Visualize as picture or as formulas?

Hello! I struggle with visualization for several moves ahead. I heard that strong players close their eyes or look at the ceiling and visualize the board in their head completely. When I try to do the same, I can imagine a placement of 2-4 pieces, without any colors and squares between them.

I researched the topic. On Youtube they suggest to begin with naming colors of squares. When I try to do it, I end up with some kind of number-letter math formula for calculating color based on coordinates, but I can't imagine the board as a picture and name colors immediately by looking at such picture. Well, I can probably imagine 4 squares :)

For now, both approaches seems impossible for me at later stages of visualization. Even if I manage to imagine a complete picture, I will still have to focus on its parts and the initial picture will be destroyed. Formulas, on the other hand, will become too complex when I have to imagine many pieces.

Should I keep trying to expand the picture or my formula approach is also fine? How do you imagine positions?

Nice question. Same here. Not a visual thinker apparently. I can be weird to discover other people have different kinds of brains.

I try "talking to the pieces" to compensate, in line with something agadmator once said.

Also, I think the TV-romanticized "Queen's Gambit ceiling board" is not how it works even for the Carlsens of this world.

It differs a lot between people. I once read in a book that while some players only imagine pieces as abstract objects and relations between them while playing blind, others visualise an actual chess set, some even going to details like scratches on a piece surface. So you probably need to find your own way that works for you.

Personally, I was never able to actually play blind and keep the whole board in my head (or at least not long enough). Fortunately it doesn't seem necessary to be able to calculate variations. (Though I can imagine it would help.)

formulas ? ridiculous. " I can imagine a placement of 2-4 pieces, without any colors and squares between them."
yes you can. now keep trying. When I started out, I was weaker than you, but now I can imagine 7x7 arrangements easily.
As Goethe said, everything easy started once hard.
Choosing a different approach because difficult is the same as disabling yourself.

@alexkrk said in #1:

Hello! I struggle with visualization for several moves ahead. I heard that strong players close their eyes or look at the ceiling and visualize the board in their head completely. When I try to do the same, I can imagine a placement of 2-4 pieces, without any colors and squares between them.

I researched the topic. On Youtube they suggest to begin with naming colors of squares. When I try to do it, I end up with some kind of number-letter math formula for calculating color based on coordinates, but I can't imagine the board as a picture and name colors immediately by looking at such picture. Well, I can probably imagine 4 squares :)

For now, both approaches seems impossible for me at later stages of visualization. Even if I manage to imagine a complete picture, I will still have to focus on its parts and the initial picture will be destroyed. Formulas, on the other hand, will become too complex when I have to imagine many pieces.

Should I keep trying to expand the picture or my formula approach is also fine? How do you imagine positions?

Even the best players cannot focus on the entire board in their mind at one go. They just have better 'chess memory', and they are able to store positions in their brain easily because they are so used to seeing them. They are able to task switch between different areas of the position. Interestingly, if you gave masters a position on the board which was random, and did not have a chess feel, ie. pawns randomly placed king randomly placed pieces everywhere, they would find it much more difficult because they cannot link the position back to something and they are not used to seeing it.

@alexkrk said in #1:

For now, both approaches seems impossible for me at later stages of visualization. Even if I manage to imagine a complete picture, I will still have to focus on its parts and the initial picture will be destroyed.
No one can imagine whole board and just look at. Try for fun set up board and do any analysis of a position by all the time looking at whole board. Of course you need to zoom in into interesting part.

I found a podcast called blind chess. It supposedly teaches how to play blindfold chess. Now I'm never going to be able to do that but I thought the visualization exercises may be able to help my regular chess game. I've only done 2 episodes so I really can't say much but may be worth a look it is appealing to me so far.

@keatanpatel said in #5:

Interestingly, if you gave masters a position on the board which was random, and did not have a chess feel, ie. pawns randomly placed king randomly placed pieces everywhere, they would find it much more difficult because they cannot link the position back to something and they are not used to seeing it.
You don't have to be a grandmaster to get confused by a "non-chess position". Earlier today I saw this funny checkmate in two puzzle: https://twitter.com/EmilSutovsky/status/1743184409937723573 and it was quite tricky to get even basic orientation.

@mkubecek said in #8:

You don't have to be a grandmaster to get confused by a "non-chess position". Earlier today I saw this funny checkmate in two puzzle:
and it was quite tricky to get even basic orientation.

Yes of course, I was just implying grandmasters because it helped to prove my point :)

Imagine the chess pieces on the board have emotions. An angry queen isn't like a passive queen, that's how you get a plan.