Will be 3 rounds and the final between the best six players. 10 concurrent games per round.

Happy 400th Birthday French playwright, actor & poet Moliere!

Molière was born Jean Baptiste Poquelin in Paris, France, on January 15, 1622. His father was a successful upholsterer (one who puts soft coverings on chairs) who held the post of official furnisher at the royal court. Molière had been attracted to the theater since childhood. When Tiberio Fiorelli (called Scaramouche), an Italian actor, came to Paris in 1640, Molière struck up a friendship with him. Molière was educated at the Collège de Clermont, a Jesuit (Catholic order devoted to educational work) institution. There he received a solid classical background, and he may have known some future freethinkers, such as the dramatist Cyrano de Bergerac (1619–1655). After finishing his secondary education, Molière studied law briefly and was allowed to practice in 1641.

Molière was expected to take over the post his father held, but in 1643 he decided to devote himself to the theater. He had met a young actress, Madeleine Béjart, with whom he was to be associated until her death in 1672. Since the theater life was not considered very respectable, he assumed the name "Molière" in order to spare embarrassment to his family. He joined a troupe known as the Illustre Théâtre that included Béjart and her family. By 1644, having served two prison terms as a result of the company's debts, Molière joined another company with the Béjarts and toured all over France for the next thirteen years. In 1650 Molière became the head of the troupe, and he managed to secure the patronage (support) of the Prince of Conti.

Although little evidence of Molière's travels is available, it is certain that he and his players learned much while performing in the French provinces. The short, stocky Molière was a hard worker. He frequently acted, sometimes under a clown's mask, with the troupe he managed. When the company was called to give a performance before Louis XIV (1638–1715) in 1658, it was Molière's comedy, Le Docteur amoureux, that most amused the king. The king's brother became patron (supporter) of the troupe, and Molière returned to Paris, the city of his birth.

In December 1662 Molière presented a comedy, L'École des femmes, before the king. It was to be his greatest success. The play centers around Arnolphe, a middle-class man who chooses a child for his bride, whom he then raises in total ignorance. A young rival, unaware of Arnolphe's identity, tells him exactly how he plans to steal the girl from under his nose. The play caused a huge protest, known as the "Quarrel of L'École des femmes. " Molière's enemies, jealous of the king's favor toward him, attacked him as immoral and claimed he had stolen the story from another writer. Molière chose to answer his enemies in the form of a play. His Critique de l'École des femmes, presented in June 1663, included a discussion on stage of both the critics and the criticisms. The "Quarrel" served to establish comedy as an accepted form of literature.

In May 1664 Molière was invited to perform Tartuffe ou l'Imposteur, an attack on religious hypocrisy, for Louis XIV at Versailles, France. The play angered the Society of the Holy Sacrament, a powerful religious group, and for five long years Molière struggled without success for the right to perform his play. Finally, in 1669, the power of the Society had lessened, and Tartuffe was revived with great success at the Palais Royal. Dom Juan, first presented in February 1665, is considered one of Molière's greatest plays, although it was not published until after his death and remained almost unknown until the twentieth century.

Although Molière enjoyed the personal support of the king, he struggled with illness, marital problems, and depression. Still, during this period he wrote and presented a work that shows his mastery and genius. Le Misanthrope, presented in June 1666, pleased his admirers, but it lacked the popular appeal necessary to make it a success. L'Avare, presented two years later, failed miserably, and Molière faced extreme financial (related to money) problems. A comedy-ballet, Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (1670), helped bring in the public once again.

Molière had also developed a bad cough, which he tried to mask as a comic device. When overcome by a coughing spell onstage, he exaggerated it in an attempt to make the audience laugh. The condition worsened greatly, but Molière had little faith in medicine. In 1671 Les Fourberies de Scapin, a bright comedy similar to his early works, was presented. On February 17, 1673, during the fourth performance of his last work, Le Malade imaginaire, Molière began having seizures. He died that same night, attended only by two nuns, having been refused the right to see a priest.

