Giambattista Lolli (1698 – 4 June 1769) was an Italian
chess player
This list of chess players includes people who are primarily known as chess players and have an article on the English Wikipedia.
A
* Jacob Aagaard (Denmark, Scotland, born 1973)
* Manuel Aaron (India, born 1935)
* Nijat Abasov (Azerbaijan, bor ...
and one of the most important
chess theoreticians
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
of his time. He is most famous for his book ''Osservazioni teorico-pratiche sopra il giuoco degli scacchi'' ( en, Theoretical-practical views on the game of chess), published 1763 in
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
. Born in
Nonantola
Nonantola ( Modenese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is in the Po Valley about from Modena on the road to Ferrara.
History
In ancient times the territory of Nonantola was i ...
,
Modena
Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...
, he was one of the
Modenese Masters. The
checkmate pattern "
Lolli's mate" involves infiltrating an opponents
fianchetto position using both a
pawn and
queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
, and is named after Giambattista Lolli.
Openings
Lolli's book contains analyses of
chess opening
A chess opening or simply an opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established theory; the other phases are the middlegame and the endgame. Many opening sequences have standard names such as the " Sicilian Defens ...
s, in particular the
Giuoco Piano
The Giuoco Piano ( Italian: "Quiet Game"; ), also called the Italian Opening, is a chess opening beginning with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. Nf3 Nc6
:3. Bc4 Bc5
"White aims to develop quickly – but so does Black. White can construct a pawn ce ...
. Against the
Two Knights defense, the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6. d4 is named the Lolli Variation. In the
King's Gambit
The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
:1. e4 e5
:2. f4
White offers a pawn to divert the black e-pawn. If Black accepts the gambit, White has two main plans. The first is to play d4 and Bxf4, regaining the gambit ...
the variation 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Bxf7+ is designated the Lolli Gambit. It illustrates the Italian masters' style of uncompromising attack, which clearly differs from the rather more strategic considerations taken by, for example, the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
chess player
Philidor. However, it is considered obsolete as Black can obtain the advantage by 5...Kxf7 6.Ne5+ Ke8 7.Qxg4 Nf6 8.Qxf4 d6, and White does not have enough for the piece. (The Muzio Gambit, 5.O-O, is more promising).
Endgames
In addition, the book contains listings of 100
chess endgame
In chess and other similar games, the endgame (or end game or ending) is the stage of the game when few pieces are left on the board.
The line between middlegame and endgame is often not clear, and may occur gradually or with the quick exchange ...
s. One of these positions was used by
Wilhelm Heinse in his
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
''Anastasia und das Schachspiel'' (English: ''Anastasia and the game of chess'').
This Lolli Position is from the
pawnless endgame of a rook and bishop versus a rook. Although this endgame is a
draw
Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to:
Common uses
* Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them
* Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anythin ...
in general, White to move wins in this position . Lolli also studied some defensive
fortresses and the
queen versus pawn endgame.
Notes
References
*
1698 births
1769 deaths
Chess theoreticians
Italian chess players
Italian chess writers
Sportspeople from the Province of Modena
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