English Chess Forum

Philidor correspondence: 160 letters go online, with index.

https://lecafedelaregence.blogspot.com/ ... r-160.html

John Townsend wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 20, 2026 11:02 am

Philidor correspondence: 160 letters go online, with index.

https://lecafedelaregence.blogspot.com/ ... r-160.html

Excellent! The index indicates 20 entries related to chess (échecs), mainly other chess players he corresponded with.

There is also a mention of chess in the index entry for his daughter:

Unique fille de Philidor, musicienne et élève de Muzio Clementi, qui aurait pris auprès d’elle des leçons d’échecs. Elle séjourna à Londres avec ses parents et épousa en 1799 le pianiste et compositeur Louis Pradher.

Thank you, Christopher.

Aside from chess, from a biographical angle the new research aids will do yeoman's service for the study of other aspects of Philidor's life.

I have noticed with interest several instances of the certificat de vie, which is a way to obtain Philidor's current address in London. (The purpose of the certificate is to guarantee that a recipient of a pension is still alive and that remittances are not being paid needlessly).

Philidor's current address in London? Is this a Bram Stoker kind of thing?

Yes, I mean the address that was current at the time of the certificate.