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Video of Tal during blindfold simul
Posted today on ChessBase:
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5715
Very interesting.
Posted today on ChessBase:
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5715
Very interesting.
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Muzio
any thoughts on 5.Nc3 in the muzio? theoreticians will claim that Brady-Heidenfeld 1991 killed the "main muzio" (5.O-O gxf3 6.Qxf3 Qf6 7.e5 Qxe5 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.d4 Qf5 10.g4 Qe6 ... 0-1 i'm not sure that Yoos is as sure about this as some) but what about with 5.Nc3? i know that historically giving knight odds, white players liked to play the muzio because the knight on c3 wasn't in the way, slowing down the rooks.Originally posted by Hans Jung View PostComment
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Re: Blindfold Chess - the book
That is one awesome video! Its nice to see Tal again even if its only on video. (and its nice to dispel some of the old myths about blindfold chess being banned in the Soviet Union)Comment
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Re: Blindfold Chess - the book
Hi Craig, I just like the way Pillsbury plays it. I wish he was around today - his style was unique. As for the Muzio (Nc3 or without) its all good. I think Black's position is bankrupt. You have to be a fanatical e5 defender to believe in it. I will play it against ordinary tournament players anytime. What Fritz has to say about Black's resources doesnt concern me. The reason I dont play it in tournament chess is that there is so much theory to know in the other lines of both KGD and KGA. There is far better mileage in other openings. Now if you would put money on the table and I had the time...... that's a whole other story.Comment
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Re: Blindfold Chess - the book
All the early world champions could and did play blindfold chess, and in fact had a lot of respect for the art of blindfold chess. Some played blindfold chess as showpiece exhibitions and created interesting chess positions and games, having of course some fun and adventure along the way. Here Emmanuel Lasker plays a sprightly and attractive game, one of 5 blindfold simultaneous in Vienna, Austria 1900. I wonder if the exhibition took place in one of the famous Viennese chess cafes? Stiasny - Lasker 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.Ng1 Nf6 5.d3 Qxd5 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Bd2 Qe6 8.Qe2 Nc6 9.Nxe4 0-0 10.c3 Nd5 11.0-0-0 Re8 12.Ng5 Qd7 13.Qh5 h6 14.cxb4 hxg5 15.Qxg5 Nd4 16.Bc3 Qc6 17.Kb1 Nxc3+ 18.bxc3 Nb5 19.c4 Nc3+ 20.Kc1 Qa4 21.Qd2 Nxd1 22.Qxd1 Qa3+ 23.Kc2 Bd7 24.b5 a6 25.Qb1 axb5 26.Nf3 bxc4 27.Nd4 Ba4+ 28.Kd2 c3# 0-1Comment
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Re: Blindfold Chess - the book
Capablanca was well aware of the strain that a large blindfold exhibition could cause a player and he also referred to the habit (in his opinion bad habit) of playing a different kind of game (multi game blindfold exhibitions) than what was needed to compete in international tournaments. However he did play blindfolded on select special occasions and obviously enjoyed giving the show. He also indulged in the common practice (at the time) of giving regular simultaneous exhibitions (20 t0 30 boards) plus one or two blindfold games on the side. Here is Capablanca's most famous blindfold game: Capablanca - Baca Arus Havana 1912 1.d4 d5 2.e3 e6 3.Bd3 Bd6 4.Nf3 Nd7 5.Nbd2 f5 6.b3 Nh6 7.Bb2 Qf6 8.c4 c6 9.Qc2 0-0 10.h3 g6 11.0-0-0 e5 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.Nc4 dxc4 15.Bxc4+ Nhf7 16.Rxd6 Qxd6 17.Nxe5 Be6 18.Rd1 Qe7 19.Rd7 Bxd7 20.Nxd7 Rfc8 21.Qc3 Rxc4 22.bxc4 Nd6 23.Qh8+ Kf7 24.Ne5+ Ke6 25.Qxa8 1-0 Notice the repeated refrain on the C-file and especially on the c4 square and the finish of Rd1 - Rd7 and the queen visiting the two corner squares in-between the posting of the central knight. Very elegant!Comment
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Re: Video of Tal during blindfold simul
This wonderful Tal video has found a permanent home at: www.blindfoldchess.netOriginally posted by Kerry Liles View PostComment
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Re: Blindfold Chess - the book
Jacques Mieses was another great player who was a blindfold artist. Unlike many other great blindfold players he wrote a book on his blindfold experiences. He basically played only 5 or 6 boards at a time because of his belief that a short blindfold session (doing 5 or 6 boards) allows for more elegance in moves and more interest from the public. He believed that a blindfold performance will only be watched in its entirety if it is no longer than a performance at the theatre! (also my own experience). Mieses set original records for blindfold play after the age of 70: age 71-6 boards, age 78-5 boards and this was broken by Koltanowski at age 82 (also 5 boards).
