Chess colors speed quiz

Originally posted by buddy2
If you know that "well... odd numbers on a c e g are white and even numbers on b d f h are black," how does this help your visualization, becdause you're not visualizing, you're using a furmula. Just a question.

True, but with that formula I can interlink them in my head in one by one square I start connect them, starting to know not only square by square, but also thir relationship and I slowly build my board square by square in my head. I think some players like Yoda have the rare ability to visualise everything better without any system or help, it is analogous with absolute pitch in music, an ability when a person can recognize the all tones without previous intonation or any interval linking, he just hears frequency of any note.

But as far this ability makes me music and solfeggio freak, my visualisation abilities do not correspond to my auditive so I have to build my visualisation step by step.

However, when I try to follow the game blindfold now, knowing certain squares colors and their usual function in the opening (like initial knight posts, bishop pins, centrals squares, weak f2 and f7 spots help me very much).

On the same site like this like there are very nice 5 move games to follow blindfold when you have to find simple or less simple tactical shots.

Try it out :

http://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-visualizer-next-move.php

How do you guys get these amazing results??

I can barely get 60 seconds.

Originally posted by kbaumen
How do you guys get these amazing results??

I can barely get 60 seconds.

Well, do it three times a day and you should get under 40 in no time...

EDIT : 30.23

Am I the only one or that exercises has strange blinding effect to my eyes ?

Originally posted by ivan2908
Well, do it three times a day and you should get under 40 in no time...

EDIT : 30.23

Am I the only one or that exercises has strange blinding effect to my eyes ?

Yay, improvements coming!

38.8

EDIT: The other one you posted, here, in 3rd page, is much better actually as an exercise for blindfold-playing.

the other squares I can see pretty well, but the 'center' of every quadrant (b6,b7,c6,c7 for example) gives me great trouble. I'm now trying to wait until the clear picture of the relevant area appears, instead of 'counting' from the rim squares which I see straight away.

took me down to 90s again, but it's probably more beneficial...

Originally posted by wormwood
the other squares I can see pretty well, but the 'center' of every quadrant (b6,b7,c6,c7 for example) gives me great trouble. I'm now trying to wait until the clear picture of the relevant area appears, instead of 'counting' from the rim squares which I see straight away.

took me down to 90s again, but it's probably more beneficial...

you guys are nuts... i just visualize the center of the board (as you do in your opening...4x4...) and when i can't find answers in the center, or if i think i have one, then i begin calculating the exterior ()of the board. As the opening is usually played from memorization, and the middlegame is a battle of the center, or if its on one side or the other, then focus yourself on that set of 4x4 (only 16 squares) analyze those places as moves and hold the threats in your head. Tactically it usually works out very well. Once again you just have to use your judgement for positional play, just knowing that "taking towards the center" or to "trade on-pawn terms" is about all i can say for that, as the farther you go from this 16 it becomes to difficult to visualize very deep. (thats just me...) i try and play backwards with threats for both sides and cannot do that with an entire board of calculations at once in my head. if i limit it, and then calculate based on my good line, i can usually handle it.

once you get good at this when you play with sight it becomes very easy to play for central control, and to begin seeing lasting threats.

It doesn't start getting murky and difficult untill the end-game usually for me... then it starts getting hard to see very deep.

Originally posted by Adorea
you guys are nuts... i just visualize the center of the board (as you do in your opening...4x4...) and when i can't find answers in the center, or if i think i have one, then i begin calculating the exterior ()of the board. As the opening is usually played from memorization, and the middlegame is a battle of the center, or if its on one side or the other, t ficult untill the end-game usually for me... then it starts getting hard to see very deep.

http://chesseye.alexander-fleischer.de/download.php


here is link for very nice little chess program with various visualisation and calculation exercises and features !


EDIT : wow, there are nice variations of our square color training, in addition, after every right anwser, they show you a board so you can memorize it even better !

Nice exercise in this program is "Is this mate ?" exercise where only the squares and pieces are indicated in notation and you have to work out everything in your head.

Registration and download is free.

EDIT : oh, it is a trial version, there is the catch 🙂

True to my word, I made a few more attempts today. Now, I'm in the top 5 with a time of 15:03. I'm not going to try to get any faster than that for now . I know the squares too well to still be helped by this exercise.

Originally posted by exigentsky
True to my word, I made a few more attempts today. Now, I'm in the top 5 with a time of 15:03. I'm not going to try to get any faster than that for now. Now, I know the squares too well to be helped by this exercise.

Try the link mentioned above, you have to determine if the squares are on same diagonal, if the squares have same color, knight routes, blindfold mates and white to move, all blindfold.


