Chess Blindfolded

Originally posted by davidtravelling
I once played a guy at my school (who is now a FIDE master I believe) who beat me while he was blind folded and I could see.

Has anyone else had similar embarassing experience?

(well actually i was embarrassed until i realised just how good he was - he was on derren brown when DB played all those chess masters)

I've beaten many of my friends when I've been blindfolded, never lost a game like that either. If the position doesn't get too complex I think I play better blindfolded.

Btw, Ivanchuk apparently only glances at the board after his opponent moves before he effectively blindfolds himself by looking away and calculates in his mind's eye.

So I'm not sure being unsighted is really that much of a disadvantage.

Originally posted by Marinkatomb
I've played a few blindfold games and amazingly I am unbeaten! I've only played three games though 😛

I am also unbeaten in blindfold games. Haven't played any, though. 😛 If I'd try, I am sure I wouldn't have any idea where the pieces are after a few moves. My ability to visualize is almost non-existent.

Originally posted by Marinkatomb
I've played a few blindfold games and amazingly I am unbeaten! I've only played three games though 😛

Just incase everyone thinks Marinkatomb is making this up. I can confirm I have seen him play blind at the last London meet and he really is very good. 🙂

Well, I've been waiting for David Tebb to muster the courage to post what is probably his most embarrassing blindfold chess moment. But since he hasn't, I'm going to do it for him.

We all know that David once beat Garry Kasparov:
Thread 3438

What David didn't share in that thread was the aftermath of that event. After winning the simul, he was on such a high that he immediately challenged Garry to a blindfold rematch. His words were something like, "Oh yeah, how did that feel? You want another good British ass-whooping? Let's put these on!" as he threw down two white blindfolds in the traditonal manner of challenging an adversary to a duel.

Garry, in accord with his Russian sense of honor, picked up the blindfold and accepted the challenge. And in accord with his chess training, he was already thinking several moves ahead...

Play began. Garry started David's clock, and David boldly played 1. e4. He hit his clock, expecting a quick response of 1...c5. But Garry's move was not so quick in coming. In fact, about 10 minutes had passed before David realized Garry had left the table. Where had he gone?

Garry soon returned carrying a large 7-11 style Big Gulp cup, but it was not filled with any soft drink. He approached the table, and as David still sat unaware, Garry dumped the contents of the cup over David's head. Urine and feces, freshly produced in the restroom during Garry's absence, streamed down David's head, soaking and staining his previously white blindfold. Garry shouted something in Russian, roughly translated to English as, "British stupid, this you take, poophead disgrace to chess!" He whipped out a handkerchief colored as a Russian flag and tossed it at David, saying something like, "Your disgraced self, clean now! Respect the sickle! British chess is joke!"

To this day, every time David makes a move on RHP, he stares at that handkerchief and the soiled blindfold which he has kept mounted over his computer monitor as motiviation for conquering the chess world and eventually exacting his revenge upon the Russian giant in the name of England.

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Well, I've been waiting for David Tebb to muster the courage to post what is probably his most embarrassing blindfold chess moment. But since he hasn't, I'm going to do it for him.

We all know that David once beat Garry Kasparov:
Thread 3438

What David didn't share in that thread was the aftermath of that event. After winning t ...[text shortened]... d eventually exacting his revenge upon the Russian giant in the name of England.

I'm sure that sort of thing has happened to all of us here once or twice, and is the main reason we prefer correspondence to OTB chess.

Originally posted by Nordlys
I am also unbeaten in blindfold games. Haven't played any, though. 😛 If I'd try, I am sure I wouldn't have any idea where the pieces are after a few moves. My ability to visualize is almost non-existent.

I was surprised how easy it was actually. It took about 15-20 moves before i started to struggle. The problem is not remembering the position, it is the fact that you have to analyse it, so you think a few moves ahead, but then have to remember which moves have happened and which moves were conjecture. Give it a go, it's a great excersise!

