[3] Some particulars of the manuscript suggest that the author was from Spain or Portugal and that it was copied at some point in France, although this is not certain.
[4] The attention paid to the opening in the manuscript reflected the greater importance of study of the early part of the game caused by the changes to the movement of the pieces in modern chess.
The old game tended to develop slowly, with victory often achieved by capturing all enemy pieces to the bare king.
The modern game developed much more quickly due to the new ability of the pawn to make an initial move of two squares, and the greatly enhanced powers of the bishop and queen.
Checkmate became a more common end to the game, and study was required to develop early attacks and defend against them.