Blindfold Chess - the book

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

As I and probably other have no brain power to follow all the game without the board, there goes the help

Pillsbury - E. Cohn Hanover 1902 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Bg4 9.c3 O-O 10.h3 Bd7 11.d4 exd4 12.cxd4 Qc8 13.axb5 axb5 14.Rxa8 Qxa8 15.Nc3 Na5 16.Bc2 g6 17.e5 Nh5 18.Be4 Qc8 19.Nd5 Nc6 20.Bh6 Re8 21.Ng5 Ng7 22.exd6 cxd6



Pillsbury builds a commanding position out of the opening but here fails to pull the trigger. This is a rich position for analysis with several attacking continuations and possibilities. That Pillsbury did not choose any of these is further evidence that he was having a bad day. Instead he transposes to a long ending a pawn up which he fails to win. This was the longest game of the simul.


23.Bb1 Nf5 24.Bxf5 Bxf5 25.g4 Be6 26.Qf3 Bxd5 27.Qxd5 Bxg5 28.Rxe8+ Qxe8 29.Bxg5 Kg7 30.Qxd6 Qe6 31.Qxe6 fxe6




This ending is worthy of study to determine better possibilities for White.


32.Be3 Na5 33.Kf1 Nc4 34.Bc1 Kf6 35.Ke2 e5 36.Kd3 Ke6 37.dxe5 Kxe5 38.f4+ Kd5 39.Kc3 Kc5 40.b3 b4+ 41.Kd3 Na5 42.Be3+ Kd5 43.Bd2 Kc5 44.f5 gxf5 45.gxf5 Kd5 46.Bxb4 Nxb3 47.Bc3 Nc5+ 48.Ke3 Ne4 49.Ba1 Nd6 50.Kf4 Nf7 51.Bb2 Nd6 52.Kg5 Ke4 53.f6 Nf7+ 54.Kg4 Kd5 55.Kf5 Nd6+ 56.Kf4 Ke6 .5 - .5 (draw)




Hans, where do you get game scoresheets? (the standard PGN would give O-O for a castling. I corrected in this post)

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Thanks for posting the diagrams Egidijus. I typed out the gamescores by hand. (so instead of PDF 0-0, I typed 00)

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Hans probably got the game scores from the book, which gives the moves of every known game from every world record blindfold simul exhibit.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Yes, Jonathan is correct. The bigger challenge occurred when I took games from other sources and had to translate from descriptive to algebraic. I often had to double check and sometimes triple check to be sure to be accurate. The things we do for love.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Well the latest excitement is a 15 board simul by FM Marc Lang of Germany. He scored 5 wins, 1 loss, and 9 draws, June 6th 2009, in Krumbach (about 100 kms west of Munich). Although having 15 boards on his mind Marc managed to play this amazing miniature: FM Lang - Reif 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8.Be2 Qxg2 9.Qd6 Nd7 10.000! Qg5+ 11.f4! Qe7 12.Qd4! e5 13.Qd2 Qe6 14.Nf3 f6 15.fxe5 c5 16.exf6! Ngxf6 17.Ng5 Qb6 18.Bh5+ Nxh5 19.Rhe1+ Kf8 20.Bxc5+! winning Q or mate. 1-0
FM Marc Lang plans to break the German record of 22 boards set by Tony Miles in 1984 (GM Miles broke the previous German record of 21 set by Pillsbury at Hanover 1902) He plans to play at least 23 boards in November in a small town near Stuttgart. Good Luck und machts gut Marc!
For further details see: www.blindfoldchess.net

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Back to Pillsbury at Hanover 1902: Pillsbury - Dyckhoff 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.fxe5 Nxe4 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Qe2 Nxc3 7.dxc3 c6 8.Be3 Qa5 9.h3 Bh5 10.Qf2 Nd7 11.g4 Bg6 12.Bd3 Bc5 13.00 Bxe3 14.Qxe3 Qb6 15.Nd4 Nc5 16.b4 Ne6 17.Rae1 Bxd3 18.Qxd3 Nxd4 19.cxd4 0-0 20.c3 Rae8 21.Qf5 Qc7 22.Re3 Re6 .5.5 (draw) One of Pillsbury's favorite openings where his opponent is content to exchange pieces. Pillsbury tries to keep action with 16.b4 (which I thought he might end up regretting) and ends up with a comfortable advantage and could have played on with 23.Ref6 with some threats. However the fact that there were only major pieces left and the pressure of the other boards may have led him to except the draw. Certainly he stood better in the final position.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Pillsbury - Edelheim Hanover 1902 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.00 Bd6 The Colle System (before Colle played it!) 7.Nbd2 00 8.Qe2 Re8 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.e4 e5 Black is challenging the center even more than White. Pillsbury had a full fledged fight in his mind. 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Nb3 Bd6 13.Bg5 Be7 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 15.Bxh7+ Kh8 Not one to back down from a fight, Pillsbury wins the first round of sparring. 16.Bc2 Nf4 17.Qe3 g5 18.Rfe1 g4 19.Nfd2 f5 20.Nf1 Be6 Black's position looks overwhelmingly aggressive but Pillsbury was just waiting to deliver the next shot. 21.Na5! A left hook from nowhere. 21...Bd5! Countered by a hook to the chin! 22.Nxc6 bxc6 23.Bxf5! Give it your best because I'm comin! 23...Bxg2 Right on the chin! 24.Qxf4! Look who's getting KOed! WoW! 24...exf4 25.Rxe7 Rxe7 26.Kxg2 Rg8 Bring up the reserve to stop the battering. 27.Rd1 Re5 28.Bc2 Re2 29.Rd2 f3+ Black is still swinging. 30.Kg3 Rge8 31.Bf5 Re1 32.Ne3 Black is bleeding all over the place and these last two shots put him out of his misery. 1 - 0 Pillsbury's first win of the exhibition and a fine one it was!

