Fifteen Colorado chess players sat across from empty chairs Saturday, some for more than five hours. Their opponent, however, was wearing a blindfold in a corner of the bakery.

Playing entirely by memory, world-renowned chess grandmaster Timur Gareev defeated some of the state’s best — who also had the advantage of sight. A small crowd huddled around the entourage and game boards to watch one of Gareev’s training pit stops, the latest in his quest toward 50 simultaneous games.

“They’re not the biggest that I could do, but they’re the best for my practice and sharing my passion for blindfold chess,” Gareev said of the 10- to 20-person matches he arranges across the country.

Young players poked Gareev’s arms, and veterans of the game extended their hands when they asked for his autograph in the Corner Bakery Cafe on Denver’s 16th Street Mall.

“He’s like a Justin Bieber to us,” said Brian Wall, a chess veteran.

Brad Lundstrom, vice president of the Colorado State Chess Association, and other organizers of this rare style of play called out coordinates of players’ moves, which Gareev quietly contemplated before responding with his own move’s coordinates.

His opponents included youngsters, including 7-year-old Pristine Cyril and her 8-year-old brother, Rahul Ghosh, who have done well in competitions through their Fort Collins club, Chess Mates.

“I like beating people up,” Pristine said of why she enjoys chess. “But mostly what I like to do is just play.”

Gareev, 25, became a grandmaster when he was 16. He asked his opponents to tell him their name and what their corner of Colorado is known for — in case he ever visits. Gareev, a native of Uzbekistan who lives in California, had never been to Colorado and reached out to Wall to organize the trip here.

“I was interested to get to know the city,” he said. “I wanted to experience Colorado.”

Working toward beating the world record of 46 simultaneous games, Gareev adds two or three opponents to each of his large matches. He played 35 people at once in September, 33 in May and 27 in December.

Alison Noon: 303-954-1223, anoon@denverpost.com