Gioachino Greco (c. 1600 – c. 1634) was an Italian chess player and writer. Greco recorded some of the first chess games known, 77 in total. His games, all against anonymous opponents ("NN"), were quite possibly constructs (Hooper & Whyld 1992), but acted as highly useful tools for spotting opening traps. Mikhail Botvinnik considered Greco to be the first professional chess player (Gufeld & Stetsko 1996:5).
Greco was a remarkable chess player between Ruy López de Segura and François-André Danican Philidor, as well as writing a famous "handbook" containing many traps and checkmating patterns. As one of the players during the age of "Italian Romantic Style", he studied the Giuoco Piano (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4), and published his analysis in the form of short games around 1625. In 1665, after his death, the manuscripts were published in London. These games are regarded as classics of early chess literature and are sometimes still taught to beginners.
Greco paved the way for many of the attacking legends of the Romantic era, such as Adolf Anderssen, Paul Morphy, and François Philidor.
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Chess Archeology 
