[Event "White plays blindfold"]
[Site "Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo, Texas"]
[Date "1972.08.29"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Tim Thompson (1600)"]
[Black "Robert Welenc (UR)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "55"]
{This game was played in the student dormitories at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo Texas, where Welenc (pronounced "well-enss") and I were both students at the USAF School of Applied Cryptological Sciences, which so far as I know, no longer exists. He fancied himself to be rather better then he really was, which was a common thing back in the "Fischer boom" days. I knew better and, perhaps rashly, told him I was so much better than he was that I could beat him without even looking at the board. He immediately took me up on that, and this game is the result. White plays "blindfold" all the way, no sight of the board at any time, while Black is looking at the board in normal fashion. There is no clock on the game. My USCF rating at the time was about 1600. This was my first "blindfold" game.}
1. d4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. Nc3 Nd7 $2 {Black can see, but is first to blunder. A
common main line is 3... dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 (4... Nd7; 4... Nf6) 5. Ng3 Bg6
and you can look up the rest in the Caro Kann Defence.} 4. exd5 e5 $2 {Just
giving up the pawn is a far better idea 4... cxd5 5. Nxd5 Ngf6} 5. dxe6 $18
{Now Black's position is in shambles and surely White has a winning advantage.}
5... fxe6 6. Bc4 Nb6 7. Bb3 Nh6 $2 8. Bxh6 {Trading off my dark squared Bishop,
but in return his King is flushed out of its home square early in the game. An
altogether favorable trade for White..} 8... gxh6 9. Qh5+ Ke7 10. Rd1 {White
contemplates d4-d5 in conjunction with the Queen retreat that follows.} 10...
Bd7 11. Qe2 Ke8 $2 {11... Rg8 12. d5 Nxd5 13. Bxd5 cxd5 14. Nxd5+ $18, but
black could try for 11... Bg7 12. d5 $6 (12. Nf3 $18) 12... Bxc3+ 13. bxc3
cxd5 14. Bxd5 Nxd5 15. Rxd5 Qb6 16. Rd1 which is becoming unclear. But now he
just gives up another pawn, as if he didn't have enough trouble already.} 12.
Bxe6 Nc8 13. Bxd7+ {13. Bg8+ Be7 $4 (13... Qe7 14. Qxe7+ Bxe7 15. Bb3 $18) 14.
Qh5+ Kf8 15. Qf7#} 13... Kxd7 14. d5 {Brings the Rook on d1 into play against
the Black King. 14. Qg4+ Kc7 15. Qf4+ Kb6 does not accomplish much for
White.} 14... Bc5 {14... Kc7 15. dxc6 Qg5 16. Rd7+ Kxc6 (16... Kb8 $4 17.
Rxb7#) 17. Qe6+ Bd6 18. Nf3 Qxg2 19. Nd4+ Kc5 20. b4+ Kxb4 21. Qb3+ Kc5 22.
Ne6+ Kc6 23. Qxb7#; 14... Qg5 15. Qe6+ Kc7 16. dxc6 Qxg2 17. Rd7+ Kb6 18. cxb7+
Kc5 19. b4+ Kxb4 20. Qb3+ Kc5 21. Qb5#} 15. dxc6+ Kxc6 16. Rxd8 Rxd8 17. Nf3
{White's material advantage is now big enough to make it easy. Black's only
hope is that White might blunder without sight of the board. But so far White
has played a credible game despite not seeing the board.} 17... Nd6 18. O-O
{It's time to get the KR into the game, and besides, Black threatened to pin
with Re8, just the kind of blunder a blindfold player might make.} 18... Re8
19. Qd3 Nf5 $4 {Drops yet another piece. 19... Rad8 20. Qd5+ Kb6 21. Na4+
$18; it seems that 19... Bb6 20. Qd5+ Kc7 $18 is Black's best chance.} 20. Qb5+ {Already
ahead by a significant amount in material, White eschews the free Knight and
initiates a King hunt that ends in checkmate.} 20... Kd6 21. Rd1+ Bd4 22. Nxd4
Nxd4 23. Rxd4+ Ke6 24. Re4+ Kf7 25. Qh5+ Kf8 26. Qf5+ Kg8 27. Rg4+ Kh8 28. Qf6#
1-0 Considering that White played blindfold throughout the game, it certainly
seems that he did a credible job, avoiding distractions and major blunders.
It's hard to see where White could have improved his play by looking at the
board.
