Sa'id bin Jubair (various transcriptions)

[Paul McKeown]

According to Hooper & Whyld:

Jubair, Sa'id bin (665-714), a Black African who allegedly took up chess to make himself ineligible for an appointment as a judge, which he thought would fit ill with his religious beliefs. (Under Muslim law chess was disapproved of, though not forbidden, and regarded as incompatible with judgeship.) He became the greatest blindfold player known and the first to turn his back on boards in contrast to the contemporary custom of feeling the pieces. Jubair was condemned for his part in a revolt, and his executioner is said to have dreamed that God would kill him once for every man he had killed, but 70 times for the death of Jubair. He is not to be confused with Jabir al-Kufi, one of the great players of the early 9th century.

There is an apparently poor quality article on Wikipedia about bin Jubair, which I won't give the honour of linking to. It manages to confuse Said bin Jubair with Jabir al-Kufi, just for starters. I have no other source available to me, but I would like to know more about bin Jubair, particularly how it is know that he was a Black African.

Can anyone help?

I am studying this, as a school, in which I have been teaching chess, has asked me to produce a chess lesson themed appropriately for their Black History Week, this week. Speedy help would be greatly appreciated.

[Gordon Cadden]

H.J.R. Murray is the recognised expert for this period. His " History of Chess " was published by the Clarendon Press, Oxford, in 1913. He has a section on Moslem Blindfold Chess, and Sa'id b. Jubair is mentioned on pages 191-92. Don't worry if you cannot find an original copy, a modern re-print is available.

[John McKenna]

The answer to your prayer is probably buried in scholarly works such as -

http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4 ... 2803976847

Best of luck digging it out. (Murray's work - given above by Gordon Cadden - is cited.)



PS Found the above via -

http://www.amnh.org/our-research/anthro ... excellence

[Paul McKeown]

Thanks, John, that was exactly what I needed. To whit, the introductory paragraph:

Saʻid b. Ğubayr(1) was a Koran scholar in the first century AH. He acquired fame not only as an interpreter of the Koran but also as a chess(2) player and political activist. The combination of scholar, player and rebel is the more unusual, as he was a freed black slave from East Africa(3). Saʻid b. Ğubayr was one of the most learned of the second generation Muslims(4). As a chess player he was one of the first to be associated with the skill of blindfold play. Finally, his execution after the revolt of the Koran scholars against the Umayyads, in which he participated, has made him a martyr in the eyes of later generations.

The reference (3) is to Ibn Qutayba, Maʻārif, Mişr, 1969, p. 445; Mubarrad, al-Kāmil, Wright, W., ed., Leipzig 1864, p. 275.

[Matthew Turner]

John,
Many thanks, what a great source of information.
Matt