Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-09-17

G.auyal, in bis Vanity Of Dosmatizing,
/ Q6jl) talks Of "blnd man managing q
game al. CHESS" mach as one would speak of
blind man u-.-, % te!e,ocpe-as a thing
absurd on the face Of it. lie was chess
player, too and one would suppose he bad
a; times thought over games he had former
ly played, and thus learned. TO some degree.
how game can be mentally followed. Bat
a. We have said. the feat OF blindioli chess
playing Is even more wonderful to q che>~-
player who does not possess the power of
calling up before the mind a complete pic
ture Of board and men at any stage Of q
game, than it i 10 one unfamiliar with chess
For the player knows how varied the re-
sources of the game commonly are at each
stage, how the choice Of any move from
among several which are available depends
on con>eql calculated seven or eight
moves deep (not for the selected move alone.
but for each of the rejected moyes) Now if
the b.lndtold player reasoned out each move.
by considering the scope and influence of
each piece, arguing mentally, for instance,
that such and such piece having been move
Ell 10 such and such i square commands such
and such other squares, or can he brought
IN 50 many moves 10 some desired position.
or must be guarded by such and such steps
from other pieces, it would be simply i'm
possible for him to conduct game, or al
least to complete one within any rcasona-
bic time. Yet, strangely enough. many
chess players suppose that it Is feat ofthiS
kind which the bllniiold player accompli-he-.
nt rir- fa.
becomes almost incredible when We remem-
her three, ten, twelve, nay. if We remember
rightly, 10 one case twenty. hlindf1ld games
have been conducted simultaneously by one
player. The real meaning Of the feat j. IN
derstold, however, when we notice that
some OF the strongest cheSs-p players haze been
unable to play blindtold, precisely as -omc
Of the greatest mathematicians have been
unable to deal mentally with any but the
simplest problems. Phlidor and Ia BJur-
donnais could both play without seeing the
board, bat Mcdonnell, St. Amaut. and
Staunton, never accomplished this feat (at
least in any recorded partie) Harrwitz could
play blinifold; his rival ,llorwitz, could not
At the present dav, Blackburne and Zuker-
tort can play ten or twelve games bindfJld.
but several of the strongest chess-player-
living do not, we believe. possess the power
We must, therefore, find an explanation
which shall not require the blindiOld PLAYER
to be superior in cheSs-strength 10 the PLAYER
who Is unable to carry on contest without
seeing the board. The explanation is sim
pie. The blindiold player IS able to picture
To himself the board and men. at any stage
OF game, and thus plays mentally with Is
much ease and confidence as if he had the
board before him. If he i conducting a
dozen blindiold games simultaneously, his |
method i the same. We are unable to say,
however, whether, he pictures all the games /
at once, as though the boards were ranged /
before him; or calls up mental picture of /.
each board, with the men properly placed |
for that game as its turn comes round. Pro- !
bably, in most cases, the latter is the meth /
Cd adopted. 1t matters little for our argu-
ment which manner of conceiying the boards I
and men is preferred When blindlold /
cheSs-player (or rather PLAYER without !
oard, for bindfoldng Is merely nominaD |
i conducting twelve games he has. either
IN one mental mage or available Tor success I
siye study, twelve boards, each with sixty
four squares, or 70S squares to be separately
with in all lat starting) 3S4
men. At every step he has to select be
tween several alternative moves. each ad-
mitting of several alternative replies. each
reply suggesting various lines of play, 50
that the total number of moves to be cousid
cred increases in geometrical proportion.
To consider each position effectively he must
conceive the various steps of each line of
play as actually taking place before him. To
do this for ten or twelve games, against
good players, surrounded by spectators who
expect each game to progress without undue
DELAY 80 that he must play ten or twelve
times as rapidly as his Opponents) requires
unquestionably power Of mental calcula-
ton rivalling in degiee that shown in tie
feats of Colburn, Bidder, and Others. though
altogether different in kind In fact, it has
been remarked by Todhunter, the mathe-
that skill in chess is quality not
unlike mathematics, as a test Of mental
power, though with this important differ
,nce, that mathematics properly employed
lre useful in science, whereas the skill shown
BY the chess-player can afford no results cor
to the labor required in attend
NJ such skill
\ gentleman who recently visited Bang
Nuh, tilO Od pitdl VI Clil WIS 81 lOTluutlt dS
o see quadruple execution. No. was an
who had his hand cut off and
iirectly that member was sent flying through
he air, wrapped the stump up in hand
and remained to witness the end of
he performances. No. was murderer,
Sho was ripped open, and though perishing
niserably, bit a banana to the last. No. 3
lad said something disrespectful of the king,
md was condemned to be devoured by wild
,easts before he was lowered down into the
len, and the crunching and roaring began
no human cry was perceptible amidst that
lorrid din), he leaned over the rim of the
,it and spoke to the creatures, recommend
ne them to sharpen their appetites. No.
vas blasphemer, who was tied between
wo planks and burned to death by Jets of
lame directed against his temples from two
'raziers he continued singing what were
imposed to be impious songs during his
aafb a1opy