I’ve tried, but I can’t visualize to save my life. Hope you have better luck.
Is there any way to improve your visualization?
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Dec 16, 2020
0
#2
Visualization is closely related to one section of the IQ test called working memory and it’s very hard to train. That doesn’t mean it can’t be trained, just that it comes more naturally to some than to others. Child chess prodigies do it without ever having been taught it. As a small child he played blindfolded. Even before his father and uncle showed him how to play, he told them that a game they had played wasn’t a draw, even though they agreed to a draw. Little Morphy reset the game that they had put away, and showed them that it was a forced checkmate. Again, this is before he ever played a game.
I’ve tried, but I can’t visualize to save my life. Hope you have better luck.
I’ve tried, but I can’t visualize to save my life. Hope you have better luck.
One of the reasons very strong players look away from the board while calculating is that they are trying to envision the position a few ply in the future, looking at the pieces in their current position can actually make that harder
llama45 wrote:
I look away sometimes. I'm not even close to GM. I started at 18.
It seems pretty normal to me that anyone would look away once a line gets to about 4 moves long (4 moves meaning 8 half moves)... the only reason to look away is because the board is distracting. It has a lot of pieces on the "wrong" squares. If you're truly good at visualizing then you probably wouldn't need to look away at all
So do you see the whole board in your head when you look away? I literally cannot hold an image in my head for more than a second before it vanishes.
Dec 18, 2020
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#5
Mark_Zambelli wrote:
llama45 wrote:
I look away sometimes. I'm not even close to GM. I started at 18.
It seems pretty normal to me that anyone would look away once a line gets to about 4 moves long (4 moves meaning 8 half moves)... the only reason to look away is because the board is distracting. It has a lot of pieces on the "wrong" squares. If you're truly good at visualizing then you probably wouldn't need to look away at all
So do you see the whole board in your head when you look away? I literally cannot hold an image in my head for more than a second before it vanishes.
For me at least, I do. I can play blindfold chess without a real visualization problem. I think visualization tied into the concept of spatial intelligence, as some people have an easier time with their "mind's eye".
TerminatorC800 wrote:
Mark_Zambelli wrote:
llama45 wrote:
I look away sometimes. I'm not even close to GM. I started at 18.
It seems pretty normal to me that anyone would look away once a line gets to about 4 moves long (4 moves meaning 8 half moves)... the only reason to look away is because the board is distracting. It has a lot of pieces on the "wrong" squares. If you're truly good at visualizing then you probably wouldn't need to look away at all
So do you see the whole board in your head when you look away? I literally cannot hold an image in my head for more than a second before it vanishes.
For me at least, I do. I can play blindfold chess without a real visualization problem. I think visualization tied into the concept of spatial intelligence, as some people have an easier time with their "mind's eye".
Well mine must be borderline retarded then lol.
Drills, drills, and more drills. Then after that, do a few more drills.
Dec 18, 2020
0
#9
Mark_Zambelli wrote:
I cant seem to get any better at visualizing the gameboard in my head over many years of play. I was amazed to hear that Hikaru looks away from the board to calculate better and it seems many other GMs do this too. I started chess chess pretty late, around 18-19, so maybe its something that cant be done without starting at a young age.
Go here: https://www.chess.com/vision
Mark_Zambelli wrote:
I cant seem to get any better at visualizing the gameboard in my head over many years of play. I was amazed to hear that Hikaru looks away from the board to calculate better and it seems many other GMs do this too. I started chess chess pretty late, around 18-19, so maybe its something that cant be done without starting at a young age.
I can not visualize multiple moves either I have learned to do what was suggested earlier. I visualize what can happen to the piece I am about to move next and then what can happen to the pieces next to the square I intend to occupy. After enough practice using this technique I went from lose-lose to draw - draw- resign ( opponent ) - checkmate (me).
This is probably the best example of a visualization drill ever. It's from Capablanca vs Marshall. If you can get to the point where you can see the final position from the initial position, you're getting better.
Chess_Monk1 wrote:
Mark_Zambelli wrote:
I cant seem to get any better at visualizing the gameboard in my head over many years of play. I was amazed to hear that Hikaru looks away from the board to calculate better and it seems many other GMs do this too. I started chess chess pretty late, around 18-19, so maybe its something that cant be done without starting at a young age.
Go here: https://www.chess.com/vision
I used to do stuff like that all the time and it never really did anything.
Dec 18, 2020
0
#13
I opened a blindfold thread a few days ago. there are good advices and some tutor links there.
gdzen wrote:
I opened a blindfold thread a few days ago. there are good advices and some tutor links there.
I'll check that out, thanks
llama45 wrote:
Mark_Zambelli wrote:
llama45 wrote:
I look away sometimes. I'm not even close to GM. I started at 18.
It seems pretty normal to me that anyone would look away once a line gets to about 4 moves long (4 moves meaning 8 half moves)... the only reason to look away is because the board is distracting. It has a lot of pieces on the "wrong" squares. If you're truly good at visualizing then you probably wouldn't need to look away at all
So do you see the whole board in your head when you look away? I literally cannot hold an image in my head for more than a second before it vanishes.
Nope, I don't see a whole board. I never have.
Some people who are better than me at blindfold say they can see a whole board (as if they're looking at a diagram in a book, or a 2d screen)... and that they were able to do this even when they were rated 1400... so maybe part of it is genetic, I don't know.
What I see are smaller sections (like a 4x4 area), or groups (like the whole pawn structure, but only the pawns), and also relationships between pieces (like a bishop on a2 is eyeing the king on g8).
So I look at the board in pieces here and there until I can draw enough conclusions that it's as if I saw the whole board
That still sounds pretty incredible, I don't think Ill ever have the ability to do that.
Dec 18, 2020
0
#16
Mark_Zambelli wrote:
gdzen wrote:
I opened a blindfold thread a few days ago. there are good advices and some tutor links there.
I'll check that out, thanks
I'm on PC now, here is the link: https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/blinfold-chess-3
Dec 18, 2020
0
#17
Interesting article, thanks!
ArchbishopCheckmate wrote:
This is probably the best example of a visualization drill ever. It's from Capablanca vs Marshall. If you can get to the point where you can see the final position from the initial position, you're getting better.
This one wasn't too difficult, but that's probably because I've seen similar tactics before (puzzle rush lol).
If I'm put in a brand new position that I've never seen, then visualising would be a lot harder.
I cant seem to get any better at visualizing the gameboard in my head over many years of play. I was amazed to hear that Hikaru looks away from the board to calculate better and it seems many other GMs do this too. I started chess chess pretty late, around 18-19, so maybe its something that cant be done without starting at a young age.