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Pillsbury - Eljaschoff Hanover 1902 1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.fxe5 Qe7 5.Nf3 Nxe5 6.Nd5 Qd6 7.d4 Nxf3+ 8.gxf3 Bb6 9.Bf4 Qc6 Black has played himself into a lost position. Pillsbury could play 10.a4 threatening Bb5 and Black is in dire straits. Instead he decides to develop his major pieces quietly and Black's position stays bad. 10.Rg1 Kf8 11.Qd2 d6 12.000 Qe8 13.Qg2 g6 All Black's pieces (except the Bb6) are huddled on the last rank awaiting White's breakthrough. Pillsbury uncharacteristically misses a shot and at least two breakthrough continuations and seems to just let his position drift. More evidence to lend credence to my theory that he was just having a bad day. 14.Qg5 h6 15.Qh4 Be6 16.Bc4 Kg7 17.Nxb6 axb6 18.d5 Bd7 19.Be3 f6 20.Bd4 Qe7 21.Qg3 Be8 22.h4 Qf7 Pillsbury is still dominating with all pieces developed, total control of the center, an attack on the kingside, so it is totally shocking to see him throw away his position in a dozen moves! 23.f4 c5 24.Bc3 b5 25.Bf1 b4 26.Be1? Qe7 27.f5 Rxa2 28.Kb1 Ra8 29.Qf4 b5 30.b3 Qa7 31.Kc1 Qa1+ 32.Kd2 Qd4+ 33.Ke2 Qxg1 34.Qxd6 Qg4+ 0-1

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Pillsbury - Exner 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.e3 Nc6 4.dxe5 dxc4 Another blindfold player would be content with 5.Qxd8+ especially with the high number of boards but not Pillsbury! As played Black gets the development initiative and Pillsbury struggles and unwisely enters complications. Still amazing how deep he was "seeing" even tho flawed. 5.Qa4 Qd5 6.Qxc4 Qxc4 7.Bxc4 Nxe5 8.Be2 Bf5 9.Nc3 000 10.e4 Be6 11.Nf3 Nd3+ 12.Bxd3 Rxd3 13.00 Bb4 Here 14.Ne2 was probably the wisest continuation but Pillsbury never liked being pushed around and responds with an aggressive move. His choice has been labelled a blunder but if you see the rest of the game continuation it is apparent that it was all a long combination trying to trap the rook but flawed. Where did Pillsbury go wrong in his calculation of the initial combination? Positionally however the concept was flawed as White is always a move behind trying to catch up. Anyways, amazingly deep calculation by Pillsbury considering he had 20 other boards to focus on. 14.Ne5 Rxc3 15.Bd2 Rc5 16.Bxb4 Rxe5 17.Bc3 Rg5 18.f4 Rg4 19.h3 Rg3 20.Bd4 Nf6 21.Kh2 Rd3 22.Bxf6 gxf6 0 - 1

