THE CHESS PLAYER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 154, 17 July 1937, Page 3

THE CHESS PLAYER

"Fianchetto.")

30 Simultaneous Blindfold Games BELGIAN'S RECORD

(By

PROBLEM NO. 11 (W. W. Wallis.) 3 ROOK 4; KING 2 KNIGHT pavyn 1 knight 1; ROOK 2 pawn king 1 PAWN pawn; 2 QUEEN 2 knight 2; 2 PAWN 4 pawn. 6 pawn BISHOP; 5 KNIGHT 2; 3 rook rook queen bishop 1. White to move and mate in two moves. Correet solution to last week's problem is either R — R6 or R — N4. Correet solutions have been received from Messrs J. Haines, A. Stevenson, W. J. Hay ,and C. J. Crook. The solution given was R — R6, but it has been pointed out to me that R — N4 also en* sures mate in three. Incorrect solutions received are N — -B8 which is refuted by B— Bl, and R — B5 which is refuted by B — B3. A correet solution (which had been mislaid) of the previous difficult problem had been sent in by W. J, Hay, who now ties for second piace, one point behind J. Haines. Thus iwo of our solvers managed to conquer the mtricacics' of Problem No. 10. I hope players are an iiue tofm for the big event in" iocal chess — the return mateli with Napier noxt Tuesday. Just think of it— thirty simultaneous blindfold games! This is tho world record held by the Belgian champion, Georges Koltanowski, wiio- in this m.arvellous feat had tho excellent score of twenty wans and ten draws. Koltanowski has recently made a tour of Great Britain playing exhibition games, uiany of which Were blindfold exhibitions, including twcnty-one simultaneous games at Bath. The gaine this weeh -»s oue of those tweuty-one games. Koltauowski is probabiy the most wonderful biindfold playor that the world, has ever known. He is said to play almost as well without seeing as witn sight of the board and men, and must possess an extraordinary imagination. Before ho undertook his attacJr on tho world 'b . record he underwent strenuous preparation, .both qiental and physical. • He had. to be .p.hysically iit, lor such a .feat world take at least ten hours,.and he had to work out a detailed and absolutely infallible method of remembering the boards, Ho wouid prhctise out three moves on each of thirty boards each day. One would , think .that choas . was-t surely intrieate enough to play with sight of the board and pieces, and that to play several strong prayers' blxndfolvi simaitaneously was little short of miraculous. , The first recorded dnstahco of such play in England was in London in 1783 when the gieat • Philador eugaged two' o'pponents. One- London paper dcseribed- this as "A phenomenon in the history of man." How would this papfer dcseribe the feats;of Koltanowsiii'l Purdy, champion of Australia, when he toured New Zealaud threo years ago, gave - several' exhibitions of the art, including a display against six oppouents at Napier. He described his method to be by pictunng a nebulous board in his mind, and fitting tho pieces on this board each game in turn. The most difficult part was uot to got the boards conf used, especialJy if one of his opponents made a move that be had expected at another board. Wfcrong club players can often manage one game without sight of the board or pieces— but thirty, even to think of it puts the brain in a whirl. The opening in the game is cutled the Petroft' Defence. It "as not often seen in master play, although it is a sound defence even if "White gets an attack. In this game Black does not get his pieces deve'loped quickly enough. arid the weakness of his position is shown up by White 's attack which wins a piece, after which Black graciously resig'ns.

WHITE (G. • Koltanowski/ 1. P— K4 2. N — KB3 3. N x P • 4. N — KB3 5. P— Q4 .6. B — Q3 - 7. Castles 8. P— B4 9. N— B3 ' 10. Q— K2* 11. PxP 12. N— KN5 13. P— KN3 14. BxN 15. N— N5

■BLACK (Dr. R. H. MeKon P— K4 N— KB3 P— Q3 NxP P— Q4 P— KB4 B— Q3 P— B3 B— B2 B— K3 PxP Q— Q3 PxKN Castles Resigns