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Of all my researches and posting on blindfold chess the following has to be one of the astonishing highlights! - and even more so because I stumbled on it ( I picked it up at a daily chess news link at www.chesscafe.com). I refer to the story about ex Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Roger Lemelin playing two games of blindfold chess (one win and one loss!!) on their travels in the Soviet Union. Andy Soltis had it in an excellent article about everyone being able to play blindfold chess (as long as they were a chessplayer) which was published in July's US Chess life - see the USCF site or go to: www.blindfoldchess.net I really enjoyed reading the column. Two questions: Was Roger Lemelin a tournament player? and if so what was his rating? Also were the scores of the two games ever published!? Just think - a Canadian Prime Minister playing blindfold chess! - what a great promotion for blindfold chess - and yet unknown to me until more than 30 years afterwards.
Koltanowski's first tour of Canada had stops in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia (there is no mention of the Maritimes). He spent the Christmas season (and New Years) 1938/39 in Saskatchewan (no mention of the Canadian winter!?) and remarks on the thriving cities?! of Swift Current, Indian Head!?, and Moose Jaw. His favorite province seemed to be British Columbia to which he kept returning for exhibitions (regularly for more than 20 years!) but I have no recorded games to show from his first tour. The BC players according to Kolty:" These lovers of chess like to be attacked. Time and again I have found these Western Canadians ready and willing to swap blows in the most complicated of positions, while they rarely seek simplification and the possible draw." Here is a game played in Vancouver October 10, 1946. Black: A. Engleman, 1of 8, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 d6 5.c3 Nf6 6.b4 Bb6 7.a4 a6 8.d3 h6 9.Be3 Be6 10.Nbd2 0-0 11.Bxb6 cxb6 12.Bxe6 fxe6 13.d4 exd4 14.cxd4 d5 15.Qb3 Qd7 16.Rfe1 Rfe8 17.Ne5 Nxe5 18.dxe5 Nxe4 19.Nxe4 dxe4 20.Rad1 Qe7 21.Rxe4 Rad8 22.Red4 Rxd4 23.Rxd4 Qc7 24.f4 Qf7 25.g3 Rc8 26.Rd6 Rc6 27.Rd8+ Kh7 28.Qd3+ Qf5 29.Qxf5+ exf5 30.Rd6 b5 31.axb5 axb5 32.Rxc6 bxc6 33.Kf2 Kg6 34.Ke3 Kf7 35.Kd4 Ke6 36.Kc5 Kd7 37.e6+ 1-0
Found an interesting account of Blackburne's blindfold play where he actually saw vivid images of all the chess pieces and boards in all the games during his blindfold displays. Interesting reading at www.chesscafe.com - under Features at the top of page - 3rd title down : The Skittles Room - by P. Anderson Graham posted on August 17th, 2011 where he recounts conversations with Blackburne and gives many interesting examples.
Koltanowski's first tour of Canada in 1938 did not go sequentially from provinces east to west but rather with frequent trips across the border to American cities. I would guess that wherever blindfold simuls could be arranged in rough east - west progression both sides of the border is what actually happened. On November 6, 1938 in Kolty's own words: " my first day in New York - it was nice being met at the station by reporters, having my picture taken, and then being rushed to radio station WOR for an interview on a human-interest program. How do you do it? they asked, and laughed when I insisted I really couldnt understand it myself. From the radio station, I was rushed to the Marshall Chess Club. This was indeed a reception! In fact, it was very much like being under fire for the first time in some titanic war. The audience and the quarters were the most impressive I had seen in years. This was one of the most famous clubs in the world, and the spectators included the cream of the chess world. Dr. Emanuel Lasker and his charming wife were a familiar pair. The great Frank Marshall, a winning smile above his string tie, was a most gracious host, while Mrs. Marshall, hard-working as ever, had arranged a truly memorable first American exhibition. Here were Kashdan and Horowitz and a dozen other masters, all joining in a welcome to one who knew some of them and was overjoyed to meet the others. How lucky I was that these great players were spectators rather than opponents!" And of course for these distinguished spectators the showman Koltanowski had to present some great games. Koltanowski - Anderson, 1 of 8, New York, November 6, 1938 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Bb4 6.Bg5 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 Ne5 8.e3 h6 9.Bh4 Ng6 10.Bg3 0-0 11.Bd3 d6 12.0-0 Ne5 13.f3 Nxd3 14.Qxd3 Nh5 15.e4 Nxg3 16.hxg3 Qg5 17.f4 Qc5 18.f5 b6 19.Rf2 Bb7 20.Rf4 Rae8 21.Re1 d5 22.cxd5 Bxd5 23.f6 g6 24.Qd2 Bb7 25.Rf5 1-0 Kolty keeps his inner eye on the black king and sets up a checkmating attack with the patented, extended F-pawn lever.
