Grandmaster to Attempt 135 Year-Old Blindfold Irish Record
On July 16th, Ireland's highest-ranking chess player, Grandmaster Alexander Baburin, will attempt to set an Irish record when he plays 16 of the countrys best chess players at the same time blind. For all 16 games the Dublin-based Russian native will have no sight of any of the boards he is playing on and will rely solely on his memory to make his moves.
This remarkable feat of brain power and memory will appeal to anyone with an interest in chess or how the brain works. Baburin will have to remember the position of every piece on every board and beat at least 12 of his 16 opponents to successfully win the match. His opponents will be selected from across the spectrum of Irish chess players and will have an average rating of 1500, the strength of an average club player in Ireland.
Sponsored by leading law firm Arthur Cox, the event is a re-enactment of a similar match that took place in Dublin 135 years ago when the worlds best player Johannes Zukertort visited Dublin and played 12 people, including Winston Churchills father Lord Randolph Churchill MP. This event was a spectacular novelty for Dublin at the time garnering significant media interest. As a nod to that historic encounter, participants of this years event will be wearing formal evening wear and ball gowns as the players would have worn in 1879.
According to Jonathan O'Connor of The Dublin Chess Club: Chess may suffer from a public perception that it is an elitist game but there are over 1,000 people in Ireland registered as members of the Irish Chess Union. These members range in age from 5 to 90, both male and female, coming from all walks of life with a hundred chess clubs throughout Ireland. We hope that this event will raise the profile of the game in Ireland and encourage people to play the game, or indeed, join a local chess club.
Playing chess is said to have many benefits for the brain and there have been several studies suggesting benefits such as raising IQ, improving memory, and improving problem-solving skills and concentration. Several well-known celebrities such as Boris Becker, Bob Dylan, Bill Gates and Stephen Fry are known to play the game. U2s Bono has written passionately about his memories of playing chess as a child, the club in Phibsoro where he and his friend played against adults and his absolute delight at meeting Garry Kasparov in Dublin this year. President Michael D. Higgins is patron of the Irish Chess Union.
Starting at 5pm in the Poddle room in the Printworks, at Dublin Castle, many of the record-attempting games will be streamed online at www.icu.ie, and there will be live analysis by chess masters to explain the finer details of game to the audience. All the games will be finished by 11pm.
If you are interested in attending or participating, please contact Jonathan O'Connor (details below). The event is free to the public. There is no dress code, although there will be prizes for the best dressed lady and gentleman.
Grandmaster Baburin has kindly offered to make himself available for interviews over the coming weeks please contact us below if you are interested.
For further information, please read the full article here, look at this video, or contact , The Dublin Chess Club, 086 824 9736.