Giovanni Leonardo di Bona or Giovanni Leonardo da Cutro (both given names can also be seen in the reversed order Leonardo Giovanni), known as
Il Puttino
''Il Puttino'' is an Italian book first published by Alessandro Salvio in 1634. Its full Italian title is:
''IL PVTTINO Altramente detto, IL CAVALIERO ERRANTE DEL SALVIO, Sopra il gioco de'Scacchi, con la sua Apologia contra il Carrera, diuiso ...
() (1533–1578), was an early
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
chess
Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
master.
Giovanni Leonardo was born in
Cutro Cutro ( Calabrian: ; Greek: ''Kytèrion'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Crotone, Calabria region, Italy. It holds the name "City of chess".
It is also the birthplace of Vincenzo Iaquinta, a World Cup-winning footballer who playe ...
,
Calabria
Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
. He studied law in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. In 1560, he lost a match to
Ruy López in Rome. In the years 1566–1572, he traveled and played chess in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
,
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
,
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
, and
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. He had played many times against
Paolo Boi
Paolo Boi (1528–1598) was an Italian chess player. He is considered to have been one of the greatest chess players of the 16th century. In 1549, he beat Pope Paul III in a chess match.
Early life
He was born in Syracuse, Italy, Syracuse, Sicil ...
in Italy, and they were regarded as being equal in strength.
Traveling with another strong player of his time,
Guilio Cesare Polerio, Leonardo won the first known international master tournament in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
in 1575, becoming the strongest chess master of the time.
After their success at the
Court of Spain, Leonardo and Boi both travelled, albeit separately, to
Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
, where they tested their skill against ''Il Moro'', the eminent chess champion of
King Don Sebastian, of Portugal. Again, they both succeeded—first Leonardo, soon followed by Boi—in defeating Il Moro.
After defeating López in Spain, he asked for his town
Cutro Cutro ( Calabrian: ; Greek: ''Kytèrion'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Crotone, Calabria region, Italy. It holds the name "City of chess".
It is also the birthplace of Vincenzo Iaquinta, a World Cup-winning footballer who playe ...
to be forgiven of taxes and called Cutro the "City of Chess," where every year, this event is remembered on a traditional day in August.
And again, the King was generous with his rewards. After this triumph, Leonardo, having been called the wandering knight (''Il Cavaliere errante'') by King Don Sebastian, left Portugal to return to Italy and settle in
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
, where he became the chess master for the Prince of
Bisignano
Bisignano ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza, part of the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is situated on hills in the Crati valley, between the Pollino and Sila National Parks. The town has historically bee ...
.
Although only a small number of his games have reached us, we are certain that he did not play chess like his peers, who were all aggressive attackers. Instead, he was a slow, positional player who consistently favored sound tactics over spectacular combinations.
External links
*
Biography
References
People from the Kingdom of Naples
1533 births
1597 deaths
People from the Province of Crotone
Italian chess players
16th-century chess players
{{italy-chess-bio-stub