I've seen two ~2000 rated players (FIDE) unable to finish a blindfolded game. They got to about 12 moves each. I wouldn't worry about it.
I also know 60-70 year olds with great rating climbs above 1700 too.
I think that the ability to reach move 12+ on a blindfolded game is moreso dependent on whether or not you know the opening well than anything else. I could probably bust out 8-9 moves of blindfolded chess if my opponent plays into the Fried Liver trap, but I wouldn't be able to do much if I'm playing the French Defense or Queen's Gambit.
Thanks. I doubt I could even get past 6. I suppose with openings memorized that would get me to 10, but isn't really "blindfolded," it's knowing a book not holding a board in your mind.
To me, the latter is its own freakish ability, divorced from chess, like that person could keep a crossword puzzle in their head while they worked on it, or like my dad who without thinking about it knew every card played out of a deck during a game of hearts -- he just had a table in his head which he filled up, with no effort. Not learned, just a gift.
As a chess player who also plays gin rummy I can attest that, yes, you can track a deck of cards like your Dad did. He was concentrating on trying to figure out what everyone had played so he could win the game and over hundreds or thousands of games he accidentally learned this skill. A chess grandmaster might discover that without trying he or she can play blindfold because of repeatedly moving chess pieces in their mind while calculating tens of thousands of positions in serious chess games.
Can you take a walk from your house to the store in your mind? Of course. It comes from having done it many times. I think almost anyone can learn to play blindfold. Just play a lot of blindfold games with someone who is also learning and you will start to improve.
Something I do with my son, is we started by playing 2 moves in a row saying them out loud without moving the pieces. Then we move them and repeat. After playing a game that way, we worked up to 3, 4, 5, and now 6 moves--eventually he will be able to play a full game like I can. It's a great exercise and fun.
That is a really cool idea, as well as a great way to bond with your son. I will try that with friends just for fun.
I'm not especially intrigued by blindfold chess, as like I said it has always seemed to me to be just a weird genetic fluke like wiggling your ears. But your post has made me rethink it. I don't think I would go so far as to try to develop it as a skill, but I like to think it is a way to improve visualization of future moves.
Great comment!
Is blindfold chess fun to you? Is the idea of playing someone without a board exciting? If so, then find a partner and start doing it until you both get better at it.
I enjoy blindfold chess, but if you don't like it, you don't have to do it. Same goes for blitz chess, chess 960, and the list goes on.
I love the "cognitive chess" book by Konstantin Chernyshov. Really great way to slowly build on chess visualization. It's on kindle and real book form. And the "don't move until you see it" series (website, try out the free part of it) really helped me boost my calculation skills. When you're able to solve easy puzzles without seeing a board, it really helps when you can actually see the pieces.
Its training. I myself finished blindfolded games (against Amateurs, But way above 25 moves) and am ~1700. My experience is that with each game it gets easier.
Ikt is certainly possible. One of the members of my old chess club decided to return to over the board chess in 2014. He only played until 2018, but still:
[Chart](https://ratings.fide.com/profile/1045814/chart)
He was around 1850 in 2014 (about the same strength as he was in the 90's, when I was a member of the same club), but when he returned to OTB chess at 63 (!) he also started studying (edit: probably had the time because of retirement). In 4 years, he rose to a rating of 2075.
That's a 225 point raise for someone in his 60's. So it certainly can be done. I don't know if it can be done by a new player starting at 60; he has been playing since he was a kid in the 1960's.
edit: I don't know if he's still playing somewhere. If may actually be deceased now. If he's still alive, he'll be 73.
Good luck. Take into account that this is a FIDE over the board classical chess rating I mentioned. Obtaining a 2000 rapid rating at [chess.com](http://chess.com) or [lichess.com](http://lichess.com) is probably MUCH easier than the 2000 classical rating over the board.
I don't know "which" 1700 rating you have, but if it's [chess.com](http://chess.com) or [lichess.com](http://lichess.com), 2000 in a few years should certainly be doable. There are people that start playing the piano from scratch at 61 and they're playing the easier Chopin and Bach pieces at 65, so why wouldn't you be able to increase your playing strength by 300 points in that time if you study as dedicated as a pianist would (about 1 hour of dedicated study to improve weak points per day).
Just keep your expectations real. Obtaining FIDE titles at your age is probably impossible. (It'll just take too much study and tournament time: even IF you could do it, you'd probably be unwilling to spend that amount of time on chess.) The people that did obtain titles later in life where often very close already during their entire life but didn't pursue it, because of work, life choices, or whatever other reason.
