Fog of War Made Me a Better Classical Player

'll admit it—I'm kind of hooked on Fog of War chess. There’s something strangely thrilling about playing half-blind, relying on your instincts, memory, and a good dose of paranoia.

At first, it felt like a fun side mode, but over time I realized something surprising: Fog chess was actually improving my classical chess, too.

One of the biggest changes? How I use my knights. In Fog of War, knights are your scouts—they jump over blocked paths and "see" through the fog in unexpected ways. I started using them more creatively, more proactively, and that habit carried over to my regular games. I began finding better forks, defending more accurately, and thinking more flexibly.

Even my blindfold skills improved. You can’t see half the board in Fog chess, so you’re forced to visualize positions. Without realizing it, I was building up the same muscle that blindfold players train on purpose.

There’s just one downside: right now, you can’t create Fog of War tournaments on Chess.com. I think that’s a bit of a missed opportunity. The game mode has its own dynamics and deserves a proper tournament setting. Hopefully that changes someday. For now, I’ll keep playing in the fog — it’s fun, and it’s making me better. Simple as that.