Wolfgang von Kempelen

Japanese: ケンプレン（英語表記）Wolfgang von Kempelen

1734‐1804
Hungarian-born inventor. He became a Privy Councillor and baron in Vienna, but devoted himself to making automata, and is particularly famous for the chess-playing doll he created in 1769. The chess-playing doll was a Turkish-style doll that played against a human at a chessboard; many players played against the doll and lost, including Napoleon. It became popular throughout Europe, and ended up in the hands of impresario Mälzel, who also featured it in EA Poe's work Maelzel's Chess-Playing Box (1836). However, it was destroyed when it was discovered that a chess master was hiding inside the box.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

1734‐1804
ハンガリー生れの発明家。ウィーンで枢密顧問官･男爵となったが，自動人形の製作に没頭し，1769年に作ったチェス人形はとくに名高い。チェス盤に向かってトルコ風の人形が人間と対戦するしかけで，人形を相手に何人もが対戦して敗れ，ナポレオンも負けたという。ヨーロッパ中に評判となり，興行師メルツェルの手に渡り，E.A.ポーもその作品《メルツェルの将棋差し》(1836)にとりあげたが，箱の中にチェスの名人がかくれていたことが発覚し，葬り去られた。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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