I once played in a six round Swiss. On the third round I was drawn again this old guy who came to the table supported by a young boy who turned out to be his grandson. I thought the old guy was just a bit unsteady on his feet. Anyway he sat down started my clock and I played the first move. Then he produced a small bottle of whiskey which he took a huge gulp of, and played his move. While I was playing my second move he started to snore so loudly you could hear him all over the hall. I played my second move, hit his clock, and sat there for the next 28 minutes listening to him snoring until his flag fell, then his grandson woke him up. He thanked me very politely for the game, said he enjoyed it and left! Hillarious!

Originally posted by Stives
I once played in a six round Swiss. On the third round I was drawn again this old guy who came to the table supported by a young boy who turned out to be his grandson. I thought the old guy was just a bit unsteady on his feet. Anyway he sat down started my clock and I played the first move. Then he produced a small bottle of whiskey which he took a huge gulp ...[text shortened]... woke him up. He thanked me very politely for the game, said he enjoyed it and left! Hillarious!

Was he blind?

lol. blind drunk!

Originally posted by Marinkatomb
I was surprised how easy it was actually. It took about 15-20 moves before i started to struggle. The problem is not remembering the position, it is the fact that you have to analyse it, so you think a few moves ahead, but then have to remember which moves have happened and which moves were conjecture. Give it a go, it's a great excersise!

Well, you can obviously visualize, I can't. For me, the problem (or one problem) would be to remember the position. I also wouldn't be able to "see" the whole board at once. It would be completely hopeless.

Originally posted by Hand of Hecate
I've got an embarassing story along these lines. [...]

The ancient black dude was obviously better than me [...] I loudly declared, "You better savour being White as Chess is the closest you'll ever get and you won't be White much longer." [...]

The moral of the story being: "Don't play Chess in the mall lest ye be assaulted by some blind dude."

Alternative moral: "Racial taunts are not a good way to make friends and influence people. But telling people about them afterwards is a good way to get new-style recs".

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Well, I've been waiting for David Tebb to muster the courage to post what is probably his most embarrassing blindfold chess moment. But since he hasn't, I'm going to do it for him.

We all know that David once beat Garry Kasparov:
Thread 3438

What David didn't share in that thread was the aftermath of that event. After winning t ...[text shortened]... d eventually exacting his revenge upon the Russian giant in the name of England.

David Tebb has never used the Americanised expression 'ass-whooping' in his life.

Shame, because otherwise it was such a plausible story ...

Originally posted by TommyC
I've beaten many of my friends when I've been blindfolded, never lost a game like that either. If the position doesn't get too complex I think I play better blindfolded.

Btw, Ivanchuk apparently only glances at the board after his opponent moves before he effectively blindfolds himself by looking away and calculates in his mind's eye.

So I'm not sure being unsighted is really that much of a disadvantage.

True, he doesn't do this all the time though. Him and Shirov had a staring match. Who could stare at the ceiling the longest 🙂

I saw them along with several other Gm's at the canadian open last year. I was in charge of the demo board for the top 3 board and I remember Shirov pacing up and down the boards and then both of them staring at the ceiling and thinking about the position.

I don't know what some of you guys are talking about. Playing blindfold chess and moving the pieces? Don't believe that!

You can't see which pieces are where.

You play blindfolded by announcing the moves. That makes sense.

You sit blindfolded on a chair and someone tells you the moves and then you tell them the response.

How do you move the pieces when you are blindfolded. I would claim touch move everytime! 😛

Originally posted by RahimK
I don't know what some of you guys are talking about. Playing blindfold chess and moving the pieces? Don't believe that!

You can't see which pieces are where.

You play blindfolded by announcing the moves. That makes sense.

You sit blindfolded on a chair and someone tells you the moves and then you tell them the response.

How do you move the pieces when you are blindfolded. I would claim touch move everytime! 😛

LOL 😛