I can only play 7 moves deep from the start position if I really try hard. maybe because of familiar startposition I can hold some of it together.
but after that everything seems unclear.
so elo 0 ...
How strong do you have to be to play blindfold?
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HectorPerez wrote:
I can play blindfold and I can bench press 200 lbs.
I'm benchin' at least 350!
350 Pieces?
roi_g11 wrote:
fburton wrote:
"It is not that hard"
Maybe not, but I am sure some people find it easier (to improve) than others - we are not all blessed with the same aptitudes.
It is not a matter of aptitude, just effort and attitude. I started playing blindfold 12 years ago when my coach (who was a GM) just handed me a scoresheet and told me we were going to play blindfold. We just sat there handing the scoresheet back and forth. It was like teaching a kid to swim by throwing him in the pool...but it worked and it got me over the "fear" of playing blindfold.
His focus was all on tactics and dynamics, so he had me play blindfold games, blitz games with gambit openings, and had me study games of tactical geniuses like Tal.
Let me rephrase it a bit. It IS hard to play blindfold well, and you will definitely play below your normal strength at first. But with a little effort and a good attitude you will get comfortable with it, and ultimately you will just become good at it.
I don't think too many people would recommend learning chess by this method.
Depends how one defines "play" ;)
I can lose impressively while playing blindfold, that's for sure. I've only played my computer that way, though, by having my wife input my moves for me, and report on the computer's moves. Of course, I normally lose when training against my computer; just that when playing blindfold I'll make a resignable blunder by move 25 or so, whereas normally I'd survive much longer than that if playing "safe" moves.
Of course it helps that the computer is somewhat predictable, such that if I make the same moves against it as I usually make then it will make the same responses, give or take a few deviations for moves it considers of equal merit.
Berder wrote:
stanhope13 wrote:
I think there are blind players at all levels. Plenty of blind people play.
A good point, do you know where to find information about the ratings of visually disabled people? I found http://www.americanblindchess.org/ratings.html however that is only for correspondence chess, which is not necessarily the same as playing "blindfold," i.e. a blind correspondence player might review the move history repeatedly, or set up the position on an analysis board.
Visually disabled people don't generally play "blindfold" chess but use a tactile chess board and set.
Swap pieces off and go for a simplified position, it makes it easier to remember!
Playing blindfold is impressive.Even top GM's blunder almost always in tournament plays it's just part of chess. It definely helps but it goes without saying its not for everybody. Good luck!
"Visually disabled people don't generally play "blindfold" chess but use a tactile chess board and set."
Are there any visually disabled GMs (disabled enough to use a tactile board)? Presumably a lot of their calculating would still be done in their "mind's eye", otherwise it might be (a bit too) instructive to watch their thinking!
I'm blindfolded right now, but I'm not playing chess
You have to have forearms the size of tree trunks.
you don't have to be strong, you just have to not be able to see.
I don't see the point
Blind people play on a pegged board and are allowed to touch the pieces to "see" the position.
Also, I can play blindfold ( quite weakly) at a 1600 rating uscf.
Does it count if you play AS IF BLINDFOLDED?
It definitely depends on the person.
From my experience, most masters are naturally able to do it, while other lower players require strong visualization to accomplish blindfold.
I have never personally known anyone (other than myself) to play blindfold, but I’m about 1600 USCF and I often play blindfold against the lower-rated players from my high school club, and I can beat most of them up to about 1200.
However, if you are lower rated, I would advise that you don’t put too much effort in learning blindfold, just working on positional and tactical ideas, watching free content if you don’t have any books, and looking at a ton of master games on chessbase will do wonders for your chess.
beardogjones wrote:
Does it count if you play AS IF BLINDFOLDED?
Yes, in fact it’s common for grandmasters to simply call out moves while facing away from the board.
In this manner, it’s technically possible to play without any board at all, but it’s quite possible that there will be disagreements about the placement of pieces if you are not great at blindfold.
Okay, I personally have a policy of not checking OP’s rating before answering, but I checked for this follow-up answer. Since you’re definitely strong enough to have a decent opening repertoire (I’m 1600 and it’s my favorite thing to study so I spend a lot of time myself), blindfold chess is probably the single best way of memorizing and practicing your repertoire. You don’t have to crush your opponent through the entire game, but in the opening you can prove to yourself and your opponent that you really know theory.
I learned blindfold by using the chess.com blank board feature. By playing 3 games per week for a month. I was eventually able to play entire games at a level of 900 - 1100.
Practicing blindfold helped increase my rapid rating from 1500 to 1700. It's also a party trick I can do OTB. Would definitely recommend trying.
How old were you when you started? Would it also be "not that hard" for a 51 year old like me? I dunno - even playing through existing memorized games without calculating at all was hard mental work, I found. I am not unintelligent, and I did put time and effort into it.