▁immediate ▁successor ▁of ▁Phil idor ▁upon ▁the ▁English ▁ch ess - th r one ", ▁but ▁Phil idor ▁was ▁clearly ▁his ▁superior ▁and ▁was ▁used ▁to ▁give ▁to ▁Verd oni ▁the ▁Pa wn . ▁Allen ▁and ▁Von ▁der ▁Las a ▁wrote ▁in ▁The ▁Life ▁of ▁Phil idor ▁that ▁Phil idor ▁gave ▁the ▁advantage ▁of ▁the ▁Pa wn ▁to ▁Verd oni , ▁but ▁he ▁received ▁the ▁Move ▁in ▁exchange . ▁ ▁Verd oni ▁is ▁described ▁as ▁the ▁strong est ▁player ▁in ▁the ▁world ▁between ▁ 1 7 9 5 ▁( Ph il idor ' s ▁death ) ▁and ▁ 1 8 0 4 ▁( his ▁own ). ▁An ▁argument ▁c ited ▁to ▁support ▁this ▁choice ▁is ▁that ▁Phil idor ▁( as ▁reported ▁by ▁Lewis ) ▁said , ▁"( V erd oni ) ▁c ' est ▁le ▁premier ▁joueur ▁en ▁Europe ▁a pres ▁moi ". ▁ ▁Both ▁Phil idor ▁and ▁Verd oni ▁moved ▁to ▁England ▁during ▁the ▁French ▁Revolution , ▁and ▁they ▁spent ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁their ▁lives ▁there . ▁Con sequently , ▁Phil idor ▁was ▁aware ▁of ▁the ▁evolution ▁of ▁the ▁skills ▁of ▁Verd oni ▁but ▁not ▁of ▁Bernard , ▁Car lier ▁or ▁Leg er . ▁Second ly , ▁the ▁English ▁ch ess ▁world ▁is ▁better - document ed ▁than ▁the ▁French ; ▁British ▁ch ess ▁players ▁started ▁earlier ▁than ▁their ▁colle agues ▁across ▁the ▁Channel ▁to ▁record ▁and ▁annot ate ▁their ▁games . ▁The ▁games ▁played ▁by ▁Phil idor ▁and ▁his ▁contempor aries ▁were ▁recorded ▁by ▁George ▁At wood ▁in ▁a ▁manuscript ▁later