Calling All BLINDFOLD PLAYERS

Recently I've become more and more obsessed with learning to play blind chess. I'm currently at a mediocre rating and I think I'm in need of an entire paradigm shift about how I conceptualize chessmen in play.

Many people at my level play a sort of superficial chess, like making moves that they "feel " "look right'". This is the wrong way to play; As opposed to this, I've observed that good chess players give concrete reasons for their moves and have advanced understandings of:

1.) Position: every square currently occupied by a piece, and the influence those pieces exert over every other square on the board now.

and

2) Calculation: The transformation of current board relationships to create or avoid threats.

The first problem many, like me, have is that we can't wrap our heads around position yet. Though it may come easy to some, I have a difficult time simultaneously conceptualizing every square that the queens, rooks, knights, bishops, and pawns cover (That's why I drop my queen sometimes )...Let alone the hundreds of spots they could cover in any number of variations from the current position. I've realized that many people are trying to learn calculation when they haven't even learned position yet. What they are left with is extremely uninspiring chess.

“I don’t have to look at the board. If you don’t know where the pieces stand, you’re not a chess-player.” - Russian Grandmaster Peter Svidler  

One wall I've ran into while trying to gain a conceptualization of chess position, is the constant distraction of vision and "visualization". I keep trying to imagine a chess board, with every piece on it, and where those pieces can move. I think the reason that concept has utterly failed, is because understanding chess in terms of vision is itself flawed and quite frankly inefficient. (e.g.. having to sort through tens of variations on a single mental chess board, where pieces have to move about at a certain speed which may be slower than you can think....also the fact that pieces exert control over some of the same squares, which makes for a visually chaotic representation) To be honest, I can't even imagine a blank chessboard, let alone one with every piece on it.

That said I haven't been able to come up with an alternative to the visual method...Though its probably going to sound abstract, I hope anyone with a good understanding of chess position and calculation will give their input.

Edit: I've realized that my ideas about blindfold were a bit off perhaps. for instance I doubt anyone who visualizes during blindfold is sorting through tons of variations on that mental board. Because they have already developed an understanding of chess they can simply use intuition which is basically subconscious concrete reasoning.  Still I think practicing blindfold chess is a good way to keep a solid structure in your mind, which may prevent blunders and improve play.

I play blindfold.

I wouldn't actually recommend trying to learn blindfold chess. It just comes with strength.

You can start practicing with an empty board. Somewhat easier...

at this point I can play ok until piece start coming off...I remember where everything is by thinking about which pieces stand next to which so when the pieces come off its too much blank space.

But, I'm improving

In my own experience learning the board by heart (coordinates, color of the square, listing squares that form diagonals etc...) helps you a lot with blindfold chess.

I'm not good at it but I definitely got better after learning what I just said.

I learned how to play guitar, made myself remember hundreds of notes to play songs without a music sheet, then I had a dream where I played a cogent chess game. Afterwards I thought "if I can play a chess game in my dream I should be able to play blindfold right?". Presto, it worked I could play blindfold chess, and I have been able to ever since. Take that story as you will.

So there's an unusual connection between learning guitar without sheet music and playing chess. Interesting. I have heard that musicians have an affinity for the game.

Perhaps learning all of the diagonals and the color of squares will help me fill in some of that blank space. does chess.com have a feature for that?

@PolicyDebater.

Do you mean even FE chess pieces configuration wouldn't distract blinfold players ?

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess960-chess-variants/functional-exchanged-chess

No, it does not.

Danny Rensch said that you should practice that stuff when you are going to sleep. Close your eyes in bed and try to do those exercises.