Blindfold Chess - the book

[Hans Jung]

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1080704 Havent posted a blindfold game in a while so I couldnt resist posting this. One of Koltanowski's blindfold brilliancies.

[Hans Jung]

https://en.chessbase.com/post/rememb...miguel-najdorf In the middle of the article (under the picture of Najdorf shaking Fidel Castro's hand) is mention of an 8 board blindfold simul that Najdorf gave against the Cuban government and an entertaining anecdote about his game with Che Guevarra.

[Hans Jung]

More Blackburne ...
Blackburne - Payne 1862 One of ten.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.c3 dxc3 6.Nxc3 Bb4 7.0-0 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Nge7 9.e5 h6 10.Ba3 Na5 11.Bd3 0-0 12.Nh4 Re8 13.f4 Ng6 14.Nxg6 fxg6 15.Bxg6 c6 16.Bxe8 Qxe8 17.Bd6 b6 18.Rf3 Bb7 19.Rg3 c5 20.Qg4 Qf7 21.f5 Kh7 22.Re1 Rg8 23.e6 dxe6 24.Rxe6 Nc6 25.Bf4 Nd8 26.Rg6 Bc8 27.Qh5 Qf8 28.f6 Nf7 29.fxg7 Rxg7 30.Bxh6 1-0 Pretty as a picture.

Blackburne started playing chess a year earlier. Within a year he was playing ten board blindfold exhibitions regularly. From the beginning he was expressing the artist within.

[Hans Jung]

Blackburne - Corlett 1871 One of ten boards simultaneous

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.0-0 d3 8.e5 h6 9.Qxd3 Bb6 10.Qd5 Qe7 11.Ba3 Q e6 12.Qd3 Qg6 13.Qe2 Nge7 14.Nbd2 0-0 15.Ne4 Kh8 16.Nh4 Qh7 17.Bd3 Nxe5 18.Bxe7 Re8 19.Bc2 Rxe7 20.Nf6 Nf3+ 21.Qxf3 Qxc2 22.Rac1 Bxf2+ 23.Kh1 Qe2 24.Qf5 g6 25.Nxg6+ fxg6 26.Qxg6 1-0 another variation on the queen and two knights attacking finish

[Hans Jung]

https://en.chessbase.com/post/for-fr...125th-birthday In the article it said that GM Saemisch played 4000 blindfold games. That makes him one of the most prolific blindfold players ever. Of the greats only Koltanowski would have played more.

[Hans Jung]

Blackburne - Howard One of ten 1862

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.c3 Nf6 6.e5 Ng4 7.0-0 0-0 8.cxd4 d5 9.Bb3 Bb6 10.Nc3 Ne7 11.h3 Nh6 12.Bxh6 gxh6 13.Qd2 Kg7 14.Ne2 f6 15.Ng3 Qe8 16.Rae1 Be6 17.Re3 f5 18.Ne2 f4 19.Rc3 Ba5 20.Nxf4 Qf7 21.Nxe6+ Qxe6 22.Bc2 Ng6 23.b4 Bb6 24.Nh2 h5 25.Kh1 Rf4 26.Rd3 c6 27.g3 Rf7 28.f4 Kh8 29.Rdf3 Qxh3 30.g4 Qh4 31.g5 Nxf4 32.Rxf4 Qxg5 33.Qd3 Rg8 34.Rg4 hxg4 35.Rxf7 Qg6 36.Rxh7+ 1-0 Finally the fireworks arrive after Black takes the bait with 29...Qxh3. Good for a chuckle.

