AFebruary 23 1862
The Era, London, Greater London, England, Sunday, February 23, 1862
In accordance with our promise given last week, we present our readers with two of the Blindfold Games played by Mr. Blackburne, at Manchester. It will be seen from these that Mr B. is not only a player of extraordinary memory, but that he is also a player of no ordinary skill. We predict for him a successful career.
Joseph Henry Blackburne vs Gottfried Tegeler
Blindfold simul, 10b (1862) (blindfold), Manchester ENG, Feb-08
Spanish Game: Berlin Defense. Improved Steinitz Defense (C66) 1-0
(a) A bad move; it shuts in the K's B, and considerably retards the development of Black's forces.
(b) The best move that could have been adopted, it maintains the advantage.
(c) Played with great judgment; in fact, the only move to render Black's array of Pawns completely harmless.
Joseph Henry Blackburne vs John Brown Payne
Blindfold simul, 10b (1862) (blindfold), Manchester ENG, Feb-08
Scotch Game: Haxo Gambit (C45) 1-0
May 03 1862
Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, Saturday, May 03, 1862
Blindfold Chess.—A grand blindfold chess entertainment took place on Saturday at Kaye's News Rooms, Brown-street, Mr. J. H. Blackburne, of this city, playing ten games simultaneously, without sight of either boards or men, with the following gentlemen, in the order named:-Messrs. Kyllman, Fleming, Danziger, Hamilton, Thomson, Lewis, M'Clelland, Butterfield, Lomax, and Hamel. Mr. Blackburne lost No. 1 and No. 10 boards, drew No. 2, and won the remaining seven. This was a great feat for so young a player. The majority of the games displayed very fine combinations, and terminated with much brilliancy. No. 3 board resigned at half-past six o'clock, No. 7 following suit about a quarter of an hour after, having fallen into a splendid trap laid by Mr. Blackburne, which gained him great applause from the spectators. Shortly after, No. 5 board lost all hope of saving the game, and, about eight o'clock, Mr. Blackburne announced mate at No. 6 board in two moves. The last game was concluded about nine o'clock, after being continued up to the sixty-second move, Mr. Blackburne winning. At the close of the entertainment, which extended over seven hours, and gave universal satisfaction, Mr. Blackburne, still blindfolded, worked the problem of the “Knight's leap” over the sixty-four squares of the chess board.
June 29 1862
The Era, London, Greater London, England, Sunday, June 29, 1862
Chess Edited by Herr Loewenthal.
Again, we have in England Anderssen, the winner of 1851; we cannot pass too high commendation upon this magnanimous veteran for the chivalrous manner in which he exposes his laurels to danger. Paulsen, the American, is by this time pretty well known to English Amateurs as well by the precision and learning of his play over the board as by his transcendent skill when blindfold. We have not space to dwell in detail upon the styles of all the players who take part in this international contest; we must, therefore, content ourselves with making a flying remark or so respecting those who are the greatest strangers to London, Signor Dubois and Mr. Blackburne. The arrival of the Signor has been anxiously expected on account of both his reputation for ripe scholarship and the resemblance which his style in Chess is supposed to bear, to that of the Russian master, Petroff. Mr. Blackburne is a young player of considerable genius with a special facility for blindfold play. Perhaps the most interesting event of the Meeting will be the blindfold effort which will be made by Messrs. Paulsen and Blackburne during its course. If in this department of Chess the young English Amateur comes only near the American, we can but say of him that he is a star of the first magnitude.
July 04 1862
The Free Press and Midland Express, Coventry, West Midlands, England, Friday, July 04, 1862
Grand Chess Congress and Tournament.
…the main features of the proceedings being the play in the tournaments between the most formidable champions from Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Hungary, Germany, and Italy for prizes of considerable value; a match by telegraph between London and Paris; and, wonder of wonders to the uninitiated, an exhibition of blindfold play, in which Mr. Blackburne, a young Englishman, and Herr Paulsen, a Dane, will each play ten or more games simultaneously without sight of boards or men. A performance of this kind will be as wonderful as anything we can imagine in the way of mental calculation, and will present to the philosopher a psychological problem of no ordinary interest. Mr. Paulsen plays on Wednesday and Mr. Blackburne on Friday, while the telegraph match is expected to take place on Thursday. The friendly competition between the best players of France and England, who have always been on terms of the best fellowship, will harmonize with the great and generous rivalry in the arts of the two nations illustrated in the International Exhibition.—Times.
