1802 Chess Book: Strategy of Chess or a Collection of the Most Brilliant Moves in Chess

[Chess] DE MONTIGNY, Alfred. Les Stratagemes Des Echecs. Paris/Strasbourg: Amand Konig, 1802. 4 ⅛“ x 3” inches. An important .First edition of a chess manual, a classic in its field, that describes and illustrates many of the winning chess moves, with 120 colored illustrations of chess move. Complete French Title: Les Stratagèmes des échecs, ou collection des coups d'échecs les plus brillants et les plus curieux, tant dans la partie ordinaire que dans les différentes parties composées ; tirée des meilleurs Auteurs, et dont plusieurs n'ont point encore été publiés. Avec des planches ou l'on trouve notée la position de chaque coup. Two volumes bound in one. (truncated) Marbled endpapers. Volume I lays out strategies corresponding to different chess games, and Volume II reproduces these moves on engraved reproductions of chess boards, hand-colored in gold. The chess pieces are represented by various letters printed in red and black respectively. By the 18th century, France was the epicenter of chess in Europe. In fact, the date on the title page states "AN X" based on a tradition of dating books as year one from the date of the French Revolution in 1792. The work was published in a German translation and was translated into English in 1816. This first edition has 120 illustrations in Vo; 2, it does not contain the engraved plate of a simple chess board in volume one described in some copies of the book. Rebacked with original spine laid down, some wear to boards at edges, otherwise in good condition. A scarce and important first edition (Ref: 9 l Bibl. Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana 2152; Coll. Rimington-Wilson 991-994; Anton Schmid, Lit. des Schachspiels, p. 325.). (Inventory #: 16407)