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Pillsbury - Fahrni Hanover 1902 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 d5 5.e5 Nh5 6.d4 Be7 7.Be2 Be6 8.00 g6 9.Ne1 Ng7 10.Bxf4 g5 11.Be3 Nf5 12.Qd2 c6 13.Bd3 Ng7 14.Ne2 Nd7 15.Ng3 Nb6 16.c3 h6 17.Qc2 Kd7 18.Nf5 Nxf5 19.Bxf5 Qe8 20.Nf3 Kc7 21.Nd2 Rd8 22.Bxe6 fxe6 23.Rf3 g4 24.Rf2 Bg5 25.Nf1 Qh5 26.b3 Bh4 27.Ng3 Bxg3 28.hxg3 Nd7 29.Raf1 Rdf8 30.Rxf8 Rxf8 31.Rxf8 Nxf8 32.Qd2 Nd7 33.Bxh6 Qf5 34.Bg5 c5 35.Kh2 b6 36.Qf4 Nf8 37.Bf6 Nd7 38.Qh6 cxd4 39.cxd4 The last game in this simul to finish after 11 and a half hours. Pillsbury had a commanding middlegame through to move 30 but with careful play his opponent transferred it to an endgame. Pillsbury could have traded queens just before the end and the bishop dominating over the knight, the passed pawn on e5, and the king maneuvre g1 - f2 - e3 - f4 would have guaranteed the win. A careful game.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Pillsbury - Moeller Hanover 1902 This is the third of Pillsbury's 3 wins in the blindfold simul. When I first saw the opening of this game (the Max Lange Attack) I was pleasantly surprised and hoped to see a swashbuckling attack in one of my favorite openings. Instead I was again surprised by an original move (10.Qg4) and an elegantly played endgame. Considering other games in this simul where inaccuracies spoiled endgame chances, at least this game produced the type of endgame finish that Pillsbury was famous for.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.00 Bc5 6.e5 d5 7.exf6 dxc4 8.Re1+ Be6 9.Ng5 g6 10.Qg4 Qd5 11.Bf4 Kd7 12.Nxe6 fxe6 13.Nd2 Qf5 14.Qxf5 exf5 15.Nxc4 Rhe8 16.Kf1 b5 17.Ne5+ Nxe5 18.Bxe5 Kc6 19.Rad1 Rad8 20.f4 Rd7 21.Rd3 Red8 22.h3 a5 23.Kf2 Bb6 24.Kf3 Kb7 25.g4 fxg4+ 26.hxg4 c5 27.g5 Kc6 28.f5 The breakthrough. The diamond formation with the central posted bishop transposing to this breakthrough and the following series of exchanges culminating with the maneuver Rxe1 - Re7+ - Rxh7 - Rh3 - Rf3 - Rxf5 is very artistic and yet precisely technical. The play continued: 28...Re8 29.Kf4 Bc7 30.Rdd1 Rd5 31.Bxc7 Rxf5+ 32.Kg4 Rxe1 33.Rxe1 Kxc7 34.Re7+ Kd6 35.Rxh7 c4 36.Rh3 Ke5 37.Rf3 Ke4 38.Rxf5 gxf5+ 39.Kg3 Ke3 40.f7 d3 41.cxd3 cxd3 42.f8 = Q 1 - 0

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Pillsbury - John Hanover 1902 Black attempts a Dragon Sicilian but after 6...f6 his position becomes awkward. Pillsbury gradually builds the position and just as excellent endgame chances appear he plays the inexplicable 23.b4 and agrees to a draw. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.Qd4 f6 7.Be3 Nh6 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.Bc4 Nf7 10.Rd1 00 11.f4 d6 12.Qd3 Kh8 13.00 Qe8 14.Ne2 f5 15.Bd4 fxe4 16.Bxg7+ Kxg7 17.Qxe4 d5 18.Qd4+ Kg8 19.Bd3 e5 20.fxe5 Qxe5 21.Qc5 Bg4 22.Rde1 Qd6 23.b4

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Pillsbury - Kerwel Hanover 1902 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Bxf6 Bxf6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Bb5 Bd7 8.exd5 exd5 9.Nxd5 00 10.Nxf6+ Qxf6 11.00 Rad8 12.Bxc6 Bxc6 13.Ne5 Rd6 14.Nxc6 bxc6 15.c3 c5 16.Qc2 cxd4 17.cxd4 c6 18.Rad1 Rfd8 19.Rfe1 g6 20.Qa4 Rxd4 21.Rxd4 Qxd4 22.Qxd4 Rxd4 23.Kf1 Rd2
Again Pillsbury plays his favorite variation of the French Defence and gets a position that I would just love to play - pawn chain with a Ne5 at the head and a queenside pawn majority. Then he liquidates and a draw.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Pillsbury - Lange Hanover 1902 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.00? Nxe4 6.d4 d5 7.Bb5 exd4 cxd4 Bd6 9.Qb3 00 10.Nc3 Bg4 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.Nxe4 dxe4 13.Nd2 Be6 14.Qe3 f5 15.f3 Qh4 16.f4 g5 17.g3 gxf4 18.gxf4 Kh8 19.Kh1 Rg8 20.Rf2 Qg4 21.Qe1 e3 0-1 Pillsbury gets into trouble in the opening, doesnt find resourceful moves, and is then subjected to a crisp kingside attack by his efficient opponent.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Blindfold Chess - the book

Pillsbury - Neumann Hanover 1902 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Qe2 Bc5 4.c3 00 5.f4 Optimism? Mixup of lines? Mixup of games in the simul? 5...d5 6.exd5 exf4 7.Qf3 Bxg1 8.Rxg1 Re8+ 9.Kf1 Ng4 Black's pieces are swarming White's kings position. 10.Qxf4 Re5 11.Bd3 g5 0-1 An efficent, dramatic and horrible finish.
Without a question Pillsbury's worst blindfold game out of the many blindfold games he played.