Paolo Boi

Paolo Boi, illustration from the 19th century

Paolo Boi (* 1528 in Syracuse , † 1598 in Naples ) was an Italian chess master .

Life

Paolo Boi, called "the Siracuser", was the offspring of a respected and wealthy family. As a child he began to be interested in the game of chess . As a young man he was with Pope Pius V friends and many Italian noblemen, including the Duke of Urbino , who gave him an annual alimony of 300 crowns paid.

Paolo Boi traveled all over Europe and made a living playing chess. He is said to have earned around 30,000 Scudi a year. He also had the opportunity to play chess at the court of Spain's King Philip II .

Paolo Boi died of stomach cancer in Naples in 1598. Some sources claim that Boi was poisoned by his own servant.

Some sources report that Paolo Boi was captured by Algerian pirates in the Gulf of Lyon and sold as a slave for 2,000 Zechinen . However, his Turkish master was a friend of the game of chess and released him with pocket money.

literature

• L. Abramow, A. Konstantinopolski et al: Schachmatnyj Slowar , Moscow 1964, p. 201. (Russian)
• David Hooper and Ken Whyld : The Oxford Companion to Chess , Oxford University Press, 2nd edition 1992, p. 51, ISBN 0198661649 . (English)