 The following four comedies allow us to meet the man who penned the words that have kept audiences laughing for centuries, right up to the present day.

1. A scandal shakes Versailles: 'Tartuffe'

Tartuffe, a fraudster who presents himself as a very pious man, worms his way into Orgon's family through flattery and lies. Orgon names Tartuffe as his only heir, replacing his oldest son, and even promises him his daughter's hand in marriage, who is less than thrilled. Tartuffe pushes his swindle and manages to obtain the family's house and all their property.

"Tartuffe" (French title: "Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur") launched Moliere's reputation as a scandalous writer. It premiered on May 12, 1664, at Versailles.

At the time, the playwright was at the high point of his career, serving as a "director of pleasure" at the court of the absolutist King Louis XIV. The play's depiction of a religious conman and its inherent critique on the power of the Catholic Church led to the work being banned. Over the next five years, Moliere fought to have his play performed again and he finally succeeded in 1669 — after significant changes were made to the script.

 2. Writer and seducer in service of the Enlightenment: 'Don Juan'

One reason for Moliere's enduring popularity may be that his pieces are always funny.

One such example is "Don Juan" (French title: "Dom Juan ou le Festin de pierre," 1665), which Moliere wrote shortly after "Tartuffe" was banned.

The story centers on the serial seducer Don Juan, the European archetype of a womanizer whose character inspired numerous writers, Moliere among them.

In his play, Don Juan is on the run after having convinced Donna Elvira to break her religious vows but then refusing to marry her. Once in Sicily, he seduces one young woman after another. At one point, Don Juan is asked to give a profession of faith, to which he simply responds, "two and two are four."

Moliere's Don Juan is not just a predatory sleaze but also a freethinker who, instead of rejecting carnal pleasure, rejects the church's dogma and sacraments, making room for logic and science. With Moliere, comedy is serious business and a way to reflect on society.

3. Defying the Sun King's conventions with 'The Misanthrope'

Only two years after "Tartuffe" had been banned, Moliere wrote his comedy "The Misanthrope" (French title: "Le Misanthrope ou l'Atrabilaire amoureux," 1666), which was paid for by Louis XIV.

Like Don Juan, the main character in this play is an outsider who defies the conventions of the powerful: Alceste is of noble descent but refuses to take part in the ceremonies of the court. He aims to live without hypocrisy, always speaking the truth and refusing to flatter or ruse others. But it's precisely those forms of deceit that are widespread among people in the royal court, which is why he despises them.

At the same time, however, he falls in love with a woman: Celimene. She is a young widow, 20 years younger than Alceste. In her letters, she mocks her lovers — including him. Still, Alceste is the only one who offers to move with her to a country estate where they can lead a good life.

On the one hand, Alceste is a misanthrope, despising humankind, but on the other, he deeply believes in love. This type of contrast is what makes Moliere's characters so strong, as they embody comedy, tragedy and depth.

4. 'The Imaginary Invalid': Laugh until the end

Moliere was also married. He and his wife Armande had several children, but only one survived, his daughter Esprit-Madeleine, born in 1665.

He was therefore regularly confronted with death, but he never let that spoil his sense of humor. As with Shakespeare, Moliere expressed humor by observing and accentuating human folly; he showed that laughing at our own flaws can also help us endure the exasperating behavior of our fellow human beings.  

In Moliere's final play, "The Imaginary Invalid" (French title: "Le malade imaginaire") an old man named Argan, who is imagining all his illnesses, is taken advantage of by a fraudulent doctor.

It was first performed on February 10, 1673, with the author playing the lead role — as was often the case with his previous plays. Seven days later, at the fourth performance, he suffered a hemorrhage and had to stop the performance. He died a few hours later.

Combining death and humor contributes to making Moliere's legacy still relevant 400 years later, perhaps particularly so in these pandemic times.