Stefano Zulian

In the News department we announced on 2016-11-08 (Busnardo Biography) the publication of a book on the Italian priest, chess master and adventurer from the Renaissance, Prè Lorenzo Busnardo, from the hand of our member Stefano Zulian. Its title was Prè Lorenzo Busnardo; La vita di un avventuriero campione di scacchi del Rinascimento (120 pages). On 15-02-2017 followed an addendum, which said that a revised version (January 2017) of the synoptical tables, referred to in the book, was available. Finally Stefano Zulian promised : “The author intends to publish a 2nd edition in due time.”.

Well, he kept his word, because recently the second and much enlarged edition of his book has been published under title: Prè Lorenzo Busnardo; La vita di un avventuriero campione di scacchi nel Rinascimento. Progetto “Prè Lorenzo Busnardo”. Ricerca e testo di Stefano Zulian. [2nd and much enlarged edition]. Editrice Artistica Bassanese: Bassano del Grappa 2018; 248 pages, 32cm x 23cm; price € 25,00 plus shipping costs. To avoid bibliographical confusion we draw attention on the difference between the title on the title page, which has (or became ?) “nel” and the title on the cover which has “del”, just as the cover of the first edition. The book can be ordered from Stefano Zulian, email address: gensiuliastoria@tiscali.it.

Looking for Busnardo’s games we found at the very end of the book on pages 246 and 247 also an intriguing reproduction of a game on 24 a move-by-move diagrams, which according to Stefano’s information belong to the first game of p. 244. Also interesting is that we find on p. 237 the oldest description of a 16^th century chess master by a direct witness, rendered in modern Italian from papers of the Inquisition and visitation reports of his bishop. Furthermore we find an original letter of Buznardo, written ca. 1559-1560, from Trento. He is remembering the past year in Venice where he was "precettore" (i.e. teacher Latin language) of don Francisco Vargas, the ambassador of Charles V and his son Philips II of Spain. This illustrates the chess historical relations between Italy, Spain and Germany.

After the publication of his book Stefano Zulian is still busy with chess research on field of the Italian Renaissance and asks for help of his fellow members with regard to a small, but very rare book of an anonymous author, he cannot find: Modo facile per intendere il vago, e diletevole giuoco de gli scacchi, composto da un'incognito, per li novitii del giuoco, Venezia, Valentino Mortali, 1674. He will be grateful to everybody who can give him any information about this book.

Amsterdam, 2018-08-23
Bob van de Velde