July 05 1862
Daily News, London, Greater London, England, Saturday, July 05, 1862
THE INTERNATIONAL CHESS CONGRESS.
Yesterday, the fifth day of these public performances at St. James's-hall, was one of the most interesting of the series. Great curiosity and sympathy were excited among our own countrymen towards Mr. Blackburne, who had undertaken a similar task to that which Herr Paulsen performed on Wednesday so successfully, namely, playing blindfolded against ten different players simultaneously. Mr. Blackburne is quite a young man, who, until a comparatively recent date, was altogether unacquainted with chess. He has, however, obtained already a considerable reputation, especially at Manchester, where he last year played a similar blindfold match most successfully, and he is likely to prove himself competent, ere long, to raise the character of British chess-players among our continental neighbors. He is not yet fully able to hold his own against their veteran professionals, as is proved by his play in the grand tournament now daily proceeding, and in which he has not only lost to Anderssen, who has conquered in almost every instance, but he has also been beaten by Mr. Deacon, Mr. Hannah, Rev. Mr. M'Donnel, and Mr. Robey. But as if in some slight way to compensate him for this ill-success fickle Dame Fortune smiled upon his efforts in his game with the Rev. J. Owen (the only gentleman who in this contest has as yet triumphed over Anderssen), whom he vanquished rather easily, as also Herr Steinitz, one of the most accomplished players of the time. Mr. Blackburne's blindfold match yesterday was against the ten following gentlemen:
1. Lord Ravensworth.
2. H. T. Young, Esq.
3. W. J. Evelyn, Esq.
4. A. S. Pigott, Esq.
5. H. B. Parminter, Esq.
6. Walter Chinnery, Esq.
7. J. F. Gillam, Esq.
8. Rimington Wilson, Esq.
9. A. G. Howard, Esq.
10. A. G. Puller, Esq.
The match commenced about a quarter-past one, and was carried on with untiring energy, under the observation of a large number of persons who were assembled to note its progress. About seven o'clock Mr. Pigott, against whom Mr. Blackburne had played the king's gambit, resigned, after a clever struggle. Half an hour afterwards Mr. Young, who had adopted Philidor's defence, was allowed to draw, as was also subsequently Lord Ravensworth, against whom Mr. Blackburne had tried the Sicilian opening. About haul-past nine Mr. Evelyn resigned, and the match was continued for some time after without decisive results. Eventually Mr. Rimington Wilson's game was drawn. Mr. Parminter and Mr. Gillam won. Mr. A. G. Howard and Mr. Puller resigned. These are results which, coupled with the manner in which they were brought about, will do much to establish Mr. Blackburne's reputation as the most promising of young English chess players. It should be mentioned that Mr. Blackburne is infinitely more expeditious in his blindfold play than Herr Paulsen, and that he exhibited much acuteness in some of his calculations. For instance, in one game the moves had not been made upon the board as they should have been, but the mistake was not discovered until a move was notified to Mr. Blackburne which did not correspond with his calculations, and he immediately said that it was impossible, for that the piece named was not upon the square mentioned. Upon reference to the written score he was shown to be right, and the error was corrected.