Example :

White : Kg1, Rd3
Black : Kg8, Nb8, Be8, f7, g7

Now, what is the white best move ? 🙄

very stressful and addictive! 27.66 after many many tries!

Originally posted by ivan2908
http://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-visualizer-next-move.php

Has anybody seen the videos on that site? This is the first one I saw - and one of the best game analysis videos regarding positional chess I've ever seen! I really liked how he (IM Cuelho) gave such consideration to moves such as a5, Rb8, axb4 and b5; that was just great and the way he squeezed advantage out of the position. Amazing how Nxe7 led to a comfortable position for Black but I do not think consideration as to exactly what points white became much worse was so clear.

There are a few insights I am not sure how many players would have considered; for instance Qb5 to force the R from f1 to e1 so e3xf2 and then Kx (rather than Rx) was forced. I also like how Black considers his space advantage as well although why he ultimately decided to play on the Qside is still not so clear to me - requires play of the lines I guess. Great stuff. Unlike many videos, very clear about thought process; noting of tactical tricks in positions was great too.

Braga-Coelho chess analysis (parts 1 and 2)
http://www.chessvideos.tv/forum/viewtopic.php?t=928
http://www.chessvideos.tv/forum/viewtopic.php?t=972

A little OT, but I hope still appropriate.

Not wanting to let the training go to waste, I played my first blindfold game today. There were no time controls but it took about an hour. I was White and blindfolded while my opponent (who hasn't played in many years) was allowed to see the board.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. e4 Nb6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd3 O-O 8. a3
Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Nc6 10. O-O Na5 11. Rb1 Bd7 12. e5 Ba4 13. Bxh7+ Kxh7 14. Qd3+ f5
(14... g6 15. Bg5 Qe8 16. Bf6 Rh8 17. Ng5+ Kg8 18. Bxh8 Kxh8 19. Qh3+ Kg7 20.
Qh7+ Kf8 21. Rxb6 axb6 22. d5 Ke7 23. dxe6 Qg8 24. Qh4 Bb3 25. exf7 Bxf7 26. e6
Bxe6 27. Re1 Re8 28. Rxe6+ Kd7 29. Qd4+ Kc8 30. Qe5 Rxe6 31. Qxe6+ Qxe6 32.
Nxe6 Nc6 33. h4 Ne7 34. g4 Kd7 35. Nf4 b5 36. Kg2 Kd6 37. Kf3 Ke5 38. Nd3+ Kf6
39. Ke4) 15. exf6+ Kg8 16. Ng5 1-0

We actually went on for a few more moves but that's because he heard Bg5 when in fact I said Ng5. Thus, we were playing different positions.

Anyway, I was surprised that I was able to keep everything together and did not forget where everything was. I don't think I would have played any better with sight of board.

Originally posted by exigentsky
A little OT, but I hope still appropriate.

Not wanting to let the training go to waste, I played my first blindfold game today. There were no time controls but it took about an hour. I was White and blindfolded while my opponent (who hasn't played in many years) was allowed to see the board.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. e4 Nb6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf ...[text shortened]... orget where everything was. I don't think I would have played any better with sight of board.

I started playing blindfold against my dad just to give him a chance(he use to crush me all the time) and now I play well enough that he still virtually never wins.

Yeah, that was against my Dad too and it used to be the same with me. 😉

Originally posted by exigentsky
A little OT, but I hope still appropriate.

Not wanting to let the training go to waste, I played my first blindfold game today. There were no time controls but it took about an hour. I was White and blindfolded while my opponent (who hasn't played in many years) was allowed to see the board.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. e4 Nb6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf ...[text shortened]... orget where everything was. I don't think I would have played any better with sight of board.

Very nice game for blindfold. 🙂 If you can play blindfold okay, I expect you may be able to recreate chess positions fairly well too. When you consider a position OTB are you really looking at the board position so much? In quick chess of course yes; I don't know about long games.

I prefer odds games over blindfold – less stressful and tend to play better with less material, forces you to play sharp. I don't play strictly blindfold chess very much, very occasionally against a friend or family (my Dad usually) ; 15-20 moves I really begin to lose track of things - blindfold requires me to refresh the position fairly regularly and I tend to lose focus, with a brother playing Halo in the other room it is more challenging 🙂

Currently been reading the Psychology of Chess Skill, Harding 1985; lots of great stuff regarding chess study, memory, skill and blindfold chess; ok some concepts a little out of date – but lots of studies; methods and results tedious and a bit dry for the average reader but really great stuff if anybody is really interested in memory and chess. I’d definitely love to consider the topics in the book in more detail but probably best to look into it deeper and make my own thread perhaps – more interested in the science anyway.

The current Amber tournament loaded with the top players in the world has rapid and blindfold sections - somewhat diminished quality of play I guess but still some pretty impressive stuff.