I am good at remembering faces and places, but chess positions usually fade away like lose girlfriends do.
Give me some mathematics or some languages, and I will do fine. But visual patterns don't stick that easy.
How good is your chess memory?
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Jul 17, 2015
0
#3
My opinion? You'd both be better off learning fundamental principles and concepts. Things like how to fork, pin, skewer, attack the defender, discovered attack, how to position for a tactic, etc.
That and learn how to take your time and think your way (calculate) problems. Then, after you've played a lot and get better and better, you'll see combinations faster.
But to just focus on memorization is a mistake. For example, memorizing all the lines in all the openings...and remembering all their names and variations...is to lose focus on the fact that chess is a game of wit, cunning, shrewd thinking and such.
Since I am not a GM and am not being paid, feel free to ignore my free advice. 
Understandably hard puzzles are easier to remember. Two of yesterday's puzzles: I solved this one http://goo.gl/TkwPIq and guessed the first move of http://goo.gl/WChD24.
There were calculations involved (#2) and I wasn't really keen on spending much time on it. This is what I remeber of them today, without having put any stress on memorization: http://goo.gl/XOEyTg, http://goo.gl/5A3Svn.
@Harvey: I tried to memorize three easy opening without variations so I didn't put much time on it. I only try to solve puzzles, I'm not interested in full games these days.
Chess Position Trainer is a tool to memorize openings, and its free.
Periodically I memorize games out to 20 moves or so. But I don't memorize the moves per se but as a story the moves tell.
"Bishop attacks queen to gain tempo and clear outpost for the knight." That sort of thing.
I don't review these games so they fade, but I can remember some of the ideas and key maneuvers.
I also believe it strengthens my ability to visualize chess. Square colors are no problem at all anymore.
Jul 19, 2015
0
#7
Nipple, my point was that perhaps you might want to start spending more time understanding the fundamentals of chess and on calculation.
I have an autroicous memory. I'm blown away how top chess players can play blindfolded chess against 10 players.
I couldn't do it against 1. And I've been playing chess for decades. I spose I'd remember the position for the first 5-10+ moves or so but after that no way.
Snookslayer ha scritto:
I couldn't do it against 1. And I've been playing chess for decades. I spose I'd remember the position for the first 5-10+ moves or so but after that no way.
Maybe you just need some practice.
Jul 20, 2015
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#11
There are many reasons why most people stink at chess. Yes, stink.
One of the biggest is that they have an inflated ego and sense of their own intelligence which is usually only average, and they won't study or practice, on top of which no one can give them worthwhile advice because they are obtuse. Thus, they will always remain naught but wood pushers.
There. The cat is out of the bag.
bb_gum234 wrote:
Rarely can I reproduce a whole game, from start to finish, with no errors. Odd or useless moves played by the opponent are very hard for me to remember, even if I just finished playing the game.
For tournament games, with a little work (was it this move? hmm, maybe that move instead) I can usually work out the whole game. Games fade to just remembering the opening and a few key position in less than a year's time (unless I review them often enough).
Puzzle positions I've worked a long time to solve stay in my memory for years. I can't recall them if you asked me to, but when I see them, I recognize them. And if I can't remember the solution, I usually remember a few of the moves (but can't remember the order they're played).
There are two types of memory: recall and recognition. I can remember an entire game after I just played it and even write it down without looking at a board, but only if it is a slow game and I am focused; yet I'm not that strong of a player.
Everyone recognizes something they have seen before much better than they can recall something from the past. Even people with extraordinary ability to recall also have better recognition.
Recognition can also help the recall process, but no one has "total recall" or a "photo graphic" memory.
Harvey_Wallbanger ha scritto:
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I simply enjoy puzzles. Maybe the inflated ego is yours, giving advice (then rustling because no one asked) and ignoring the purpose of the thread. Grow up.
It sucks, thats why i cant break 2200
Jul 20, 2015
0
#15
Nipplemeister: You exemplify why so many suck at chess...for the reasons I mentioned. 
"Yet my intents to learn openings have failed because I will forget them hours later. "
You are failing because you are attempting to memorize rather than comprehend. Duh!
Harvey_Wallbanger wrote:
Nipplemeister: You exemplify why so many suck at chess...for the reasons I mentioned.
"Yet my intents to learn openings have failed because I will forget them hours later. "
You are failing because you are attempting to memorize rather than comprehend. Duh!
If only more people would understand this.
Jul 20, 2015
0
#17
Then more people would have an 1800 rating instead of 1200 or less.
...but forget it. Deep thinking is not in vogue.
Harvey_Wallbanger wrote:
Then more people would have an 1800 rating instead of 1200 or less.
...but forget it. Deep thinking is not in vogue.
I hear so many kids at tournaments telling each other how they know <Insert opening here> 20 moves deep. But they have no idea why they make those moves.
You clearly have issuess but this website is not the right place to adress them. I don't know what triggered you and I don't care. You're wasting my time.
Yet my intents to learn openings have failed because I will forget them hours later. Again, last year, I played a game with my father and was able to recreate most of it.
I find that the more effort I put trying to understand myself the position, the better the results are in terms of memory. Trying to memorize openings proves to be a waste of time.
[...]
@Harvey: I tried to memorize three easy opening without variations so I didn't put much time on it. I only try to solve puzzles, I'm not interested in full games these days.
You're stressing something I already know (read the OP). Again, no one asked for your advice. You have written six posts in this thread and no one concerning the topic.
If I spend time on a puzzle I can recreate it a week later or more, frequently mistaking non interacting pieces. I have memories of puzzles of the last year (cannot recrate them though).
Yet my intents to learn openings have failed because I will forget them hours later. Again, last year, I played a game with my father and was able to recreate most of it.
I find that the more effort I put trying to understand myself the position, the better the results are in terms of memory. Trying to memorize openings proves to be a waste of time.
An interesting thing I noticed (maybe someone can relate) is that even if I solved a puzzle minutes ago, I don't always recongnize it at first glance when I see it again. It can take a second or more.
During this time the arrangement of the pieces itself remains disconnected from the memories I have of the board. Then they come with the unique "feeling" associated with that problem.
Edit: the size of the board matters. I find recognizing the problem even more difficult if the size of the chess board varies, like the little preview boards you can see on chesstempo.com and Chess Tactics Pro.