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Francesco Piacenza
Naples1637 - Modena 1687
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 Francesco Piacenza was a doctor in civil rights, a canonic and a diplomat in the service of those in power of his time (1). He is famous in the chess litterature for the treatise: "I Campeggiamenti negli Scacchi, ossia nuova disciplina d'attacchi, difese e partiti del giuoco sì nello stile antico, che nel nuovo arciscacchiere, stratagemmi ed invenzioni" (2), printed in Turin in 1683 for Antonio Beltrandi.
 This work, considering the poor technical and theoretical contents, was not much noticed by the critics when it was released, though for todays reader, it is an interesting source of information of the rules and gameplay of the 17th Century in Italy and Europe.
For a better understanding of Piacenza we must consider:
- He became a member of the "Accademy of the Immovables" of Modena Uiversity In 1686-1687 where he attended the course of nature studies: "de Praxis Criminalis, de Cifris, de Geohydrographia, et de Phil. Chymica trasmutatione". His interest in this course came from the fact that this University was the first one to accept the study of chemistry, which at the time was frowned upon by the greater scientific community, even though it was only part of another subject (Only in 1737 did Bologna's University have chemistry taught as a true subject in Italy). He was also interested due to the fact that the other component of the course, "Praxis Criminalis", was run decades before Modena's University created the course of "Civil Rights" in 1757.
- It is likely that he was being employed by the Duke of Modena Francesco II of Este to travel
to the Aegean Islands to map them. After this he was able to write his most important work L'Egeo Redivivo - ossia corografia dell'arcipelago e dello stato antico e attuale di quelle isole published in Modena in 1688. He dedicated it to the Duke of Este.
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- He was known to travel frequently both within Italy and overseas, all the while playing chess in waged contests as was the custom. In the "Campeggiamenti" he writes of playing chess in Capua, Naples, Rome, Modena, Livorno, Venice, Turin, and in Germany, where he lived for almost 8 years as the Secretary of the Ordinary Ambassador of S.M.C..
It is also written that he travelled to Bologna where he came as the Secretary to Prince Guzman.
- The work explains the history in ancient times and in different places. It also explains the rules and the various tactics of the game.
From the XXIII Chapter he introduces the "Arciscacchiere", his personal modificaton of the game.
The game was played on a 100 squares table with the introduction of two new pieces: centurion and decurion.
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Historical Sources
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Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani
"Il giuoco incomparabile degli scacchi sviluppato con nuovo metodo, per condurre chiunque colla maggiore facilità dai primi elementi fino alle finezze più magistrali." - Modena 1769
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FRANCESCO PIACENZA. Was born in Turin at the beginning of the 17th Century and died towards the end of it.
He left his work which didn't have anything bigger than its incredibly long title: "I Campeggiamenti degli Scacchi, o sia nuova disciplina d'attacchi, difese e partiti del Giuoco degli Scacchi, sì nello stile antico, che nel nuovo Arciscacchiere: stratagemmi, ed invenzioni del Dott. di Legge Francesco Piacenza Accademico immobile. In Torino per Antonio Beltrandi 1683.
Those "campeggiamenti" are just some simple examples of long-range checkmate positions as well as from the King's proxmity, from the angle of the board and from the centre of it, with Pawn or Piece; all so inconclusive that the reader, even if very patient, cannot learn much from it.
It completely lacks in rules, in openings and it merely has 2 or 3 openings that he describes only for the first couple of steps.
He said that he won in Modena a lot of times against Dr Balloi, a Gentleman of the City.
However what we find in his book is simply his mediocrity as a player.
He merely introduced some rules of gameplay of the Turks, of the Mori, and of the Hebrews - a small thing consiering that he didn,t explain the Italian rules of game.
He mentioned the "Pezzo di tregua" (Truce's piece) used in Asian Countries.
This is the same piece that the famous DAMIANO called "Pezzo fidato", a piece that cannot be taken, with the exception of when it is the predator.
His invention called the "Arciscacchiere", a 100 square board (whith the introduction of the 2 pieces Decurion and Centurion), didn't have any more luck than the 80 square variation invented by D. PIETRO CARRERA, or than the 136 square from D. FILIPPO MARINELLI of Naples (which invented a board for three players – see the preface of his Libretto printed in Naples 1722 for Felice Mosca).
The common disapproval for these new boards is a direct proof of the ease of use and elegance of the type of board that we adopted many centuries ago not just in all Europe but also overseas as said by countless travellers and texts.
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FRANCESCO PIACENZA. Torinese visse nel Secolo decimosettimo, e morì sul principio di questo, lasciando un'Opera la quale non contiene di grande, che il Frontespizio. Intitolò questo suo libro - I Campeggiamenti degli Scacchi, o sia nuova disciplina d'attacchi, difese
e partiti del Giuoco degli Scacchi, sì nello stile antico, che nel nuovo Arciscacchiere: stratagemmi, ed invenzioni del Dott. di Legge Francesco Piacenza Accademico immobile. In Torino per Antonio Beltrandi 1683.
Questi campeggiamenti consistono in alcune meschine posizioni di scacchimatti ora in distanza, ora in vicinanza del Re, ora al cantone, ora in mezzo allo Scacchiere, quando con Pedona, quando con Pezzo segnato, in casa segnata; le quali sono così inconcludenti ed insulse, che lo Studioso, per paziente che sia,
non può ritrarne verun profitto. Manca totalmente di regole, e di aperture, non avendo che due, o tre principi di giuco, i quali appena conduce fino a tre tratti: e benchè dica di aver vinto in Modena molte Doppie al Dottor Balloi Gentiluomo della Città, il suo libro però non lascia riputarlo giocatore neppur mediocre.
Accenna diverse leggi, o cosuetudini di giucare de' Turchi, de' Mori, e degli Ebrei Levantini; vaghissima cosa essendo, che ometta poi la maggior parte delle leggi Italiane. Fa menzione del Pezzo di tregua usato in Oriente, che DAMIANO chiamò Pezzo fidato, al quale si accorda il privilegio di non essere preso, se non quando sarà predatore.
Il suo Arciscacchiere quadrato di cento case, dove aggiunse agli altri Pezzi un Decurione, ed un Centurione non incontrò miglior sorte di quello d'ottanta case di D. PIETRO CARRERA, e di quello di case 136 di D. FILIPPO MARINELLI Napolitano, che lo inventò in grazia delle conversazioni di tre persone, onde tutte e tre potessero divertirsi,
com' egli stesso dichiara nella Prefazione al suo Libretto stampato in Napoli per Felice Mosca nel 1722.
La disapprovazione comune di questi nuovi Scacchieri, e Arciscacchiere è una prova non equivoca della simmetria più comoda, e più elegante del nostro, adottato da tanti Secoli non solo per tutta Europa, ma anche fuori, come affermano concordemente i Viaggiatori e le Storie.
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Chess Archeology 
