"And on one occasion at Purssell’s about 1867, in a dispute between us, he struck with his full fist into my eye, which he blackened and might have knocked out. And though he is a powerful man of very nearly twice my size, who might have killed me with a few such strokes, I am proud to say that I had the courage of attempting to spit into his face, and only wish I had succeeded, Dreckseele. And on the second occasion, in Paris, we occupied adjoining rooms at the same hotel, and I was already in bed undressed when he came home drunk and began to quarrel, and after a few words he pounced upon me and hammered at my face and eyes with fullest force about a dozen blows, until the bedcloth and my nightshirt were covered with blood. But at last I had the good fortune to release myself from his drunken grip, and I broke the window pane with his head, which sobered him down a little. And you know well enough too, Dreckseele, if any confirmation of anything I say were needed, that the same heroic Blackburne performed a similar act of bravery on a sickly young man, Mr Israel, who died some years afterward, and whom he publicly gave a black eye at Purssell’s during his first match with Gunsberg. And you also know, Dreckseele, that this gallant Blackburne struck in a similar manner, publicly, in the City of London Chess Club, the secretary, Mr Walker, as nice a little gentleman as I ever met, who was even a head and shoulder shorter in stature than myself, and who has also, I am sorry to learn, died since. And I may tell you, moreover, Dreckseele, that this brave Blackburne, whose blackguardly fisticuff performances you want to glorify at my expense, has never to my knowledge struck a man of his own size, unless it were in the case of an assault on board ship, during his journey to Australia, for which he was fined £10 at the police court, on his landing in Melbourne."

Blackburne played the game blindfold and "bonzai" is the Japanese art of growing small trees and plants.

What I did not know until reading <WMD>'s post above, is that Blackburn also was known for physically attacking people.

Kramnik vs Korchnoi, 1994

and

click for larger view

Analysis by Houdini 4 Pro w32: d 21 dpa done

<1. - / + (-1.39): 10...Nf6> 11.Qd1 h6 12.fxe5 d3+ 13.Rf2 dxe5 14.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 15.Kxf2 Rf8 16.Qxd3 Be6 17.Nd6+ cxd6 18.Kg1 0-0-0 19.Be3 Kb8 20.Nc3 g5 21.Rf1 Nd7 22.Rxf8 Nxf8 23.Nd5 Bxd5 24.Bxd5 Ne6 25.Qa3 a6 26.Qb3 Nf4 27.Bc4 Kc8 28.Qb4 Rf8 29.a3 Qc7 30.Bb6

<1. = (-0.15): 6.0-0> 0-0 7.c3 d6 8.h3 a6 9.Nf3 Qf6 10.Kh1 Bb6 11.Bd5 Be6 12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.cxd4 Qg6 14.Nc3 f5 15.Re1 fxe4 16.Rxe4 Nf5 17.Rg4 Qf6 18.d5 cxd5 19.Nxd5

<1. = (0.03): 5.c3> Nf6 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nbd2 Bxd2+ 8.Bxd2 Nxe4 9.d5 Ne7 10.Bf4 Ng6 11.Be3 0-0 12.Qc2 Nf6 13.0-0 d6 14.Rac1 b6 15.Rfe1 h6 16.Bb3 Bb7 17.Qxc7 Qxc7 18.Rxc7 Bxd5 19.Bxd5 Nxd5 20.Rd7 Nxe3 21.Rxe3

Pillsbury vs T Lyman, 1899