Possible to Learn Chess as a Non-Visualizing Adult?

friend is Comp sci major who can't visualize at all. It doesnt really affect him at all. 

If you want to learn blindfold chess though, you probably need some sort of coping mechanism as opposed to just picturing the board.

Whether some people realize or not, visualization/visual memory skill is one of, if not the most required "talent" in chess. You will likely have a tough time improving compared to most people, and will have a lower skill ceiling than most people. I'm guessing you would have to try really, really, really, really hard if you ever wanted to break the 2000 barrier.

I am not in the bottom 5 or whatever percentile like you when it comes to visualization skill, but I figure I am in the bottom ~20%. It can be made up for in certain ways, but I think you and I can only go so far (my estimate is around 2000-2200) before it will be nearly impossible to improve beyond that point.

The good news is, it is a skill that can be improved to a certain degree. And like the others said, you can have fun at any level (and be competitive with those at your level). I'm betting it will be a struggle for you to reach 1400, and within each level (1500s, 1600s, 1700s, etc) you will experience a strong plateau. If you don't give up, and you really find that you like the game, you can probably improve to the point of being competitive at local clubs! That is basically my goal...

Another question that I probably already know the answer to:
Are you absolutely horrible at drawing?

I don't think your age really matters. The time you put into learning the game matters the most, imo. I am 20 and just started playing today as well. If you want to then send me a friend request and we can learn the game together.

Don't worry about ratings when playing rated games.

It's just a "number". There are folks who seem obsessed about their rating and will only play higher rated people, but I think those people are in the minority statistically. Most people don't really care.

this is interesting. i knew a guy who tested very high on IQ but his visualizations skills were zero. He would crush anyone at scrabble but be unable to see a knight fork.

Hi QuiteLife, people speak very highly of Chessmaster. I have a free copy of v10, so I can check out the Academy Courses.

Thanks for the links Raleigh. I'll look through the article & study plan.

Is your friend a good player i_r_n00b?

DrCheck, I have the same concerns you do. Somehow strong geometry/logic skills don't seem to immediately help with chess. My father has the same skills and is a horrible player, who also doesn't visualize. Somehow his skills just don't translate to the chess board.

pdve, that's an interesting point. The odd thing is that a major part of IQ tests are logic and shape rotation questions. So your friend must have skills in those areas, but they somehow don't translate to the chess board. By the way, I've heard Algeria is a beautiful country. What part are you from?

Also, I had the bad luck to have to travel out of state to fix a machine the day after posting. So I'll continue the 2 games in progress, and start playing more in a few weeks.

Chess is a specific skill and definitely a learned skill.  IQ and good reasoning ability will make you a superior beginner.  But after only a few weeks of learning it just depends on how well you pick up the specific skill that is chess.  How well can you understand chess concepts and apply them to similar situations.  Pattern recognition, known positions and corresponding evaluations in your long term memory, are a big part of skill in chess.

Should you start as an adult?  Absolutely!  It's a great hobby that provides a lifetime of enjoyment.  Sure some started at 6, but there are plenty of adult beginners too.  Some played as a child and are coming back to the game 20 years later.  Skill isn't required for passion, and enjoyment isn't entitled by how high your rating is.

An old aquaintance of mine had a similar visualization issue, but was an excellent chess player.  I think his rating was in the 1800s or so.  Check out this link from his old website: http://dfan.org/visual.html

Aha, I just found his much newer blog, and found that he still plays chess, has brought his rating up in the 2000s, and still can't see anything with his eyes closed.  http://dfan.org/blog/tag/chess/

are you kidding?

ofc you cant visualise, i mean its like trying Karatate and say you can´t hold 40 pounds of weight while someone punches you in the chest.

visualising is a more advanced concept, it comes over time, besides i think visualising is greatly overrated. Knowing what to play, knowing the imbalances what slight difference it makes when you king is stuck on f1 instead of being castled is much more important in my opinion.

BUT DONT CRITIZISE ME THIS IS JUST THE OPINION OF  A BEGINNER.

i mean unless your name is Kasparov i think fundamental chess and positional understanding get you way further than just simple visualisation.

logic_circuits, i am not from algeria but it is one of my favorite countries, hence the flag.

also, i have heard that Grandmasters when they are subjected to brain scans when figuring out a position tend to activate their LONG TERM memory whatever that implies.

i guess people who can register many positions and remember them tend to make better players.

Visualization is crucial for tactics. In a way, you can make up for lack of tactical strength with good positional understanding, chess concepts, strategic planning... but only so much.

In chess the attacker wins. Sooner or later you will need to take that superior position and do something with it. That creates weaknesses which in turn creates tactical chances, however big or small for the opponent.

yes you are absolutly right, i guess that perfectly explains my coming win game and my loss perfectly.

I think you hit the nail with that.

You should not have resigned in our game (http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=72373146).

Completely hopeless ? Not yet. Losing ? Very probably, but would you score 100% against me as Black ? No ? Then you should have played on to see what would have happened.

And more important, you said "this is obviously hopeless" - I suppose because of the white space advantage. But things are sometimes more complicated. Look at the following position, is it completely hopeless ? No ! it is a very playable line of the King's Indian.