17 January 1971: Sergio Mariotti - Blindfold Simul, Bayswater Chess Club, London

Sergio Mariotti		8½-1½	Bayswater CC	Grade*
1	IM (Italy) FIDE 2450	½-½	Terry C Fox	2232
2		1-0	William A Linton	2120
3		1-0	Eric D Warren	1992
4		1-0	George Szaszvari	1880
5		1-0	Vernon Michael A Kirby	1720
6		0-1	Vaughn L Sigouin
7		1-0	Pierre Lunais
8		1-0	Simon Spivack
9		1-0	Robert Feather
10		1-0	Sandys V F Dickinson

* converted from BCF grades published in the September 1970 SCCU List - (BCF x 8) + 600 = Elo. Grades not discovered for the other five players.

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Text from Bayswater Chess, Vol.1, no.s 3-4, June-Sept 1971:

SERGIO MARIOTTI'S BLINDFOLD EXHIBITION

During his several months stay in London earlier this year, International Master Sergio Mariotti treated Bayswater Chess Club to a number of incredible simultaneous blindfold displays. Possibly the most impressive of these was an exhibition given on January 17th [1971] in which the Italian Maestro took on ten very capable Bayswater players, and within a couple of hours had chalked up an amazing 8½-1½ score. It is therefore this exhibition which we have chosen to feature for our readers.

Sergio's customary procedure was to sit himself down comfortably by the fire and commence the display by opening 1 e4 and 1 d4 alternatively on all the boards. Then in strict rotational order each opponent would make a move which, together with the appropriate board number, the teller would call out to Sergio who in turn would give a prompt reply, which was then executed on the relevant board. The teller passed from board to board repeating this sequence of question and answer, while the players themselves remained silent, contemplating and administering their moves.

It is interesting to compare that Alekhine preferred each and every one of the participants in an exhibition to call out their own moves as this helped him to recapture the mental image of that particular game; but Mariotti finds it simpler if one voice only is heard throughout.

Mariotti's miraculous memory is an essential ingredient of his phenomenal blindfold skill, a gift which has enabled him to reach a personal best of 15 boards in his home town of Florence last year. Nor is this memory reserved exclusively for chess; Sergio relates how, just a few days before examinations at school, he could read the relevant books and remember photographically all the necessary facts and figures; what he wants to remember he can remember. This memory is not obtained by any exertion or tension, it is effortless, just as the senses of sight and hearing.

Sergio also has this singular capacity for vivid imagination. Whilst giving his exhibitions he actually sees in his mind the various positions depicted with ghost chessmen on a board. Mariotti's chessteacher, Castaldi, maintained that if one dwelt too long on the mental chessboard picture that position would become clouded; this would explain why he is such a brilliant lightning blindfold player as well.

The capacity for concentration is yet another vital part of thesuccessful blindfold player's mental mosaic. Though Sergio has this quality to no mean degree he is one who puts forth his best efforts only when a sufficient incentive is present. Simultaneous blindfold is certainly a challenge with every move and he must work his brain at full power from beginning to end.

We live in an age of record breaking achievements and inevitably the question arises on how far quantitatively blindfold simultaneous can go. We have come a long way from Philidor's three board seance which had to be testified by witnesses - such was the supposed impossibility of such a feat in the 18th century! The present world champion of this highly specialised art is in fact Janos Flesch of Hungary who has achieved the astronomical number of 55 boards, thus surpassing not only the staggering 45 performed by Argentine Ace, Miguel Najdorf, but also breaking his own world record of 52 performed in the early sixties. The unquestionable mental strain which accompanies such gigantic exhibitions is self-evident and it comes as no surprise to learn that Flesch had to spend some considerable time afterwards recuperating and recovering his composure. Najdorf's comment after his own mighty effort reveals all - "I'll never do it again..... except for 10,000 dollars!" We do not know whether Sergio has the inclination to better his best and chase the magic number 55, or whether his fascination for this imagery world will diminish with the years, but he certainly has given all of us at Bayswater who witnessed his friendly showman-like performance, something spectacular, which we need no photographic memory to remember.

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File Updated

Date	Notes
14 November 2025	First uploaded to BritBase: all 10 games from Sergio Mariotti's blindfold simul, which were published in Bayswater Chess, Vol.1, no.s 3-4, June-September 1971. Thanks to Richard James for providing the bulletin and Steve Giddins for inputting the games.