Kolty finally headed south to the Caribbean in February 1939. I wonder if the winter weather finally got to him? Koltanowski - Vella, Russ & Cohn, Guatemala 1.d4 f5 2. e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 d5 5.fxe4 dxe4 6.Bg5 Bf5 7.Nge2 Nbd7 8.Ng3 g6 9.Be2 h5 10.0-0 Bg4 11.Ngxe4 Bg7 12.Bxg4 hxg4 13.Qd3 Kf7 14.Bxf6 Nxf6 15.Ng5+ Ke8 16.Qxg6+ Kd7 17.Qf5+ Ke8 18.Nb5 Qd7 19.Qg6+ Kd8 20.Qxg7 Rh5 21.Rxf6 exf6 22.Nf7+ Kc8 23.Qf8+ Qd8 24.Qxd8# 1-0 Black's extended defence of e4 was overly optimistic. Kolty finds the cracks with 13.Qd3 and the active queen and two knights (18.Nb5!) make short work of the black king position.
Koltanowski gave two 5 board blindfold exhibitions against the candidates for the Guatemalan chess team travelling to Buenos Aires for the Olympics later that year. In the first exhibition he swept the team 5-0, in the repeat he "only" managed 3 and a half. Koltanowski - Salazar, Guatemala, March, 1939 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 d5 4.Bd3 Be7 5.Nbd2 Nbd7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Qe2 Re8 8.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 c5 10.c3 b6 11.Ne5 Bb7 12.Nxf7 Qc7 13.Nfg5 Bxe4 14.Bxe4 Nxe4 15.Qxe4 Nf6 16.Qxe6+ Kh8 17.Nf7+ Kg8 18.Nh6+ Kh8 19.Qg8+ Rxg8 20.Nf7# 1-0 Black had to play 15.Nf8, as played Kolty managed smothered mate.
Koltanowski-Cruz, Guatamala 1939, 1of 5, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 Nxe4 10.Bxe4 h6 11.Qe2 Nf6 12.Bc2 b6 13.b3 Bb7 14.Bb2 c5 15.Rad1 Qe7 16.Rfe1 Rfe8 17.Qd3 cxd4 18.Nxd4 Bc5 19.Nf5 Qc7 20.Nxh6+ gxh6 21.Bxf6 Bxf2+ 22.Kh1 1-0
Kolty plays for perfect development with Q+Bs aimed at the black kingside after 8.e4. His opponent could have defended better by not opening the position and also by foreseeing 19.Nf5 but the finish is a model of kingside attacking play.
It's not real, but in the year's first episode of the TV comedy drama "House", Gregory House finishes a game of blindfold chess against a sighted opponent in the big house. Hugh Laurie, the actor who plays Dr. House, does play chess in real life.
Further details on an event to add to Jonathan's blindfold chess in Canada table:
World Champion Alekhine, 40, gave a simult in the Eaton Auditorium, Toronto on Nov 14, 1932. At 3 a.m., After 7 hours of play against all of Toronto's top players, he scored +35=3-4. It required 18 minutes to complete the circuit and the first win occured after two hours' play. Part of it was filmed with moving pictures.
Two games were partioned off so Alekhine could play blindfolded against Kenneth H. Whitfeld of Galt, a Canadian Correspondence Champion [Stephen Wright had already posted that game on this thread] and M. Alpert, who had lost to a blindfolded Alekhine on Jan 23, 1924 [Alekhine +31=4-1, Alekhine also winning the other blindfold game against Miss Florence Spragge, Toronto Lady Champion]. That earlier game was posted by Hans earlier.
"The champion briefly discussed blindfold play subsequently. and in his remarks stated it required no particular effort up to about 15 boards simultaneously! Beyond that each game rendered the task increasingly difficult." Malcolm Sim, Telegram, Dec. 3, 1932
In Montreal, 1923, Alekhine gave a blindfold simult scoring +12=5-4, several of those games posted by Hans. "The following day Alekhine called off the whole 21 games to a chess reporter without error, recalling the exact sequence of over 1,500 moves." Telegram Nov. 12, 1932
Alekhine was down a pawn going into both endgames:
Antillon-Koltanowski, Guatemala 1939, 1 of 5, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Bd3 exd5 9.cxd5 Qb6 10.Na4 Qc7 11.0-0 c4 12.Bc2 Nbd7 13.Re1 Re8 14.Rb1 b5 15.Nc3 Qa5 16.b4 cxb3 17.Rxb3 Nc5 18.Rb1 Qxc3 19.Bd2 Qc4 20.Rb4 Qxa2 21.Bc3 Bg4 22.e5 Nxd5 0-1 Very interesting play on the queenside by Kolty. White blunders with 18.Rb1 (under the illusion of trapping the black queen) but Black is winning anyways. If 18.Ra3 Qb6 19.Kh1 (or Kf1 or Be3) Ng4! and Black's play will be overwhelming.
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