Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-14
Blindfolded Met, and Defeated His
-
Antagonists.
PLAYED SIMULTANEOUS CHESS GAMES
Lost Only Two Out o.. Twenty
eight Contests.
NOT BEATEN IN CHECKERS

Mr.. PiSbury gave again yesterday an
other exhibition of those wonderful powers
of his playing in the afternoon without
sight. of the boards at one and the same
time eight chess players and those at
checkers. The checker contingent was ex-
ceptionally strong and each obtained a
draw and no more. The chess team, while
not the strongest the club could have
brought into the field, was still a good
stiff proposition and it was here that the
genius of this remarkable player was most
keenly seen and felt.
Imagine the unseeing player-a slight
built youthful-looking young man of TWEEN
ty-six, with a good face, broad and high
forehead and the never-failing cigar-at
one end of the room, his face to the win
dow, and Immediately at his back his
eleven opponents, each man putting in as
much time as he can and each bent on his
own especial game, sizing up everything.
A Wonderful Exhibition.
Wonderful as this exhibition seems to the
spectator familiar with the game it must
be more so to those who contest with him.
The feeling with them must be that he
cannot see all; that in all these intricacies
there must be something unprovided for,
in all this whirl from board No. l to board
No. 2, and then to 3, and finally from chess
board No 8 to checker No. land yet it Is
not so. When he comes to your board you
may be certain that his mind will be blank
of everything else, that he will grasp that
one contest as if that were the only thing
he had on his mind the whole time and
that every detail will be cared for.
Quick Perception.
An instance of this quick perception Of a
complicated position was drawn to the at
tention of The Star reporter during the con-
test. A player indicated by dumb show
that he int lded to carry knight TO Kt5, in
tending KtxB to be retaken by pawn; then
his queen would take KIT and pawn takes
queen, whereupon rock would take queen,
giving the team player a KIT for nothing.
The intended coup was at the least three
moves deep ard was well conceived, yet
the words knight TO kt5'' were hardly out
of his mouth before the champion called
back the right answer queen from king
to queens 2, and the disappointed player
muttered back, Good eye.
Judge Walter l.. Campbell of Ohio, him
self blind and therefore in this respect on
equal terms with his great opponent, was
| the first to fall. but the judge is just back
from an extended trip from the early sum-
mer and did not play his ordinary prac-
| ticed game.
| The curiosity of the spectators at the
manner and appearance of the performer in
| the blindfOld seance was great and not easy
| to crafty. he sat with his face to the
| front wall, the tables occupying the center
| of the room. with a passage for the an
nouncer Mr. A. B. Douglas, and the spec
| tators banked behind on both sides
| Artists before now have attempted pic
| lures of brown study, but it is said have
never just caught it. but if one present
| yesterday and saw the faces of the players
as Pllsbury passed and left them nuts to
crack, he will leave something that will &C
! down 10 eternity.
| DR.. Byron Sunderland was present and
| when an acquaintance came up and re-
marked What, doctor, you here, too?" he
replied: Yes, sir. am here on intellectual
| grounds and to see this wonderful player
| of whom l have heard so much
The Two Exhibitions.
| The bindfod exhibition began at 2:3O
| pm. and continued to near o'clock The
| simultaneous began shortly after O'Clock
| and ran to 1:45 this morning, when 1t was
| given up from the lateness of the hour.
| The opening moves in the simultaneous
| were made with such extreme rapidity by
| Mr.. Pillsbury-feet shutting to the nex
| board, while the eye spotted the pieces and
| the hand grabbed 1t and showed 1t to Its
| intended place-that the players and specta-
| tors sent up a roar of laughter. 1t was
! noticeable that these rapid preliminary
| moves were made with the left hand, while
| the moves in the thick of the fight were all
| right-handed.
The BlfndfoId Performance.
| Contestants and results in the blindfolG
performance follow-0 represents a lost
| game to the player whose name it is op
| posite; y represents drawn game:
| CHESS