Giambattista Lolli (1698 – 4 June 1769) was an Italian chess player and one of the most important chess theoreticians 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 ...

, Modena, he was one of the Modenese Masters. The

checkmate pattern In chess, several checkmate patterns occur frequently enough to have acquired specific names in chess commentaryBy definition a checkmate pattern is a recognizable/particular/studied arrangements of pieces that delivers checkmate. The diagrams th ...

" Lolli's mate" involves infiltrating an opponents

fianchetto In chess, the fianchetto ( or ; "little flank") is a pattern of wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent b- or g-, the having been moved one or two squares forward. The fianchetto is a staple of many " hypermodern" ...

position using both a

pawn Pawn most often refers to: * Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numerous piece in the game * Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral Pawn may also refer to: Places * Pawn, Oregon, an his ...

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 openings, in particular the Giuoco Piano. 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 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 ''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 anything ...

in general, White to move wins in this position . Lolli also studied some defensive

fortresses A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

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 {{italy-chess-bio-stub