Jacopo da Cessole (Jacobus de Cessolis) was an Italian monk (1) from the Dominican brotherhood. He lived between the XIII and the XIV century. He was born in Cessole d'Asti around 1250 and died in Genoa around 1322.
We don't know much about his personal life. He lived in Lombardy and after in Genoa in San Domenico's convent (2) as the Inquisition's Vicar (3).
He wrote one of the first books on the game of chess in Latin: "De ludo scachorum or Libellus de moribus hominum et officiis nobilium ac popularium super ludo scachorum". The book had great diffusion (4) and during the XV century it was translated in many other languages (5): Catalan, Dutch, English, French, German and Italian.




Libellus de moribus hominum et officiis nobilium ac popularium super ludo scachorum: 1300 ca.
He was a theolog and a tireless orator; he used the game of chess for a series of sermons on mortality. Through an allegory on the game itself and its pieces, he used an impersonal but wise didactic system like the Greek "fabulists". This book taught how the folks didn't have just obligations to the reach people but also rights. The Liber was very much important for the diffusion of the game also if it was poor in technical contents.

His work is divided in four main books:
Trattato I: "Della cagione del trovamento di questo gioco"
Trattato II: "Delle forme degli Scacchi nobili"
Trattato III: "Delle forme degli Scacchi popolari"
Trattato IV: "Del movimento e dell'andare degli Scacchi"