Scachs d’amor, also known as Chess of Love, is a poem penned by Francesc de Castellví, Bernat Fenollar, and Narcís Vinyoles. The complete title of this work is “Hobra intitulada scachs d’amor feta per don Francí de Castellví e Narcis Vinyoles e mossèn Fenollar.” It was published in Valencia, within the Crown of Aragon, during the latter part of the 15th century.
So, you might wonder why I am mentioning a medieval poem in a chess blog?
The poem itself is structured as a chess game and is considered to be the earliest recorded instance of chess being played according to the modern rules that govern the movements of the queen and bishop pieces. In other words, the oldest recorded chess game. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether the game depicted in the poem fully adhered to the complete set of modern rules of chess, as there is no mention of castling or capturing en passant by either player.
Undoubtedly, the game warrants at least a brief analysis. Let us delve into its details.