Does blindfolded chess improve your gameplay? • page 1/2 • General Chess Discussion • lichess.org

I have been playing some blindfolded classical games recently and I would like to know if it actually improves my chess?

RoadTo1201

#2

It improves your cognition and surely to some degree your overall chess.

petri999

#3

More likely improving on chess - and calculation in particular - will improve you blindfolded play.

pretzelattack1

#4

I don't know, I've thought about trying that but so far it's on the "do it sometime but not today" list.

pretzelattack1

#5

@PositionalPlay07

let me know if you try it consistently. play say 10 blindfold and 10 regular, also note the time controls. I think you would have to do this for several weeks, regularly, to start getting a realistic picture.

@PositionalPlay07 let me know if you try it consistently. play say 10 blindfold and 10 regular, also note the time controls. I think you would have to do this for several weeks, regularly, to start getting a realistic picture.

NM MrPushwood

#6

As Morphy said, it proves nothing. It's just a stunt.

EmaciatedSpaniard

#7

Nice to know Morphy opined on blind chess! Top chess players can surely all play blind. They recount their games move-by-move after the fact, sometimes months later so to Morphy it would be a stunt.

But the question was, does playing blindfold chess help your chess? And particularly does it help less advanced players?

Nice to know Morphy opined on blind chess! Top chess players can surely all play blind. They recount their games move-by-move after the fact, sometimes months later so to Morphy it would be a stunt. But the question was, does playing blindfold chess help your chess? And particularly does it help less advanced players?

petri999

#8

I dont think it can help less advanced player too much. maybe as visualisation training. Think of this way Kasparov did not play blindfold or at least not often. Amonst top soviet trainers there was idea that it was harmfull. But Kasparov's best combinations were well ovet 10 moves deep and if my memory serves there was a 17 move one. Which is he basically played blind folded several variations to work out.

Also well know chess trainer NM Heisman said in one of his articles that when started to play chess really i.e analyzing variations seeking opponents best replies within year from there he was able to play chess blind folded.

So it is stunt you can pull if can play "real chess" which very few of us can

And to be fashionable lets us from ChatGPT:
q: does learning to play chess blindfolded improve chess skills

a : Learning to play chess blindfolded can certainly improve your chess skills in a number of ways. It can help you improve your visualization skills, your ability to think ahead and plan, and your ability to remember and recall positions on the board. It can also help you develop better concentration and focus, as you need to be able to keep the positions of all the pieces in your mind without the aid of a physical board. Overall, practicing blindfold chess can be a challenging and rewarding way to improve your overall chess ability.

So I guess definite maybe is the correct answer.

I dont think it can help less advanced player too much. maybe as visualisation training. Think of this way Kasparov did not play blindfold or at least not often. Amonst top soviet trainers there was idea that it was harmfull. But Kasparov's best combinations were well ovet 10 moves deep and if my memory serves there was a 17 move one. Which is he basically played blind folded several variations to work out. Also well know chess trainer NM Heisman said in one of his articles that when started to play chess really i.e analyzing variations seeking opponents best replies within year from there he was able to play chess blind folded. So it is stunt you can pull if can play "real chess" which very few of us can And to be fashionable lets us from ChatGPT: q: does learning to play chess blindfolded improve chess skills a : Learning to play chess blindfolded can certainly improve your chess skills in a number of ways. It can help you improve your visualization skills, your ability to think ahead and plan, and your ability to remember and recall positions on the board. It can also help you develop better concentration and focus, as you need to be able to keep the positions of all the pieces in your mind without the aid of a physical board. Overall, practicing blindfold chess can be a challenging and rewarding way to improve your overall chess ability. So I guess definite maybe is the correct answer.

Alientcp

edited

#9

@PositionalPlay07 said in #1:

I have been playing some blindfolded classical games recently and I would like to know if it actually improves my chess?

Yes, but not really. The quality of your performance relies on many factors, but the most important one is the understanding of the position you have on the board, spotting tactics, understanding pawn structures, weak squares, etc.

That knowledge can only be gained studying those topics specifically.

Another factor that can improve your game, but it is not as relevant as the previously mentioned, is deep calculation. It is a factor in your game performance, but if you lack the previously mentioned, it doesnt matter how deep you can calculate, you are still going to lose the positional game.

However, deep calculation relies on keeping track of the imaginary position of the pieces, which squares get vacant, new open diagonals and files, etc So a good deep calculation requires accurate and precise spatial memory, which is exactly what you train in blindfold.

So, in other words,if you suck, with blindfold training, you can suck deeper lol.

Jokes aside, its a good skill to have, and it does improve a little your game in the sense that you can foresee the blunder, but you require to understand why the play is a blunder on the first place, else you wont see it regardless. If you cant tell which is a good move and which isnt, it doesnt matter how deep you can calculate. So, if you want to actually improve your game, you picked the exercise that yields the least results. Perhaps you should try other trainings first.

@PositionalPlay07 said in #1: > I have been playing some blindfolded classical games recently and I would like to know if it actually improves my chess? Yes, but not really. The quality of your performance relies on many factors, but the most important one is the understanding of the position you have on the board, spotting tactics, understanding pawn structures, weak squares, etc. That knowledge can only be gained studying those topics specifically. Another factor that can improve your game, but it is not as relevant as the previously mentioned, is deep calculation. It is a factor in your game performance, but if you lack the previously mentioned, it doesnt matter how deep you can calculate, you are still going to lose the positional game. However, deep calculation relies on keeping track of the imaginary position of the pieces, which squares get vacant, new open diagonals and files, etc So a good deep calculation requires accurate and precise spatial memory, which is exactly what you train in blindfold. So, in other words,if you suck, with blindfold training, you can suck deeper lol. Jokes aside, its a good skill to have, and it does improve a little your game in the sense that you can foresee the blunder, but you require to understand why the play is a blunder on the first place, else you wont see it regardless. If you cant tell which is a good move and which isnt, it doesnt matter how deep you can calculate. So, if you want to actually improve your game, you picked the exercise that yields the least results. Perhaps you should try other trainings first.

i776

#10

A super GM told me BFC is key to being a top GM.