"The Morals of Chess" is an essay on chess by the American intellectual Benjamin Franklin , which was first published in the Columbian Magazine in December 1786. ^[1]

Franklin, who was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States , played chess from at least 1733. Evidence suggests that he was an above-average player, who, however, did not reach the top level. He outlined the essay around 1732, but did not publish it until 1786. After a short prologue in which Franklin details the history of chess he gets to the main part of his essay. He compares chess to life and writes that foresight , circumspection and caution can be learnt from the game. After describing the effects chess can have on one's perception of life he describes a set of moral rules that a chess player should hold, including to not cheat and not disturb the opponent. Franklin suggests that the opponent be told about mistakes he makes, for example if he would lose a piece.

The essay is one of the first texts about chess that was published in the United States; it appeared in the first chess-related book that was published in Russia in 1791. It still is widely reproduced, especially on the Internet. In 1999 Franklin was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame . ^{[2] [3]}

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Morals of Chess

See also [ edit ]

• The Papers of Benjamin Franklin
• Bibliography of Benjamin Franklin

Citations [ edit ]

Sources [ edit ]

• Walker, George; Franklin, Benjamin (1841). The chess player ... containing Franklin's essay on the Morals of chess . Boston, N. Dearborn.

• "The Morals of Chess" . Benjamin Franklin Papers . Vol. 29 : March 1, 1779, through June 30, 1779. Yale University Press. p. 750 . Retrieved 26 May 2019 .

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