Blindfold Chess Podcast

Welcome to the last episode of the year! We are going to do something a little different today, we are going to look at a couple of chess variants - primarily focusing on Chess960, Freestyle Chess, or Fischer Random - depending on which era of chess you played in.

Chess in its current form has been around for hundreds of years, but Shuffle chess has been around for about a quarter of a millennia. 

For our game this week, we are going back to a game between two former Chess960 World Champions in 2019 - Wesley So versus Peter Svidler.  

Now, since this is a 960 game, the backrow of pieces on each side are not in their traditional spots. I will read off the location of each piece now.

According to Chess960.net, we are looking at position 900. 

White has a rook on A1, a light square bishop on b1, their dark square bishop on c1, their king on d1, queen on e1, their rook on f1, and their two knights on g1 and h1. 

Black has the same set up - a Rook on a8, bishops on b8 and c8, their king on d8, queen on e8, their rook on f8, and their knights on g8 and h8. 

Now - let’s see how we do. If we’re ready - … Let’s begin.

--

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Ng6 4. Qc3 c6 5. O-O Nf6 6. Qxc4 Bg4 7. Ng5 Nf4 8. Ng3 h6 9. N5e4 Nxe4 10. Bxe4 Be6 11. Qc2 Qd7 12. Bxf4 Bxf4 13. Nh5 g5 14. Rad1 Qc7 15. Nxf4 gxf4 16. d5 cxd5 17. Qb3 O-O 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Rad8 20. Rf5 e6 21. Rh5 Kg7 22. Qh3 Rh8 23. Qg4+ Kf8 24. Qh4 Kg7 25. e3 Rd2 26. exf4 Rxb2 27. Qg3+ 1-0

—-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess960 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chess_variants 

https://www.chess.com/game/live/4092688154

http://cassidynoble.com/

This week, we are looking at another Indian prodigy. Someone who has not made it to the Candidates tournament yet, but he is knocking on the door with Olympiad victories, consistent wins against current and former world champions, and someone who was on a World Rapid Championship team that took home gold - Arjun Erigasi. 

--

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 d5 4. f3 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. e4 e6 7. Qd2 b5 8. e5 Nfd7 9. Bg5 f6 10. exf6 gxf6 11. Bh6 Be7 12. O-O-O c5 13. Re1 b4 14. Nb1 Nc6 15. Rxe6 Nxd4 16. Re1 Ne5 17. Ne2 Bf5 18. Nxd4 cxd4 19. Qxd4 Qc7 20. c3 Kf7 21. f4 Ng4 22. Qxd5+ Kg6 23. Qxf5+ 1-0

—

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2553668

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arjun_Erigaisi

http://cassidynoble.com/

This week, we are looking at the president of the Chinese Chess Federation, someone who played Chinese Chess before pivoting to Western Chess at the age of 10, a Women’s World Champion, the first Asian Woman to earn the Grandmaster title, and someone who has influenced millions of people to start playing the game - Xie Jun. 

--

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Ne4  8. Qe2 Bf5 9. Be3 Qc8 10. Nd4 Bc5 11. f3 Bxd4 12. Bxd4 Ng5 13. Nc3 Ne6 14. g4  Bg6 15. f4 f5 16. exf6 O-O 17. f5 Re8 18. fxg6 gxf6 19. gxh7+ Kg7 20. Qf2 Kxh7  21. Be3 Ng7 22. Qf4 Re5 23. Ne4 Qe6 24. Nxf6+ 1-0

--

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2505563

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xie_Jun 

https://cassidynoble.com/ 

This week, we are looking at the longest reigning world champion in the history of the game. The 2nd World Champion, aiding in the handoff process from former to new champion, and a prolific author in not only chess, but also mathematics and philosophy - Emanuel Lasker. 

----

1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qe6 5. Nf3 Bd6 6. Bb5+ c6 7. Ba4 Ne7 8. O-O Nd7 9. Bb3 Nd5 10. d4 f6 11. dxe5 fxe5 12. Nxd5 cxd5 13. Bxd5 Bc5+ 14. Kh1 Qa6 15. fxe5 Nb6 16. Bb3 Bg4 17. Bg5 h6 18. Bf7+ Kxf7 19. Nh4+ Ke8 20. Qxg4 hxg5 21. Qe6+ Be7 22. Nf5 Nc8 23. Rad1 1-0

---

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1075869 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emanuel_Lasker 

http://cassidynoble.com/ 

One of the strongest playing women players in the history of the game, a gold medal Olympiad winner, a World Rapid Champion, a World Blitz Champion, a World Champion runner-up, and being willing to sacrifice her titles to make a point to make a change in the World - Anna Muzychuk has made and continue to make a lasting impact on the chess world that many aspire to today.

So that is all that we have for this week, tune in next time where we will continue to work on our blindfold skills and look at another game of the Masters! 

