Benjamin Franklin (January 16, 1706-April 17, 1790), among his many other groundbreaking achievements, has long been credited as the first chess player known by name in the American colonies. Moreover, his essay “Morals of Chess”, published in 1786 in The Columbian Magazine, is one of the most famous pieces on chess ever published, and has been translated in many languages. Notably, it appeared in the first book on chess published in Russia.

In typical Franklin fashion, “Morals of Chess” ties the game of chess to the cultivation of virtuous habits, including foresight, circumspection and caution. Franklin’s devotion to the game was so strong that he stated in his essay that, “The Games of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions.”

In Franklin’s autobiography, he claims that he and an acquaintance used their frequent chess matches to help them learn the Italian language. According to Franklin, the winner of each game was charged with the task of giving his vanquished opponent an assignment, such as memorizing a set of Italian words or parts of grammar, which had to be performed by the loser before the next game. Franklin also claimed that chess brought him into peace negotiations with Rear Admiral Viscount Howe in 1774, the Commander-in-Chief of the British forces during the Revolutionary War; the playing sessions acted as an excuse to get the two men talking.

In light of his major contribution and influence on the game of chess in the United States, Franklin was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame in Miami, Florida in 1999, becoming only the 29th player to earn this distinction.

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