Philippe Ambroise Durand (1799 – 11 February 1880)[1] was a French abbé and chess writer.[2]
Born in Fresné-la-Mère, Calvados,[1] he was professor of rhetoric at Falaise and later taught philosophy at Lisieux before retiring in 1860. Durand collaborated with Jean-Louis Preti to write three books on chess, including the two-volume Stratégie raisonnée des fins de partie (1871–73). These were the first books devoted to the practical endgame, and included concepts such as conjugate squares and the opposition.[2] He is also said to have coined the chess term trébuchet.[2] Durand died in Lisieux in 1880.[1]
