Here on chess.com we're blessed with a wonderful feature - we have the ability to pick up our laptops and turn them the other way up - enabling us to see what the board looks like from our opponents' point of view.

But what I'd like to know is what strategies people use when playing real life chess to see the board as the foe sees it. Personally, I am a great fan of getting up from my seat and strolling round the other side of the table and peering over the shoulder of the one opposite, while muttering to myself under my garlic-laden breath about the possibilities of the imminent collapse of their pawn structure.

I've often thought about the idea of building a rotating table to play on, but I fear this may have terrible consequences if spun too fast...

So, if any has any suggestions to this thorniest of questions, I'd love to hear them! 

That is a great feature. It is amazing that rotating the board can be so helpful; you see tactical ideas in a different way somehow. Personally, I couldn't be without the Analysis Board.

i'ver never even thought of looking at the board from my opponent's POV.  cool idea.

Actually, I try to never look at it from either POV and instead go more holistic and attempt to see the entire position regardless of what side I am playing, sort of like a true spectator trying to figure out "what is really going on."

I would think that developing visualization skills such as really knowing all the squares to be able to play blindfold chess will help one visualize the board from any positon, their own, an opponents, or a kibitzer.

Sincerely,

richie_and_oprah

PS. I do not ever use the analysis board.  I feel it hurts my ability to "see" in my own head and calculate.  I liken it to being in the woods at night and just as one's eyes adjust to the darkness and can actually see, someone shines a lantern.

I am with you on this, and I feel that needing to be able to rotate the board to understand my opponents perspective could just as easily become a similar crutch. 

please tell me you're having a laugh and that you don't physically turn the laptop around as opposed to going to the analysis board and clicking the radio button to flip the board :-)

I do this occasionally, and OTB I sometimes go over to the opponent's side and look at the position, but very rarely and only if he/she isn't actually sitting there as otherwise it would be distracting for them.  I hate people looking over my shoulder...

This is particularly bad form if you're playing cards.... 

Yes, but since I benefit from it along with my vacation time, I do it anyway. 

Grobe, that explains why I got thrown out of Bellagio...

I use a medium to get the view from the other side.

She's not very good though but not entirely piss-poor I would say she was a medium medium.

I didn't know that someone has actually managed to come back from the other side....was it Houdini ?