[Hans Jung]

Reti playing a ten board blindfold exhibition. Credit: Serge Plante

[Hans Jung]

[Hans Jung]

[Hans Jung]

[Hans Jung]

I was packing today and found this book. Its the book Schauspiel des Geistes, (Showcase of the Mind) of the world record breaking 46 board blindfold simul of Marc Lang and the history of blindfold chess. In post 730 above you can see the front cover, next a collage of pictures on the back cover, one of them Vlastimil Hort lifting Marc Lang's arm in triumph.
Finally the dedication to me by the author Dr Michael Negele. The book has been my favourite keepsake but of course its all in German - an enjoyable read.
Post 729 is a picture of Marc Lang's exhibition and beside it the famous Alekhine exhibition in Paris 1925.
Post 728 is Kolty (Koltanowski) in action: one entitled Agony - from an exhibition in Vancouver, Koltanowskis world record in 1937, and Kolty and Humphrey Bogart. Also Najdorf during his record breaking exhibition.
It was wonderful of the author to send me the book and the dedication reads: "To Hans Jung, an ardent researcher, most interested in Blindfold Chess, with appreciation of all your efforts. Dedicated by the author, Michael Negele 2012-09-20

[Hans Jung]

Morphy - Potier, 8 boards blindfold simultaneous, Paris, France, September 27, 1858

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Nxe5 d5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.d4 c6 8.0-0 Nbd7 9.f4 Nb6 10.Qf3 h5 11.f5 Qc7 12.Bf4 Bd6 13.Rae1 Kf8 14.Qg3 h4 15.Ng6+ Kg8 16.Bxd6 hxg3 17.Bxc7 fxg6 18.fxg6 gxh2+ 19.Kh1 Bg4 20.Re7 Nbd7 21.Be5 Kf8 22.Rf7+ Kg8 23.Nxd5 cxd5 24.Bxd5 Nb6 25.Bb3 1-0

[Hans Jung]

Morphy - Bornemann 8 board blindfold simultaneous, Paris France, September 27, 1858

1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.c3 Bg4 5.Bc4 Nf6 6.fxe5 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 dxe5 8.d3 Nc6 9.Bg5 a6 10.Nd2 Be7 11.0-0-0 Qd7 12.Nf1 0-0-0 13.Ne3 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 Rdf8 16.Nd5 Ne8 17.d4 exd4 18.cxd4 Bd8 19.Rhf1 Nd6 20.Bb3 Nb5 21.Qe3 f5 22.exf5 Rxf5 23.Nb6+ cxb6 24.Be6 Rd5 25.Rf7 Ne7 26.Kb1 Re8 27.Rc1+ Nc7 28.Bxd7+ Rxd7 29.d5 Nc6 30.dxc6 Rxe3 31.cxd7+ 1-0

[Hans Jung]

Morphy - Baucher 8 board blindfold simultaneous, Paris, France, September 27, 1858

1.e4 e5 2,Nf3 d6 3,d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 7.Bg5 f6 8.Bh4 Nh6 9.Nc3 Be7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Qc4+ Kh8 12.Nd4 Qd7 13.Rad1 Rf7 14.f4 a5 15.f5 Rff8 16.Ne6 Rg8 17.a4 Ng4 18.Qe2 Ne5 19.Bg3 Qc8 20.Bxe5 dxe5 21.Rf3 Bd7 22.Rh3 h6 23.Qd2 Kh7 24.Qxd7 Bd6 25.Rxh6+ Kxh6 26.Rd3 Kh5 27.Qf7+ 1-0

[Hans Jung]

Morphy - Preti 8 board blindfold simultaneous, Paris, France, September 27, 1858

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3 e5 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.bxc3 Bc5 7.Nxe5 Qf6 8.Bxf7+ Kf8 9.Nd3 Bb6 10.Bb3 d6 11.Ba3 Nc6 12.0-0 Nh6 13.e5 Qg6 14.Nf4 Qg4 15.Ne6+ Bxe6 16.Qxd6+ Kf7 17.Qd7+ Kg6 18.Bxe6 Qg5 19.Bd5 Nxe5 20.Be4+ Nf5 21.Qe6+ Qf6 22.Bxf5+ Kh5 23.g4+ Nxg4 24.Bxg4+ 1-0