Chess...a memory game?

I personally do think it's a game based on memory (take in mind that most top game masters do study engine lines!), but there's millions way to learn. I for an example don't like studying it, so I just play and analyze my games. I believe that by just playing you learn a lot, even if you're not a 2000+ player.

My personal fun fact: 

I like to play engines between themselves a lot and watch the depths and moves...it's just fun to me.

I noticed whenever i play a game against another player (obviously on my own) but i just played engines (against eachother) before that (like for month) i notice i get clearer view and play more dynamically and somehow see more opportunities than if i don't observe chess games. And play better overall, that is.

It's like subconscious memory, it may not be the same position that i observed in engines...but similar enough to find some way through.

So yes, memory definitely helps with like improving your perspective to similar position and knowing already or expecting what kind of move would engine that you observed a lot do in a situation.

A good chuck of chess is memorization. Opening  preparation  and other things.

I don't believe  chess greatly enhances  ones cognitive  abilities  nor is an accurate  measure of intellectual  capacity.

He must have been goin' hard on that Puzzle Rush!

CT-Art, then! (That's what they used way back in the olden days, right?)