Grant Acedrex

This large chess variant played on a 12x12 spaces board is found in a medieval Spanish codex (a form of ancient book) known as "Juegos diuersos de Acedrex, dados, y tablas con sus explicaciones, ordonados por mandado del rey don Alfonso el Sabio"(Various games of Chess, Dice and Tables with their explanations, ordered by request of King Alfonso the Wise). This king was Alfonso X (1221-1284), King of Castile, the central kingdom of Spain in Middle Ages. Author and poet, he compiled many books. This one was completed in 1283 in Seville, and is conserved at El Escorial near Madrid. It represents the most important existant testimony about games in the Middle Ages. Within 98 pages, it describes, details and comments on many rules and problems for several games. Grant Acedrex.