Blindfold Chess - the book

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

I am going to post two games I found to be particularly interesting: Rogoff - Adorjan 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.00 Nge7 5.b3 For a player who memorized MCO-10 I find White's opening play deceptively simple (b3) and the forcing pawn play just after very creative. White finishes with striking queen maneuvers. Play continued 5...Nd4 6.Nxd4 cxd4 7.Bb2 a6 8.Be2 Nc6 9.c3 Bc5 10.b4 Bb6 11.a4 d5 12.exd5 exd5 13.Na3 00 14.b5 dxc3 15.dxc3 Na5 16.c4 Be6 17.bxa6 bxa6 18.Bf3 dxc4 19.Bxa8 Qxa8 20.Qh5 Qc6 21.Bc3 Nb3 22.Rad1 Nc5 23.a5 Ba7 24.Qe5 f6 25.Qd6 Qc8 26.Qe7 Qa8 27.Rfe1 Re8 28.Qc7 Nd3 29.Rxe6 Rc8 30.Re8+ 1-0 Reshevsky - Rogoff 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 00 Simple solid opening play with clear development plans 6.00 dxc4 7.Qa4 a6 8.Qxc4 b5 9.Qc2 Bb7 10.Nbd2 Nbd7 11.e4 c5 12.e5 Nd5 13.Qe4 Qb6 14.dxc5 Nxc5 Look at those black knights! 15.Qg4 Rac8 16.h4 Nd3 17.Nb3 Rc4 18.Qh5 f5! 19.exf6 Nxf6 20.Qg5 Bxf3 21.Bxf3 Nd5 22.Qh5 g6 Look at the white squares! White loses no matter what he plays. 23.Qxd5 exd5 24.Bxd5+ Kg7 25.Be3 Qd6 26.Bg2 Nxb2 27.Rab1 Bf6 28.Nd2 Qa3 29.Nxc4 bxc4 30.g4 Kh8 31.g5 Bg7 32.Rfe1 c3 33.Be4 Qb4 Look at the dark squares. Very creative play! Good notes to this game by GM Robert Byrne in the NY Times.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

While reading the Rogoff articles my memory clicked with past events (a trip down memory lane can lead to interesting adventures). Dr. Erich Marchand, USCF life master and long time regular on the tournament circuit (50+ yrs) was a mentor of the young Rogoff. Dr Marchand, from Rochester, was also an uncle of Peter Murray. I'm long overdue for a visit with Peter and some good stories! I'll have to put that on my to-do list.

[Hans Jung]

Re: MCO 10th edition

MCO 10th edition ! Now that brings back memories. Certainly one of the best editions, with Larry Evans doing the lion's share of the work. Walter Korn was the co-author and had a firm grip on the copyright. Beware of editions written just by Korn! The 10th came out in 1965, was reprinted in 1968, and I bought my copy in some little bookstore in Saskatoon in 1969 for just $9.25 (I know this because I have the book lying in my lap as I write this). At the time I felt I had discovered the Holy Grail ! In those days I could go play a night of speed chess and coming home I would open up this book and find out what the theory really said (I had a really good memory in those days long ago). The only drawback was that the damn thing was written in descriptive notation.

A similar experience was my first book Chess Openings: Theory and Practice by I.A. Horowitz. I remember going into Bob Edwards chess store in London Ontario in 1973 and oggling all the books. It was the first one I bought. What has this got to do with blindfold chess? Well - I remember playing out the idea variations (as opposed to the practical variations) in my mind on bus trips because they were so exciting and then checking them in the light of day on a chess set when I got home or the club or school. I sure poored over that book and it was well thumbed over and eventually the spine broke. Years later I bought a used copy in good shape - and it was less than the price of the original!

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

At: http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/ru...ded/#more-7892 Ruslan Ponomariov (ex world champ) gives an exhibition of 8 blindfold games simultaneous - apparently his first ever. Its in Spain, there are lots of pictures and complete game scores (on viewers). Also at the bottom is a discussion forum with about 35 posts.

[Larry Bevand]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

At: http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/ru...ded/#more-7892 Ruslan Ponomariov (ex world champ) gives an exhibition of 8 blindfold games simultaneous - apparently his first ever. Its in Spain, there are lots of pictures and complete game scores (on viewers). Also at the bottom is a discussion forum with about 35 posts.

Hi Hans,

You are doing a great job of promoting this excellent book...we are out of stock again...but we have a significant order coming in on Feb 18, 2009. The folks at McFarland even told me that we were one of their biggest customers for this title :) The book comes in and out so fast...I haven't had a chance to take a look at what happens between the covers!

Sheesh :)

Again for those who have not been keeping up to speed...the book is being sold at our online site www.strategygames.ca and our 3 shops at the LOWEST PRICE IN CANADA...uhuh...compare and you will see :)

http://www.strategygames.ca


Larry

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

At: http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/ru...ded/#more-7892 Ruslan Ponomariov (ex world champ) gives an exhibition of 8 blindfold games simultaneous - apparently his first ever. Its in Spain, there are lots of pictures and complete game scores (on viewers). Also at the bottom is a discussion forum with about 35 posts.

