This documentary was produced by the journalist Josep Lluís Fitó and broadcast on the Dossiers programme of RTVV; it deals with the Valencian origin of chess.
In the production Els scacs, un joc valencià historians of the game such as the Spaniard José Antonio Garzón and the Dutchman Govert Westerveld explain what were the changes from Arabian chess: the movements of the queen (which became the most powerful piece that could move all along the board); the pawn’s becoming a queen on reaching the edge of the board; and the movements of the bishop. These changes, which have endured in modern chess, are also commented on and assessed by the ex world champion Anatoli Karpov and the world champion Viswanathan Anand.
The return of Francesch Vicent
The prestigious German company ChessBase, the creator of the famous Fritz programme and also a point of reference as to journalistic information on chess (its very detailed website, http://www.chessbase.com/, is edited in three languages: German, English, and Spanish) attended the presentation of the book El regreso de Francesch Vicent. The proceedings were filmed and included the presence of the great Anatoli Karpov. We are grateful to Nadia Wittmann of ChessBase for allowing us to reproduce here this important testimony.
Catalunya Ràdio Interview
The fascinating story of the origin of modern chess in Valencia and the research to prove it has been featured on television and radio and in the press and in cultural magazines. The interview of José A. Garzón by Kilian Cebrià on Catalunya Ràdio on the Sense Fronteres programme should be singled out.
The return of Francesch Vicent
