Blindfolded but not blind

John Saunders’ BritBase has a newly added PGN file: all 10 games from Sergio Mariotti’s blindfold simultaneous exhibition, Bayswater Chess Club, January 17, 1971, which were published in Bayswater Chess, Vol. 1, Nos. 3-4, June-September 1971.

Sergio Mariotti – Simon Spivack
10-board blindfold simultaneous exhibition; London, January 17, 1971
Two Knights Defence C57

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5?! 5. ... Na5! (Kieseritzky) is by far Black’s best line here.

6. d4! 6. Nxf7!? is the Fried Liver Attack, but the Lolli Attack (6. d4!) “is so strong that 5. ... Nxd5 is practically extinct”, Bobby Fischer asserted in My 60 Memorable Games, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1969, p. 281.
6. ... Be7 7. Nxf7 Kxf7 8. Qf3+ Ke8? If nothing, less complacent is 8. ... Ke6 9. Nc3 Bb4? (9. ... Nxd4 10. Bxd5+ Kd6 11. Qd3±) 10. Bxd5+ Kd6 11. Bxc6 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 bxc6 13. Ba3+ (13. 0-0 Be6 14. dxe5+ Kd7 15. Rd1+ Bd5 16. c4 Rf8 17. Qh3+ 1–0 R. J. Fischer – Snuske, 58-board simultaneous exhibition, Flint 1964) 13. ... Ke6 14. 0-0 Qd5 15. Qh5 e4 16. Qh4 g5 17. Qh5 Qf5 18. f3 Qg6 19. Qg4+ Qf5 20. Qxf5+ Kxf5 21. fxe4+ Kxe4 22. Rae1+ Kd5 23. Re5+ 1–0 R. J. Fischer – Gruenberg, 54-board simultaneous exhibition, Chicago 1964.
9. Bxd5 Rf8. If 9. ... Nxd4 then 10. Qf7+ Kd7 11. 0-0 h6 12. Nc3 Qf8 13. Qh5 Qf5 14. Qd1 Qxc2 15. Qg4+ Qf5 16. Qxg7 Qf6 17. Qg4+ Kd8 18. Qd1 Qg6 19. Be3 c6 20. Be4 Qf6 21. f4 c5 22. Nd5 Qg7 23. b4 Rg8 24. Nxe7 Kxe7 25. fxe5 Bh3 26. Rf2 Rad8 27. Qh5+− R. J. Fischer – Heckathorn, 40-board simultaneous exhibition, Wichita 1964.
10. Bxc6+ bxc6 11. Qh5+ g6 12. Qxe5. So White has come out with two Pawns ahead and a comparatively easy game to win.
12. ... Rf6 13. 0-0 Qd6 14. Qxd6 cxd6 15. Nc3 d5 16. Bg5 Re6 17. Bxe7 Rxe7 18. Rfe1 Bf5 19. Rxe7+ Kxe7 20. Re1+ Kf6 21. Re2 Rb8 22. b3 g5 23. Na4 Bg6 24. Nc5 Re8 25. Rxe8 Bxe8 26. f3 Kf5 27. Kf2 Bg6 28. c3 h5 29. Ke3 Bf7 30. Na6 1–0.

Troilus and Cressida

Paul Charles Morphy – Paul Capdevielle
4-board blindfold simultaneous exhibition; New Orleans, May 1864
Evans Gambit C51

Paul Capdevielle (1844–1922) is probably most remembered for playing Paul Charles Morphy rather than for serving as Mayor of New Orleans from 1900–1904, so maybe that was his great luck. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4!? Bxb4 5. c3 Bc5 6. 0-0. “6. d4 is now generally preferred”, Johann Jacob Löwenthal (and Morphy himself) wrote in his (their) book “Morphy’s Games: A Selection of the Best Games Played by the Distinguished Champion, in Europe and America”, New York, D. Appleton and Company, 1860, p. 364. 6. ... Nf6? At the time it was quite a common blunder! 6. ... d6 here was correct. 7. d4. As McDonnell’s and de La Bourdonnais’s games taught Morphy, it may take very little to lose an open game! 7. ... exd4 8. cxd4 Bb4. Capdevielle takes another way from his unlucky predecessor, Theodor Lichtenhein (but only to come to the same end): 8. ... Bb6 9. e5 d5 10. exf6 dxc4 11. fxg7 (in an analysis for the January 1864 issue of the Neue Berliner Schachzeitung, Bernhard von Guretzky-Cornitz gave the following line: 11. Re1+ Kf8 12. Ba3+ Kg8 13. d5 Na5 14. Be7! Qd7 15. fxg7 Kxg7 16. Qd2 Qg4 17. Qc3+ Kg8 18. Qxh8+! Kxh8 19. Bf6+ Qg7 20. Re8#) 11. ... Rg8 12. Re1+ Ne7 13. Bg5 Be6 14. Nc3 Ba5 15. Ne4 Rxg7 16. Nf6+ Kf8 17. Re5 c6 18. Bh6 Nf5 19. Rxe6 fxe6 20. Ng5 Ke7 21. Bxg7 Nxg7 22. Qf3 Qxd4 23. Rd1 Bd2 24. Ng8+ Rxg8 25. Qf7+ Kd8 26. Nf3 1 : 0 P. C. Morphy – Lichtenhein, New York 1857. 9. e5 Ne4 10. Bd5. 10. Qe2 was probably even stronger here, but Morphy maybe let his opponent play a little more. 10. ... Bc3? Capdevielle takes the bait eventually, like most of Morphy’s opponents. Probably best was 10. ... f5 11. Qb3 Qe7, though after 12. a3 Ba5 13. Qc2! White still retains a very large advantage. 11. Bxe4. Also very strong was 11. Bxf7+! Kxf7 12. Nxc3 Nxc3 13. Ng5+ Ke8 14. Qf3 winning back the piece with an irresistible preponderance. 11. ... Bxa1 12. Bg5. Of course, Morphy cannot resist such a developing move. 12. ... f6 13. exf6 gxf6 14. Bxc6. 14. Nh4! (threatening Qd1-h5+) might have been even stronger — or maybe not. 14. ... dxc6. 14. ... fxg5 was probably the most stubborn defence, but then after 15. Re1+ Kf8 16. Ba4! White’s development advantage should still prevail (17. ... g4 18. Na3!). 15. Re1+ Kf7. If 15. ... Kf8 then 16. Bh6+ Kg8 17. Ne5! winning immediately.

16. Ne5+ Kg7 17. Bh6+! Kxh6. Not 17. ... Kg8 on account of 18. Qb3+ Qd5 19. Qg3+ and mate next move. 18. Nf7+ Kg7 19. Nxd8 Rxd8 20. Qh5. Morphy just got what he aimed for, and now finishes the game with his customary machine-like elegance. 20. ... Rd7 21. Nd2 Rf7 22. Rxa1 Be6 23. Re1 Bd5 24. Re3 Kh8 25. Ne4 Rg7 26. Nxf6 Rxg2+ 27. Kf1 Rg7 28. Re8+ Rxe8 29. Qxe8+ Bg8 30. h4 h6 31. Qf8 h5 32. Nxg8 Kh7 33. Nf6+ Kh6 34. Ne8 Kg6 35. Qf6+ Kh7 36. Qxg7# 1 : 0.