Board visualisation

[Victorian Gent]

I have a question about board visualisation. When you visualise a position in your head, do you visualise it as an image of your real chessboard or instead as a diagram (i.e. like you get in a chess book)?
When I was a young guy, I useed to be able to play a whole game blindfold but coming back to chess after a couple of decades layoff, this is one skill which has declined (age and too much booze I suspect). At that time I remember I visualised a diagram, but I sort of feel it is more sensible to try to "see" an actual board.
What do others feel is best?
VG

[BorgQueen]

My visualisation is not that graphic. I see a "knight", but I don't see a 2d knight or a 3d knight, I just see a knight.

But I suck at visualisation as I can't see the board either... just board sections.

[Victorian Gent]

Thanks for the reply.
Actually I think we all tend to see the board in sections, either when visualising or actually playing OTB. I was at my club last night and thought about this and realised that my eyes tended to rove over the board from section to section with the occasional "long view" to link them all together. I think my board visualisation is similar, which is probably a good thing since it simulates how I see for real.
In my job I work with some behavioural psychologists who study how consumers look at things like supermarket displays, etc and they seem to confirm that people use this "eye scanning" approach to take in a scene (rather than just taking a single "shot" of the whole scene) so perhaps the section by section approach is the natural way humans look at things.
I watched some of the video transmissions from the Anand/Gelfand match, and Gelfand at times sits with his face so close to the pieces, and you can se his eyes roving over the board, so i think even he looks at the actual board in sections at times.
VG

[PawnCustodian]

Interesting. I still cannot clearly visualize the complete board, still, it is not unusual to walk away from a problem I couldn't solve at the board and later get the aha moment in my head.

[Victorian Gent]

I believe that one of the good signs of progress is when you can look at a diagram in a book, and then visualise the position in your mind, and then solve the problem.
I suspect this visualkisation thing is very hard, but very worthwhile to get good at. So I am going to persevere with the ICS directions exactly as they say....what have I got to lose, and it seems crazy to buy this course and then not do it exactly as the experts say
VG

[PawnCustodian]

it seems crazy to buy this course and then not do it exactly as the experts say
VG

Right on!

I once read that the primary responsibility of a parent is to find teachers for their children that they trust - then get out of the way....

[Victorian Gent]

Aint that the truth!

[supermoy]

And It actually works , my Board VIsualization increased amazingly after the three parts of the Board Visualization the ICS course gives you. Good luck, keep on going, and you will see that for sure you will improve in blindfold, it's just anohter skill to train, like when you try to avoid tactical mistakes, and you want to excecute tactical blows, you have to practice,and make a big effort each time

[Victorian Gent]

Thanks Supermoy. Do you only get 3 months of BV. I thought this was going to continue through the course? Still, guess can make up own exercises

[supermoy]

Yes i thought the same but they explained to me that you should continue by yourself, they just show you the way, they tell you how you should do it and they guide you through 3 months very well . However if you follow right the directions you will notice that you won't need more guidance, by the end of the third mond, most of your tactical blunders will be gone just because of the board blind visualization , and your calculation power will be greater, you won't get tired easily plus other benefits that i'm sure you will find out , but anyways , yes you can continue by yourself.

[Victorian Gent]

Thanks Supermoy
Do you have any thougts on my original question (see top of this thread). i.e. what do you see in your head: board or diagram?
VG

[PawnCustodian]

There is an on-line program, ChessEye, that offers the opportunity to continue practice with similiar exercises to what ICS offers. It adds the ability to score your BV progress which provides some incentive to practice.

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

I've enjoyed playing with it, but I really think that setting up positional exercises (such as are in months 9-13) is more effective.

[supermoy]

There is an on-line program, ChessEye, that offers the opportunity to continue practice with similiar exercises to what ICS offers. It adds the ability to score your BV progress which provides some incentive to practice.

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

I've enjoyed playing with it, but I really think that setting up positional exercises (such as are in months 9-13) is more effective.

Genial, gracias por el aporte .

[supermoy]

Usually you visualize it as a diagram, a 2 dimension board, if it's what you are asking about.
Also we tend to visualize just a section of the board , and then another and then we try link them together, usually.

[Sponsored content]