July 10 1862
Bath Weekly Chronicle and Herald, Bath, Avon, England, Thursday, July 10, 1862
International Chess Congress.—The Chess Congress commenced its public sittings on Monday week in St. James's Hall, when not less than two hundred of the most distinguished chess players were assembled together from all parts of the world. Besides other matches, there were two grand tournaments, one for £100, with smaller prizes; and another, a handicap for £60, and smaller amounts. The chief attraction of Monday's proceedings was the game between Herr Andersen and Mr. Paulsen, the American player. The game terminated in favour of Herr Andersen. On Tuesday Mr. Paulsen commenced his task of playing ten games simultaneously and blindfolded. The ten antagonists of Mr. Paulsen were Sir John Blunden, Mr. J. Heathcote, M.P., Mr. J. Heathcote, jun., Mr. A. G. Puller, Rev. D. Salter, Mr. C. Pearson, Captain Kennedy, Chevalier de St. Bon, Mr. G. Maude, and Mr. H. T. Princep. Mr. Paulsen was seated with his face to the wall, at a short distance from his antagonists, and remained almost motionless throughout the whole of the play. The drawn game between the Rev. J. Owen and A. Mongredien, Esq., lasted through the best part of the day, and excited much interest, as Mr. Owen is the only English player in the present tournament who has been fortunate enough to triumph over the redoubtable Andersen, and Mr. Mongredien is the president of the London Chess Club. The most prominent part of the proceedings, however, was the consultation game played between Herr Andersen and Herr Paulsen on one part, and Herr Lowenthal and Captain Kennedy upon the other, which, after a fair struggle, was won by the two former. Up to the 20th move, the advantage seemed to be with Lowenthal and Kennedy, but they lost their position by an oversight, which spoiled an admirably combined battle, and afforded to their adversaries a complete victory. The proceedings on Friday were of a highly interesting character, and throughout the day St. James's Hall was thronged by a numerous assembly of distinguished chess-players. Mr. Blackburne, a young gentleman who has only within a recent period learnt the game, undertook the task of playing ten games simultaneously and blindfold. In this task he was completely successful, not only rivalling Herr Paulsen in that difficult feat, but surpassing him both in rapidity and precision. Of the ten games played on Saturday he won five, drew three and lost two. In this match he has firmly established his reputation, and the chess-playing world now regard Mr. Blackburne as the rising hope of chess playing England. The score stood as follows:-Blackburne drew with Lord Ravensworth, drew with Mr Young, won of Mr. Evelyn, won of Mr. Pigott, lost to Mr. Parminter, won of Mr. Chinnery, lost to Mr. Gillam, drew with Mr. Wilson, won of Mr. Howard, won of Mr. Puller. The grand tournament was also advanced by three extremely interesting games. Herr Andersen won of Signor Dubois, Mr. Paulsen won of Mr. Barnes and Mr. Macdonnell won of Mr. Owen. The latter was a very severe struggle, but the most brilliant game was that between Andersen and Dubois, which lasted little more than an hour, was finished at the 25th move, and elicited all the skill of the two greatest players of Germany and Italy. The score in the grand tournament stands as follows:— Andersen has won 11 games and lost 1; Barnes, won 3, lost 5; Blackburne, won 3, lost 5; Deacon, won 2, lost 4; Dubois, won 1, lost 1; Green lost 6; Hannah, won 4, lost 3; Lowenthal, won 4; Macdonnell, won 7, lost 6; Mongredien, won 1, lost 5; Owen, won 5, lost 3; Paulsen, won 4, lost 1; Robey, won 2, lost 7; Steinitz, won 2, lost 3. The sittings of the Congress will probably extend through the present month. The public sittings terminated last week, the remainder of the sittings taking place at the different clubs in London. On Saturday the Congress formed itself into a deliberative body for the purpose of revising the laws of chess, and establishing an authoritative code that shall be accepted by all the chess playing nations.
November 24 1862
Belfast News-Letter, Belfast, Antrim, Northern Ireland, Monday, November 24, 1862
Chess.—The remarkable feat of playing ten games of chess blindfold was finished by Mr. Blackburne on Thursday, at the Manchester Chess Club-rooms. The score at the last stood thus:—Mr. Blackburne won five, lost three, and two were drawn. … Before commencing the play yesterday, Mr. Blackburne played over, from memory, every game from the opening to the point of adjournment. - North Mail, Newcastle Daily Chronicle (11/22/1862)
December 09 1862
The Bury and Norwich Post, Bury, Suffolk, England, Tuesday, December 09, 1862
Blindfold Chess-playing. On Wednesday evening last Mr. J. H. Blackburne (of Manchester) displayed his marvelous power by playing ten games of chess simultaneously, without sight of board or men, and there was a very strong muster of chess amateurs of the neighborhood, at the Rampant Horse Hotel, to witness this gentleman's performance. Mr. Blackburne apparently labored under a little difficulty at the commencement, but as the games advanced his accuracy in recording each move was surprising, and at the end of the play (which terminated at two in the morning) the score stood as follows:—Mr. Blackburne won two games, lost three, and five were drawn—a result most satisfactory to the blindfold player, and also highly creditable to the members of the Norwich club, considering that in a similar encounter at the Manchester club Mr. Blackburne managed to score six games.
