèse), etc, the Opera Lafayette Orchestra conducted by Ryan Brown. Chessical talk by Bruce Pandolfini before one of the performances http://www.chesscafe.com/skittles/s...

Aug-03-10  vonKrolock: better reading <<ERN->> <<"E<<rn>>elinde, princesse de Norvège">> (Paris 1767, reprise in Versailles 1773) some other titles:
"L'Amant déguisé, ou Le Jardinier supposé" (1769) ; "L'Huître et les plaideurs, ou Le Tribunal de la chicane" (1759) etc

Amongst his favorite colaborators, were librettista Michel Jean Sedaine (1719-1797), and prima-donna Marie-Thérèse Laruette (1744-1837)

Aug-03-10  vonKrolock: Some rewiews of the American "Sancho Pança" : the W. P. (by Anne Midgette) <..."a simple but adroit piece of work, with strong ensembles interspersed with set solo arias, and pat verse songs juxtaposed with rambling humorous monologues.".> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...

Tim Smith, 'The Baltimore Sun' <"The score reflects the composer's gift for charming melodic lines and colorful orchestration, not to mention occasionally vivid harmonic turns. Every now and then, the quality of the music really was striking, even -- dare I say? -- almost evocative of Mozart. "> http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/ent...

Charles Downey, from 'Ionarts', quotes a contemporary criticism: <"on July 15, 1762 -- within days of hearing the premiere -- Baron von Grimm noted in his Correspondance littéraire with Diderot..."> ... <"A poet who could not make something of the governorship of Sancho Pança should be strangled. M. Poinsinet did not know how to provide situations to the composer either. Except for the scene with the coward who fights with Sancho, dying of fear just like him, I hardly see anything in it that merits the name of situation; and worse, most of the airs do not have much effect. M. Philidor spent a lot on harmony and noise, and not much on melody or musical ideas. He repeated himself in several places; in others he borrowed bits from On ne s'avise jamais de tout and even Annette et Lubin. In a word, this new work by M. Philidor will not hold up to the reputation of Le maréchal ferrant."> http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2010/05...

Aug-07-10  vonKrolock: Rating list (avant-la-lettre) of the most popular Comic Operas' composers (public performances in Paris between 1771 and 1780) 1 Grétry 1.222 (17); Monsigny 661 (10); 3 Duni 461 (10); 4 <Philidor> with 458 performances of (11) different titles, then follow Dezède 160 (8), Martini 139 (3), Gossec 102 (2) etc

Ranking, also for the period 1771-80 , of the most performed operas:

1 "Le Déserteur" (Monsigny) 154; 2 "Lucile" (Grétry) 142; 3 "Le Roi et le Fermier" (Monsigny) 141; 4 "Rose et Collas" (Monsigny) 133; "Zémire et Azor" (Grétry) 128; <<"♖om Jones">> <(♙hilido♔)> 124; then follow works by Sacchini, Duni , Martini with his "L'Amoureux de 15 Ans" from 1771 with 102 etc

Next to "Tom Jones" (here an extract from an English performance with Brian Burrows etc)

Philidor&id=Z8NL--C4ocA&pos=18">http://www.voobys.com/video/video.p...

Philidor's most popular operas were "Le Maréchal Ferrant" and "Le Sorcier" with sixty performances each. His success was quite standing, was the only title retired from the repertoire was "Le Jardinier de Sidon", while his last work to appear in that period, "Les Femmes Vengées", had forty-six presentations since 1775

"Ernelinde" was a 'serious' opera, and regarded by the critics as an invasion attempt by the Italian style - but nonetheless studied and copied, by Philidor's rivals, for it's novelties. More specificly, the ambitious Grétry, was caught, in post-mortem analysis, borrowing <sic 'unashamedly' - op. cit.> from both Monsigny and Philidor (account based in researches by David Charlton in his important work "Grétry & the Growth of Opéra-Comique (CUP 1986)

Aug-22-10  vonKrolock: <"Le Diable à quatre, ou La double métamorphose"> text by Michel-Jean Sedaine, was composed partly by Philidor, and the remaining by Jean-Louis Laruette, and staged in 1756. ( <!!> Therefore before 'Blaise')

further titles not quoted in the above posts:
<"Le Quiproquo, ou Le volage fixé"> 1760; <"Le Bûcheron, ou Les trois souhaits"> 1763; <"Les Fêtes de la paix "> 1763; <"Le Tonnelier"> 1765; <"La Nouvelles École des femmes "> 1770; < "Le Bon Fils"> 1773; <"Zémire et Mélide"> 1773 <"Protogène"> 1779 (unfinished score available); <"Persée"> 1780 this one is a 'lyrical tragedy', performed in Paris, at the Académie Royale de Musique in 1780; <"Thémistocle"> , also a tragedy, 1785; <"L'Amitié au village"> comedy 1785; <" La Belle Esclave, ou Valcour et Zéïla"> Philidor music for this 'comédie en prose'>presented in 1787 Paris, in the Théâtre du Comte de Beaujolais, where also wa presented <"Le Mari comme il les faudrait tous, ou La nouvelle école des maris"> in 1788

Philidor's last Opera, <"Bélisaire"> with libretto by Bertin d'Antilly, staged posthumously in October 3th 1796, was finished by composer Henry Berton. (source for this post so far: operone.de)

<"Carmen Saeculare">, with texts in Latin by Horace, is a profane 'Oratorio'. Presented first in London, in 1779, and then in Paris, in 1780

caution <?!> with the title 'Le Sorder' - found just in one amateur french source: more details?!

Aug-31-10  Marmot PFL: Evidently there were several generations of composers in the Philidor family, like the Bachs, but not at that level. Danican was the original family name, the name Philidor was given to one of FAP's ancestors by Louis XIII in the 17th century.
Dec-27-10  myschkin: . . .

"Philidor and the Café de la Régence Chess Masters"

http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpress...

source:

"Crescendo of the virtuoso"
(P.1, Ch.1, 17ff, by Paul Metzner, 1998)

Jan-29-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  chancho: François-André Danican Philidor - Pavane pour la petite guaire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDR7...

Starts at 0:11...

Jan-29-11  Xeroxx: He hasn't been playing much lately.
Feb-22-11  SirChrislov: More Philidor games:

http://www.amazon.com/Analyse-jeu-d...

Jun-24-11  vonKrolock: <"Tom Jones" (here an extract from an English performance with Brian Burrows> correct link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8NL... and the Aria <"Ô toi qui ne peux m'entendre"> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8SO...

Further pair of arias from Philidor sung by the same C. Eda-Pierre

<"Tout dormait"> From "Mélide ou le navigateur " http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99ct...

and the comical <"De la Coquette volage"> from "Les Femmes vengées" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9EY...

...but that <"Pavane pour la petite guaire">, so typically Seventeenth-century music - is by an older Philidor, for sure

Aug-25-11  whiteshark: Quote of the Day

< Skittles are the social glasses of chess - indulged in too freely they lead to inebriation, and weaken the consistent effort necessary to build up a strong game. >

-- André Philidor

???

Sep-01-11  sfm: When asked about the greatest player of all time Larsen said something like: "Philidor! As I can think of no better way to evaluate that question, than to look at how much the greatest player of the time was ahead of their contemporaries".
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