aphantasia in chess

[Hans Jung]

https://en.chessbase.com/post/aphantasia-in-chess Interesting article about NOT having the ability to visualize

[Roger Patterson]

https://en.chessbase.com/post/aphantasia-in-chess Interesting article about NOT having the ability to visualize

I’m surprised to read that most people have an actual mental picture of the board when they analyze. I don’t, not even when I play blindfold. I know the relationship between the pieces from where they are but an actual image?

[Walter De Jong]

I’m surprised to read that most people have an actual mental picture of the board when they analyze.

Yeah. Two examples from the past year have shown me just how different some of us are (I can visualize nothing): a 2100 telling me he conjures up a 2D board in his mind when analyzing b) my nephew telling me that not only can he visualize an apple, he can picture in spinning -- counterclockwise. It's fascinating to me how the existence of aphantasia was unrecognized for so long.

[Hans Jung]

Actually, not just aphantasia but most aspects of blindfold chess were not known for a long time. And so many misconceptions. I had many times received emails that what I was doing with visualisation was impossible, thats not how the mind works. It was such a great relief and eye opener when the book: Blindfold Chess, History, Psychology, Techniques, etc came along in 2009. It was Eliot Hearst's life work and explored the many different aspects of blindfold chess. What you said about your nephew is what Nakamura said in a discussion on this board about what he sees. He could visualise a computer screen, exact same pieces and move them around. Mind you he said that fifteen years ago but he still has that ability. And for the record I have long lost the ability to visualise a whole board.
Also it was John Upper who first mentioned that he had aphantasia. He didnt call it that but he will probably be relieved to know that he is not the only one amongst "strong" players.

[Hans Jung]

I’m surprised to read that most people have an actual mental picture of the board when they analyze. I don’t, not even when I play blindfold. I know the relationship between the pieces from where they are but an actual image?

I did not know that you had played blindfold chess. Please share. Have you actually done simultaneous blindfold chess?

[Roger Patterson]

I did not know that you had played blindfold chess. Please share. Have you actually done simultaneous blindfold chess?

I did a 4 or 6 board simul in Hamilton circa 1982 but that’s my only blind simul. Lost one, won the rest. I always found that the weak link was people properly giving the right move to you. (Nf3 instead of Ndf3, or perhaps Nf3 instead of Nc3 that kind of thing. Or in reverse, I would give my move and it would not be executed properly on the board for the sighted player.

[Hans Jung]

Yes, two of the biggest challenges of doing a large simultaneous blindfold exhibition.I was often limited (very frustrating) by how good my move messengers were. Some of the best were Bob Kiviaho!, Paul Simon!, Jay Zendrowski, Andrew Perras, Bob Edwards, Stijn DeKerpel, David Cohen, and Erik Malmsten. Perhaps the clearest at enunciating was David Cohen who would say the intial square and then the finishing square. The worst in terms of mixing up are B, C, D, E, G as they all rhyme. I would often say to David did you say Bob or did you say Cat or Dog or Elephant or George. Later Simon the English grandmaster used to call his pawns Freddy, Garry or Harry so we used that.