I never realised that was a documentary before. 
Carlsen Identifies Chess Positions Without Seeing the Pieces
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An interesting video was just uploaded to YouTube, showing Carlsen identifying high-level game positions, where oversized black/white checkers have been placed on the board, instead of chess pieces.
Thus, Carlsen is forced to not only recognize what game and which players reached this position - but also forced to figure out which checker stands for which piece.
Give it a watch, if you have the time. It's 10 minutes long.
(Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5BnJvhSryc)
What do you think of Carlsen's powers of recognition?
With enough motivation, do you think you could you do the same ...?