GM Gareev Training to Break Blindfold World Record on Chess.com!
Starting on January 16, 2013, Grandmaster Timur Gareev will compete against Chess.com members in a unique bi-weekly event: He will attempt to break the world record for total number of boards played in a Blindfold Simultaneous match at the end of the calendar year, and he will use our Live Chess server as the arena to prepare himself!
To help him achieve this amazing goal, Chess.com has developed an invisible chess set, which we are releasing for use by ALL members in Live Chess within the week! In "Blindfold Mode," Timur will be able to view only the move lists of each game: He will have no visual indication of the pieces on the board.
To complete a move, he will have to click the square of the piece he intends to move, and then click the target square. The time controls for the simul are rapid: 25 minutes, with a 30-second increment - and not being able to see the pieces will increase the level of difficulty tenfold (ten games each simul)!
On game day, Timur will open up for challenges at 2:00pm Pacific, 5:00pm Eastern - and members will have an opportunity to compete against him on a first-come / first-served basis. (Unlike Timur, these lucky members will, of course, be able to see all the pieces during their game!)
Chess.com will have live coverage of the first event on Chess.com/tv - with commentary by IM Daniel Rensch, as well as pre- and post-match interviews with GM Gareev. Though the format of each bi-weekly simul is still a "work in progress", Chess.com intends to have live webcam footage of Timur as he plays each Simul on Chess.com/tv. The first four dates have already been set and can be found on the Chess.com/tv schedule page!
In addition to actually playing the simul, Grandmaster Gareev will offer a "video lecture recap" of each exhibition match, reviewing the games to highlight the critical and instructional moments for our members.
Danny Rensch is an international master and Chief Chess Officer at Chess.com. After a successful scholastic chess career, Danny joined Chess.com as a co-founder in 2009. He directs the company's content, media partnerships, and professional chess events. Danny is an accomplished commentator and broadcaster, which he used to establish Chess.com's streaming and creator programs. He has channeled his lifelong passion for playing and teaching chess to advance Chess.com's mission of growing the game and helping people enjoy their lives through chess. With over 200 million registered users, Chess.com is the leading platform for playing and learning chess.
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Company Address: P.O. Box 60400 Palo Alto, CA 94306
Company Phone: 1 (800) 318-2827
Read “Dark Squares,” Danny’s Highly Anticipated Memoir
Danny Rensch has released his highly anticipated memoir on September 16, 2025. Described as Educated meets The Queen’s Gambit, this powerful and deeply personal book dives into his upbringing in an abusive cult and how chess ended up saving his life.
