Blindfold Chess

History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records and Important Games

For centuries, blindfold chess—the art of playing without sight of the board or pieces—has produced some of the greatest feats of human memory, progressing to the extent that the world record in 2009 was 45 [and is now 46] simultaneous blindfold games. 

This work describes the personalities and achievements of some of blindfold chess’s greatest players—including Philidor, Morphy, Blackburne, Zukertort, Pillsbury, Reti, Alekhine, Koltanowski, Najdorf and Fine, as well as present-day grandmasters such as Anand and Kramnik. 

Including some never before published, 444 games scores are presented, peppered with diagrams and annotations.  Hints for playing blindfold, and its practical value, are also included. 

About the Author(s)The United States Olympic Chess Team captain in 1962, Eliot Hearst is a U.S. Life Senior Master, a distinguished professor emeritus at Indiana University, and an adjunct professor of psychology at the University of Arizona. 

John Knott has written numerous legal articles and is a consultant at the London head office of an international law firm.  Each author has had a particular interest in blindfold chess and has studied the subject for more than thirty years. 

>> Winner of the Cramer Award 2009.  Book of the Year--United States Chess Federation.  Finalist, Book of the Year--English Chess Federation