Does blindfold chess really increase chess skill?

I used to think blindfold chess increase chess skill, but now I am starting to believe that it doesn't really. I feel as if playing normal chess increases your ability to play blindfold chess more than what playing blindfold chess increases your ability to play chess normally. That is at least my experience and I could be wrong. What are your thoughts on this?

And btw since this is a social forum as well, feel free to add me as a friend and try out my app called: The brain training chess. It is available for free on iphone/ipad etc.  

If you're a person whose biggest weak point is trouble visualizing, then any activity that primarily trains visualization will probably improve your results.

Otherwise no, I don't think so. In most positions you don't have to calculate very deeply. In most positions where I'm confused it's because I don't know how to place my pieces for a given pawn structure, or I calculate very clearly a 3 move sequence... but I can't evaluate the end position at all.

Yeah, that sounds right.

I knew this 2100 guy who would sometimes practice by playing between 1 and 3 blindfold games at the same time. After one of these sessions we played a G/30 game and he blundered a pawn to a 2 move tactic

That's when I decided it probably wasn't so important

Yeah, I mean if the game was too easy for a player with his or hers eyes open they would be the world champion. As this is not the case perhaps there is no point in trying to make the game harder by closing ones eyes. However it is a nice skill to practice sometimes and fun to be able to be good at it.

I guess it is a fun thing to do if you are really good at it, for example if you are taking a walk and don't have a board etc. 

If anyone else has any more opinions on this feel free to shoot! 

Yeah... I can do that in a very limited fashion. Like I'll lightly analyze an interesting position while driving home after playing some games... but that one guy I told you about, he could really analyze quite a lot of his games while sitting in the car being driven home (he warned doing it while driving puts you at risk for an accident hah).

Haha, anything for chess right? Haha JK. 

I've been having tremendous success lately playing blindfolded-chess. I have been insisting that my opponents wear a blindfold during OTB games. I of course don't wear one, and my record has been flawless! - at this pace I should be a GM in no time!

All kidding aside, I do think it increases one's abilities to visualize the board and theoretical positions better. After all, the game is "in one's head." Anything that improves one's abilities to navigate the board and better one's skills can't be bad. I wouldn't suggest that it will make one a master anytime soon either though. I tend to visualize the board in four equal (4x4) quadrants. I even imagine a center 4x4 quadrant super-imposed on top of this divided board, as a "small-board" I like to "dominate" or control" if at all possible for the majority of my games. Most success tends to come from controlling this region throughout the majority of any game. I also pay close attention to colors (black or white square) complexes depending on certain situations. However, I don't have a very strong chess rating, so I am probably not particularly well-qualified to comment.

Good topic though!

Squaresun, haha, you should try that against a titled player  

 "However, I don't have a very strong chess rating, so I am probably not particularly well-qualified to comment."

Never mind the rating, I enjoyed your input, interesting points!

When I was a kid I would impress my brother by playing blindfold against him and beating him.

With age, I have loss some of my ability.

Some super strong masters and grandmasters play blindfold well. But it is because they have the chess ability--playing blindfold did not give them the chess ability.

Great, then you are on board with what me and Preggo_basashi is saying. 

Did you write your comment blindfolded? Or does those dots mean something for the blind? Haha  

The three dots are Morse code for the letter "S," as well as Braille for a "C" and an "A" immediately printed next to each other (in either order) without any spaces, unless of course RealMadridTheLegend wanted to demonstrate his ability to print an ellipsis.

LOL  

saw kostya kavutsky and ericrosen play some 1000 points below them blinfolded, was a close game

More like the real midget legend.

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it does