Mieses was another blindfold player who lived a long life - to age 88 (also Blackburne - age 82, Najdorf - age 87, and Koltanowski - age 96). In 1909 he played a blindfold match with Carl Schlechter which he won handily 2.5 -.5. Here is one of the games: Schlechter - Mieses, Stuttgart Germany 1909,
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Qa5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Bd2 Bg4 7.Nb5 Qb6 8.a4 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 a6 10.a5 axb5 11.axb6 Rxa1+ 12.Bc1 Rc1+ 13.Kd2 Rxc2+ 14.Kd1 Rxb2 15.Qa3 Rb1+ 16.Kc2 Rxf1 17.Qa8+ Kd7 18.Rxf1 Nd5 19.Qxb7 Nxb6 20.Kb1 e6 21.Rc1 Nc4 22.Qa8 g6 23.d5 exd5 24.Rd1 d4 25.Rxd4+ Nxd4 26.Qd5+ Bd6 27.Qxd4 Re8 28.Qd5 c6 29.Qxf7+ Re7 30.Qg8 Re1+ 31.Kc2 Re2+ 32.Kd3 Rxf2 33.Qxh7+ Kc8 34.Kc3 Be5+ 35.Kd3 Rd2+ 36.Ke4 Rd4+ 37.Kf3 b4 38.Ke2 Rd2+ 39.Kf1 b3 40.Qg8+ Kc7 41.Qf7+ Rd7 42.Qxc4 b2 43.Qb3 Rd5 44.Qc2 Rb5 45.Qb1 Rc5 0-1 A wild game where Schlechter went after the queen trap but had to give up far more material. Mieses plays elegantly with at first 3 minor pieces and additional pawns for the queen, but later "settles" for rook and bishop and an unstoppable passed B-pawn for the queen.Comment
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Re: Blindfold Chess - the book
www.chesscafe.com has a review of Blindfold Chess (the book) this month (under Book Reviews) and in one of their articles - Past Pieces - by Olimpiu Urcan - the author Eliot Hearst is interviewed. The article also has dug up an old interview of Blackburne and 3 of his best blindfold games. Interesting reading. I particularly enjoyed Blackburne's description at exhibitions of playing pieces of any shape and size (sometimes having to ask what the pieces are!) and his biggest problem with tiredness - having to stoop 1100 times (because he was so tall) during exhibitions.Comment
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Re: Blindfold Chess - the book
One simultaneous blindfold exhibition I am looking forward that might perhaps be an ultimate challenge about human memory is on Chess960, where the original position in each board will be randomly generated. I haven't heard anything like it before. Has anyone heard if someone accomplished this feat?Comment
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Re: Blindfold Chess - the book
If its happened the press hasnt gotten wind of it. It would be a great opportunity for a young talent to publicize their abilities.Comment
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Re: Blindfold Chess - the book
The chess world is full of interesting characters and some of these actually were outstanding blindfold players. One of these was Bora Kostic, a Serbian chess professional who lived one of the most interesting lives ever recorded in chess and deserves to be better known. He travelled to most of the countries of the world and played thousand upon thousand games in chess exhibitions in many unusual circumstances. One interesting event was a match played on the equator on a mountain in Kenya where one player sat on one side of the equator and the other on the other side. He beat Gligoric with the black pieces in two early Yugoslav Championships and had beautiful wins against many of the worlds best. His best known blindfold exhibition was in New York City in June of 1916 where he played 20 and score 19 wins and 1 draw in 6 hours. Judging from the few game scores that exist he was an excellent blindfold player and apparently made funny remarks after many of his moves and also pointed out errors and allowed take backs of terrible moves. After the exhibition he dictated the scores of all 20 games without error. Unfortunately there are few other accounts of his blindfold play.
Here is one of his games from that famous 20 board exhibition: Kostic - Gubitch, New York 1916, 1 of 20. 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.d4 d6 6.h4 h6 7.hxg5 hxg5 8.Rxh8 Bxh8 9.Qd3 g4 10.e5 gxf3 11.Qh7 Qe7 12.Qxg8+ Kd7 13.Qxh8 fxg2 14.Qh3+ Ke8 15.Qxc8+ Qd8 16.Qxd8+ Kxd8 17.Kf2 1-0Comment
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Re: Blindfold Chess - the book
Reminded me of the famous Kostic's Trap.
http://www.johnpratt.com/items/chess/kostics.html
Cheers!Comment
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Re: Blindfold Chess - the book
Gyula Breyer was a brilliant Hungarian player who became Hungarian champion at the age of 18, and was also a very strong and creative blindfold player. He played 25 boards at Kosice, Czechoslovakia in 1921 to set the world blindfold record shortly before he died. Apparently although he was a famous chess player with his name attached to opening variations, composed several famous problem studies, and was quite active in the chess world as a player, he has not been well researched. His premature death (while still in his 20's) deprived the chess world of many more creative games.
Breyer - Bacle 1921 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.Bc4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 Nb6 8.Bb3 d5 9.0-0 c5 10.a4 c4 11.a5 cxb3 12.axb6 Qxb6 13.Nxd4 bxc2 14.Nc3 Be6 15.Nxc2 0-0 16.Kh1 Qd8 17.f4 f5 18.Nd4 Bc8 19.Ndb5 a6 20.Qxd5+ Qxd5 21.Nxd5 Rf7 22.Nb6 Bd7 23.Nd6 1-0 Note Breyer's pawn play and his finish with the two knights.
Breyer - Oppenheimer 1921 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 c6 3.e4 e6 4.e5 Bb4 5.Nf3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 h6 7.Bd3 Ne7 8.g4 0-0 9.g5 h5 10.Nh4 g6 11.Ba3 Kg7 12.Qf3 Nd7 13.Qf6+ Nxf6 14.gxf6+ Kh7 15.fxe7 Qxe7 16.Bxe7 Re8 17.Bf6 Bd7 18.Nf3 1-0Comment
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