Gioachino Greco (c. 1600 – c. 1634) (ελληνικά/greek: Τζοακίνο Γκρέκο), surnamed Cusentino and more frequently il Calabrese, was an Italian chess player and writer. He recorded some of the earliest chess games known in their entirety. His games, which never indicated players, were quite possibly constructs, but served as examples of brilliant combinations. Greco was very likely the strongest player of his time, having played (and defeated) the best players of Rome, Paris, London, and Madrid. Greco's writing was in the form of manuscripts for his patrons, in which he outlined the rules of chess, gave playing advice, and presented instructive games. These manuscripts were later published to a wide audience and became massively influential after his death. Name The name "Greco" is often assumed to be indicative of a Greek heritage. Indeed, Calabria, the region in which Greco was born, has a long history of Greek immigration and use of Greek as the vernacular. One prominent writer, Willard Fiske, even suggests (in The Book of the First American Chess Congress, 1859) that Greco was born in Morea, Greece, before moving to Calabria. Fiske gives no specific evidence for this claim, however; neither do other writers claiming that in this case "Greco" signified "Greek". The origin of "Greco" is therefore largely speculative. Greco's other names have more concrete origins. "Cusentino" is known from the Corsini manuscript, and means that he was born near Cosenza. il Calabrese, literally "the Calabrian", meant that Greco was from the Calabria region. Life Little is known about the life of Greco. The most reliable information about his life comes from his manuscripts. He was born around 1600 in Celico, Italy. Greco apparently showed an early aptitude for chess, leaving home uneducated and at a young age to make a living abroad. By 1620 Greco had become experienced enough to write his earliest dated manuscript, Trattato Del Nobilissimo Gioco De Scacchi..., copies of which were given to his patrons in Rome. Greco is said to have traveled to Paris, although this visit is conspicuously unattested by existing manuscripts. There he continued to find great success. His victories over the strongest French players – among them the Duc de Nemours, M. Arnault le Carabin, and M. Chaumont de la Salle – granted him both fame and riches. By 1622 Greco was travelling to England with a large sum of money; in Paris he had gained the equivalent