Monday
Nov282011
FM Marc Lang Sets A New Blindfold Simultaneous Record
Monday, November 28, 2011 at 2:23PM 46 games! The story doesn't have the poignancy of Miguel Najdorf's record of 45 games, set in 1947 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but it's a tremendous feat all the same. More details and a brief video clip here; much more on the official site.
Reader Comments (3)
That's... pretty good. :)
Marc Lang about memorizing the games
(more or less translated with google from here.
I only made some small changes where the automatic translator produced absolute nonsense)
"I will of course often asked how it is possible to memorize such a large number of simultaneous chess games. So often that I actually could have a particularly clever answer in store. The only problem is I do not have, because I have not the faintest idea how my brain is doing what, and I deny any active complicity in the memory process. It, rather, that I often occurs only as an observer, especially with increasing number of opponents.
In the beginning was the fog
The initial phase of a blind simultaneous exhibition is by far the most difficult and if the single player manages to come through it without damage, he has already more than half the rent lowered (say the so-Sounds kind of stupid - who will have traveled a hiring rather perhaps harvest? But ... well, let's drop). The problem is clear: In the beginning, all boards have the same basic position, and even if one is very variable, it will be impossible with 20 + simultaneous games, to reach fundamentally different positions after, let's say five moves. Many of the games run the same or what is almost worse, similar. A Spanish Opening with the train a7-a6, one omitted in the opponent on the supposedly inconspicuous Randbauernzug. A Queen's Gambit, after the black knight to d7 and the pawn is on c6, while another opponent waives the pawn move and positioned instead of the knight on the field. Small things with which we of course have to be clearly understood if you want to play blind to many opponents. But in the phase up to move 10, the boards are not "locked", many positions are still "clouded" and you have to replay the games often again from scratch in the head in order to reproduce the current state. And just little things like this to the question: "Has he now moved the pawn or others in the game?" or "Has he castled or does he just look as if he had?" besides the ubiquitous throughout the event master question "And what the hell am I doing here?" an early stage may lead to confusion and even loss of positions.
Parallel Worlds
The makers of movies, crack in which a supercomputer for a long code number digit by digit (usually the key for the nuclear arsenal of the United States or a bike lock at the station) could have gained their inspiration from the opening phase of a blind simultaneous exhibition, because there it is, if somewhat abstract, from the same. Gradually, the number of positions that have been stored permanently, without having to understand the entire game every time a train off course, steadily. At the same time begins a second "level" building that will soon exist for the rest of the event as a "parallel world". A kind of "side room" where are the chessboards on which the games are played. Between this "room" and the "reality", when all boards are there (they are saved ultimately), I can switch back and forth without losing concentration, ideally at any time during the blind simultaneous exhibition. This has the advantage that I'm fairly insensitive to noise and other disturbances - mostly these are caused by myself anyway, because I think even during something as serious as a supposedly blind Simultaneous my foolish mouth can not :-).
It does not bother me, during a presentation to be addressed by an opponent or the audience out - on the contrary, I am always happy to such time-outs, in which case I leave very shortly, the "Game Room" and then return to it. The boards have not run away.
The advantage of this type of handling is obvious, it saves a lot of energy and concentration, which is increasingly important for the longer simultaneous. In addition, after the event I can not be simultaneously pursued by the "ghosts of games", like many others have reported. Najdorf after his world record in 1947 found no sleep for three days and have taken weeks to get the games out of his head. The depth of his concentration during the record must have been phenomenal and it shows also the great games he has played.
But the "two-room model" also has a disadvantage - because the focus is not permanent, so the access to the games often leads to superficial game and my style is more like a kind of "ball-in hold-game" as a sophisticated plan."
Marc Lang is actually answering questions on the comment section at the bottom of the page (first link to chessvibes).
In plain english ;-)