—-----------

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bg5 c6 5. Qd2 Bg7 6. Bh6 Bxh6 7. Qxh6 Nbd7 8. O-O-O Qa5 9. Nf3 b5 10. e5 dxe5 11. dxe5 Ng4 12. Qf4 b4 13. Bc4 Ndxe5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Nd5 f6 16. Nxf6+ exf6 17. Qxf6 Rf8 18. Qg7 Bd7 19. Rhe1 O-O-O 20. Rxe5 1-0
--------------

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1573672

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Muzychuk

http://cassidynoble.com/

This week, we are looking at another Indian superstar, an individual and team Olympiad medalist (and winner), a Candidates participant, a Fischer Random World Championship Quarterfinalist, a Biel Chess Festival winner, and a Grand Swiss winner - - Vidit Gujrathi. 

---

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 c5 8.O-O cxd4 9. exd4 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Qe2 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. Ne5 Ne7 14.Rad1 Rc8 15. Rd3 Ne4 16. Bh4 Qc7 17. Rh3 Nf5 18. Bd3 Nxc3 19. Qh5 h6 20.Bf6 Be4 21. Bxg7 Bxd3 22. Bxh6 Be2 23. Qg5+ 1-0

—

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2569156 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidit_Gujrathi

https://cassidynoble.com/ 

This week, we are looking at one of the youngest Grandmasters Masters in history, a European Rapid and Blitz champion, a World Blitz Champion, and a 3 time French Champion - Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. 

--
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf (B91)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Bg5 Be6 9. f4 exf4 10. Bxf4 Nc6 11. Qd2 O-O 12. O-O-O Ne5 13. Nd4 Bd7 14. Kb1 Rc8 15. h3 b5 16. a3 Qb6 17. g4 b4 18. axb4 Qxb4 19. g5 Rxc3 20. gxf6 Rb8 21. Nb3 Rxb3 22. cxb3 Qxe4+ 23. Ka1 Bxf6 24. Bg2 Nf3 25. Qe3 Qc2 0-1

–

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxime_Vachier-Lagraven 

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2013739 

 http://cassidynoble.com/ 

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode! It is puzzle time! These are some of my favorite episodes to record. 

I will be giving you the location of each piece that is on the board, and I will give you a little time to consider the solution and solve the puzzle before I present the solution. I highly recommend attempting the puzzles on your own before listening to the solution. 

This week, we will be looking at 3 different puzzles. I will give an easy one, a medium one, and a difficult one. 

Puzzle number 1: 

White has a King on f7

White has a Bishop on d4

White has a Bishop on f3

Black has a King on h6

You are playing white and it is white to move. 

On to puzzle number 2! 

 It is white to move in this game and you are playing white. 

White has a Rook on b3

White has a King on g2

White has a pawn on h2

Black has a pawn on g5 

Black has a pawn on g4

Black has a pawn on h5

Black has a King on h4

Puzzle 3: 

You are playing white and it is white to move.

White has a Bishop on b4

White has a King on d3

White has a Rook on g8 

Black has a Knight on d6

Black has a King on e5 

Black has a Bishop on b2

http://cassidynoble.com/

This week we are looking at a rising star. A 3-time US Women’s Chess Champion, the youngest female player to defeat a Grandmaster, the youngest American woman in history to earn the International Master title - all before the age of 22 - Carissa Yip.

—

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Ngf3 cxd4 6.Bc4 Qd7 7.O-O Nc6 8.Nb3 a6 9.Re1 Nf6 10.Nbxd4 Nxd4 11.Nxd4 Qc7 12.Qe2 Bd7 13.Bg5 O-O-O 14.Rad1 Bd6 15.Bxa6 Bb4 16.c3 Bd6 17.h3 bxa6 18.Qxa6+ Kb8 19.c4 Bc5 20.Rd3 Ba4 21.Qxa4 Rxd4 22.Rb3+ Bb6 23.Be3 Rd6 24.c5 Rc6 25.Bf4 1-0

—

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2768625 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carissa_Yip

http://cassidynoble.com/

This week, we are looking at the history of a 3 time World Blitz Champion, a 5 time World Champion Candidate, and who some have nicknamed as the ‘funniest’ or the ‘thug life’ Grandmaster - Alexander Grischuk. 

He never quite reached the pinnacle of the classical chess world. He qualified for multiple Candidates tournaments and World Championship tournaments, landing just short of the title on a couple occasions. 

But! He did win the World Blitz Champion on 3 different occasions, maintained a 2700+ rating for over 22 years, was the number 3 player in the world and spent a quarter of a century in the top 100 players in the world. 

So that is all that we have for this week, tune in next time where we will continue to work on our blindfold skills and look at another game of the Masters. 

–

1. b3 Nf6 2. Bb2 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 c5 5. e3 O-O 6. Ne2 d5 7. c4 d4 8. exd4 Ng4 9. Na3 Nc6 10. Nc2 cxd4 11. d3 Qa5+ 12. Kf1 Qf5 13. f4 Nb4 14. Nexd4 Qc5 15. Ba3 a5 16. h3 Qxd4 17. Nxd4 Ne3+ 18. Ke2 Nxd1 19. Raxd1 Bxd4 20. Rhe1 Rd8 21. Kd2 e6 22. Re2 Nxa2 0-1

–

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1669171 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Grischuk 

http://cassidynoble.com/