can't visualize chess board

Alright, this is the point where I am at and my problem:

I've been playing chess for a few years, never really following a teaching
method. Well, I eventually found out that I had some very findamental pieces
missing in my chess knowledge (like being unable to visualize the board).

I got the Comprehensive Chess Course by Peltz and Alburt and started from
book ONE. This was around a week ago. My only problem so far is being unable
to visualize (see in my head) the board. I have no problems whatsoever in
calculating what color random squares are and I also have no problem with
calculating where two diagonals meet. I can calculate it but I just can't
SEE it!

What has worked for you when you were memorizing the board?

Some players start in the centre of the board and work out ward. Other players
divide the board into quadrants and visualize each quarter separaterly.

It is quite possible to play chess quite well without memorizing the board. It
is also possible to play chess on a one colour board. Having two colors is a
visual aid. It is like spelling some people can easily visualize the word they
wish to spell others can not. I think that seeing the chess board in your mind
is the same sort of thing.

In article ,
"arsenov" wrote:

Alright, this is the point where I am at and my problem:

I've been playing chess for a few years, never really following a teaching
method. Well, I eventually found out that I had some very findamental pieces
missing in my chess knowledge (like being unable to visualize the board).

I got the Comprehensive Chess Course by Peltz and Alburt and started from
book ONE. This was around a week ago.


You've been studying chess seriously for a week. Relax. You'll slowly
get better at visualization. It'll take time and practice -- it's not
like flipping a switch.

I don't do well memorizing the board either but (mostly though, I
haven't put much effort into it). But, or what it's worth, David
Bronstein (one of the greatest thinkers on chess) provides an
interesting way to visualize the board in his book "Modern Chess Self
Tutor". You might want to give it a look, especially if the more
'traditional' ways aren't working for you.


On 13 Sep 2004 15:23:31 GMT, (PJDBAD) wrote:

Some players start in the centre of the board and work out ward. Other players
divide the board into quadrants and visualize each quarter separaterly.

It is quite possible to play chess quite well without memorizing the board. It
is also possible to play chess on a one colour board. Having two colors is a
visual aid. It is like spelling some people can easily visualize the word they
wish to spell others can not. I think that seeing the chess board in your mind
is the same sort of thing.

Have you checked out:
http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles148.pdf

"arsenov" wrote in message
om...
Alright, this is the point where I am at and my problem:

I've been playing chess for a few years, never really following a teaching
method. Well, I eventually found out that I had some very findamental
pieces
missing in my chess knowledge (like being unable to visualize the board).

I got the Comprehensive Chess Course by Peltz and Alburt and started from
book ONE. This was around a week ago. My only problem so far is being
unable
to visualize (see in my head) the board. I have no problems whatsoever in
calculating what color random squares are and I also have no problem with
calculating where two diagonals meet. I can calculate it but I just can't
SEE it!

What has worked for you when you were memorizing the board?

On Sun, 12 Sep 2004 23:03:22 GMT, "arsenov" wrote:

Alright, this is the point where I am at and my problem:

I've been playing chess for a few years, never really following a teaching
method. Well, I eventually found out that I had some very findamental pieces
missing in my chess knowledge (like being unable to visualize the board).

What has worked for you when you were memorizing the board?


A good question. Here are some rather quick, off-the-cuff thoughts.

If, like me, you are not blessed with strong visual ability, you will
have to use some special techniques to build up your mental picture of
the chessboard.

There's nothing wrong with starting off by laying out an empty board
in front of you and studying its features. Note the long black
diagonal leading from a1 to h8. Note the two shorter white diagonals
next to it. If you put a bishop on b1, you could play it to h7, g8,
a2, and back to b1. This is the diagonal the bishop is on when the
Bxh7+ sacrifice is played, so whether your bishop is on b1, c2, d3, or
e4, the sacrifice will be "on."

Notice that an 8x8 board consists of four identical 4x4 boards set
into a larger square. If you can visualise a 4x4 board, you can use a
bit of logic to build four of them into an 8x8 board.

Now put the board away.

Practise visualising the board by doing a mental knight's tour -- not
the Koltanowski one where you touch each square once, although that
will eventually be within your capabilities -- no, I mean just
mentally moving a knight randomly around the board without getting
confused. Starting from h1, in two moves the knight can get to two
different squares on the h-file. Which ones are they? Answer: h3
(N-f2-h3) and h5 (N-g3-h5.) If you have trouble visualising, remember
how a knight moves: two squares in one direction and then one square
at right angles. Even if you can't visualise it right away, you
should be able to figure out that a knight on e5 going mainly forward
can get to two squares, one a file to the left and two squares up, and
the other a file to the right and two squares up. The file to the
left if the e-file is the d-file, and two squares up is the 7th rank,
so that must be d7. Similar logic says the other square is f7. So if
you've played a knight to e5, you're attacking anything on d7 and f7.
If you want to get to e7, you'll have to go via c6 or g6, and take two
moves.

I'm just rambling here, but I think you get the idea.

Starting from the corner, and on an open board, a king is never more
than seven moves away from any square, provided the route is as direct
as possible. A king on h1 will take seven moves to reach a8. It will
also take seven moves to reach a8 from g1or h2. But from g2 it will
take six moves. In visualising it, try to see why this is so.

Picture a queen on d1. Make the four longest diagonal moves possible
and return to base. The route is Q-a4-e8-h5-d1 (or the other way.)
Notice how diagonal moves are diagonally symmetrical, but not
vertically or horizontally symmetrical. This is one of the little
features of the board that you will soon "see" clearly.

When an opportunity arises, have someone give you a little quiz. What
colour is the square d5? g7? c8? How quickly can you answer?

Here's a key point: even if you have to *memorise* the colours of all
64 squares before you can "see" them clearly, you're still miles
ahead. When one mental channel (visual ability) is weak, there is
*nothing* wrong with using another channel (verbal memory) to
strengthen it.

Of course, playing chess and analysing in your head is another good
way of building up your mental chessboard. When, as White, you play
your light-squared bishop to c4 from f1 in the Italian Game, it's kind
of obvious that it's attacking d5, e6, and f7. Those must be light
squares as well.

I hope all of this is helpful. As I said at the outset, these are
just some off-the-cuff observations. No doubt others can vastly
improve on what I've written.

Dan Scoones

On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 05:19:47 GMT, Dan Scoones wrote:

I hope all of this is helpful. As I said at the outset, these are
just some off-the-cuff observations. No doubt others can vastly
improve on what I've written.

Dan Scoones

Thanks for the advice