When is it more easy to play: with open eyes or closed? Pono prefers to close.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Hi Larry, Love to hear it. I am glad many viewers have decided to check it out. Its a good read. (thats not just my opinion but comments passed on by friends who are currently reading it)

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Thats not just the opinion of Pono - comments also by Svidler and Moro. I think current generation of strong Russian grandmasters have been trained to analyse blindfold to enhance calculation and judgement. I like blindfold chess because to me it is more creative (I "see" positions in a new way) and a good blindfold game gets me excited. However you have to play at your level. I have played IM's O'Donnell, Teplitsky, and Nickoloff in one on one exhibitions and been crushed (which was expected) and thats not fun.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

One thing I overlooked in my comments so far on the book Blindfold Chess is a comment on the amount of important research the authors initiated on the amazing blindfold record breaking exhibitions of Grandmaster Najdorf. Because of their investigations the complete gamescores of the 45 board exhibition were found a few years ago and now the complete details of that exhibition are recorded in this book. It becomes clear what a tremendous feat this was.
The 1947 - 45 board exhibition was held in the same place as the 29 board world record exhibition by Richard Reti in 1925 in Sao Paulo Brazil. Three doctors were observing GM Najdorf constantly and the event went from 8pm one evening to 730pm the next evening. Thousands of people came to watch even tho it was one of the hottest days of the year. GM Najdorf was very gracious - suggesting a player take back a blunder, some players were moving pieces and put back the wrong position and GM Najdorf would announce the correct positions and allow those games to continue. GM Najdorf ate nothing and only drank liquids! His final score was incredible - 39 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses. GM Najdorf was the only one in chess history to do two 40+ board simul exhibitions! and now his feats in blindfold chess are known to the world. The vague and inaccurate details of these exhibitions (even Garry Kasparov in My Great Predecessors gets the dates wrong) have now been thoroughly researched and correct details supplied which makes for very interesting reading. Certainly this is a highlight of Najdorf's wonderful and lengthy career and should be one of the topics discussed in an interesting book about the great man.

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

So we have the exhibition from Najdorf's point of view. How about the 45 opponents? You wouldn't expect them to stay seated for 23+ hours as well? Were they sleeping between moves, or were there teams of players who replaced each other?

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Seems like both teams and also if someone was tired or wanted to quit, a replacement had to be found. How did Leo Williams manage with his 19 hour display (when he did 27 boards)? - were there teams or were replacements allowed?

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

I witnessed a Leo Williams display on 19 or 20 boards which took 11 or 12 hours (I spent most of that time calling out the moves). Most of the players stayed to the end - but there were a few possibly premature resignations (or draws in possibly winning positions) from some who had had enough. I don't recall anyone being replaced.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

There's the problem and another reason why more than 30 boards has never been attempted since the Flesch simul in 1960. It takes too long and is to tiring for the sighted players, and of course a major organizational headache. It would be an interesting question for Leo Williams, his 25 board simul took 16 hours and his 27 board simul took 19 hours. You would think there would have been replacements. Another reason why Koltanowski's record of 34 boards is still considered by some to be the true world record. He responded relatively quickly and that exhibition was over in 13.5 hours (started in the morning and finished before midnight). Alekhines 32 board exhibition was 12.5 hours and finished just after midnight and there is no mention of replacements in either event.

[Paul Bonham]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

There's the problem and another reason why more than 30 boards has never been attempted since the Flesch simul in 1960. It takes too long and is to tiring for the sighted players, and of course a major organizational headache.

Just wondering, Hans, is there anything in the book (or any records elsewhere) about anyone playing a blindfold simul against computer opponents? This would change things considerably, since none of the computers would have to be replaced or would resign due to fatigue. Only thing needed is to make sure the power stays on! I guess when the turn comes to each board, an arbritator would have to force the computer to make it's best move found at that time.

Maybe have the computers play not at their optimal strength, but with settings such that they have no use of opening books and in the opening phase at least, have high randomness. But even this might not be optimal, for example, with no opening book, will a computer play a gambit opening?

Anyway, I'm pretty sure this has never be attempted. Hans, why don't you be the first? Get yourself in the next edition of the book! :)

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Just wondering, Hans, is there anything in the book (or any records elsewhere) about anyone playing a blindfold simul against computer opponents?

For my 2004, 12-board exhibition in Beckensdorf, Iowa, for Thinker's Press, I faced the opportunity of a trans-Atlantic flight combined with no practice of a 10-board or greater exhibition in 30 years. I had a laptop computer with a DOS version of Crafty (from an old Chess Assistant 4 install). To make the story short, I made batch files to run Crafty without displaying a board, ran them in four command-line windows, shrunk each window to a single line in height, and thus gave a 4-board blind simul at 35,000 feet. This improved my confidence level, though jet lag and insomnia in Iowa later proved detrimental to the same confidence! A psychological point was that the games had to be "winnable" so I set Crafty not to ponder while I was thinking and forced it to use just a tiny amount of thinking time.

Here is one of the batch files:

wcrafty /ponder=off /time=40/1 /display=off /echo=off /noise=10000000

My biggest fear in Iowa was total meltdown. However, I did complete the exhibition, in 8 hours (for 12 boards = very slow; 4-6 hours would be considered normal speed), thus tying (and setting because of my percentage result) the record for a blindfold exhibition given by a player aged 50 or above.

A Crafty game log (score) looks like this:

c4
Nf6
Nc3
d5
cxd5
Nxd5
e4
Nxc3
dxc3
Qxd1+
Kxd1
Nc6
Kc2
e5
Bb5
Bd7
Bxc6
Bxc6
f3
Bc5
Ne2
Bb5
Ng3
O-O-O
a4
Bd3+
Kb3
Rhg8
Nf5
g6
Ne3
f5
Nc4
fxe4
Nxe5
exf3
Nxf3
Rd6
Bf4
Rb6+
Ka2
Bc4+
Kb1
Re8
a5
Rbe6
b4
Bf8
Nd4
Re4
Bd2
Bxb4
cxb4
Rxd4
Kc2
Re2
Rad1
Rxg2
Kc3
Re4
Rde1
Be2
Rhg1