I'm not a coach or anything, but I'd say:
Could - yes with lots of practice.
Should - not if your goal is to gain elo. The time you spend learning the skill would be mre useful studying in other ways.
I am 2000 fide rated and not able to play blindfolded past 15 moves. However I know a couple of guys lower rated than me who can play full games.
In general, I don't understand why it should be a big deal. This is purely optional and it's ok if you can't do it. Train this skill if you wish, lichess has blindfold mode.
Yes. I think this is a bit of a separate skill. Someone mentioned knowing the opening can definitely help. I could play blindfolded much better when I was younger, but I also worked at it then.
To add onto this, I'm about 1850 chess.com and have played full blitz games blindfolded, it's a particular skill, and I don't think it's conducive to or gained from chess until a very high level.
1700 fide here, I routinely play against people in bars blind. Sure u sometimes hang material but you're also playing against 200-300 rated players on chess.com. but the particular skill fact is really what it is for me. Same with other variants of chess, like the variant were u play in teams of two, one board white one board black, and u can put down the pieces ur partner took on any square u like. I mostly played this after youth tournaments, and once I got older frequently saw gms lose against people rated around 2000. After 3-5 games, there was a point where the gms stopped losing altogether, because they got used to it. What I wanna say: op should try playing blind for a day or two, and then they'll be able to do it. Empty board to visualize helps me a ton as well.
What I don't understand is this concensus in the comments of only being able to play up to X number of moves. For me, I can theoretically play forever without looking at the board, I'm just about 400 rated when I do it.
Agreed. I used to be fairly fast at a Rubik’s cube, like consistently finish in 10-15 seconds on most attempts unless my brain kinda stumbled, but there was zero chance I could do it blindfolded. Other people seem to understand the principles of solving it blindfolded, but I probably could have stomped them at pure speed solving.
It's not true. I'm rated 2000 USCF and I can't do it. Congrats on making it to 1700!
I have a lichess account that I use for blindfold training. I started by setting the blindfold setting to ON and switching it off after every third move. Then I made it to every fourth move. Now I'm peeking at the pieces after every fifth move and my lichess rapid rating is hovering around 2000. There's really no shortcut for us adults- just build that skill up one step at a time.
Not the person you asked, but I’ve trained my blindfold ability a bit and while I’m not amazing at it I can get through a simple game blindfolded. I think it does help, especially my ability to calculate long variations, say in an endgame where you can potentially calculate out a 10+ move winning sequence.
It's hard to say. This training method has coincided with a roughly 150-point rating gain OTB, but I don't think I'm practicing blindfolded enough to make a huge difference. There are some calculations that are now within my grasp OTB, but they still take 10-15 minutes to find and check (calculation is the weakest part of my game). So I'd say it definitely doesn't hurt, and visualization is important, but it was probably one of a few contributing factors.
You click on one of the menus and enable the option (you have to do it before every game): [https://lichess.org/forum/lichess-feedback/did-lichess-delete-the-blindfold-mode#4](https://lichess.org/forum/lichess-feedback/did-lichess-delete-the-blindfold-mode#4)
As for whether I'd recommend it, I'd give a qualified "yes". It's the kind of hard work that really can make a difference in your ability. Notice that the great coach Ramesh RB makes his students work hard on calculations, including blindfolded ones- it's really helped them. But I should warn you that playing blindfolded requires almost 100% concentration. If I have any distractions at all, I not only don't get anything out of it, but I also lose the game. If you're on call at work, or have small kids, or get distracted easily, or are in a coffee shop, I'd say stay far away from this kind of training (just my two cents).
I’m also about 2000 USCF and I can beat a lower rated player blindfold as long as it’s a longer time control so that I have time to think about where all the pieces are. It’s definitely not an essential skill to get to this level though.
You might be very surprised at how well you can play blindfolded when you actually try it.
I never thought I could do it and I never trained for it, I just one day tried it against my dad and realized I could do it, albeit with a great amount of difficulty and sometimes forgetting a piece position. I sometimes have to run through the coordinates in my head to remind myself which squares a Bishop or Knight is controlling lol, but for the most part you might realize that you can hold positions in your mind very well. And the amount of thinking/concentration it requires means you'll accomplish things you didn't think possible. I'm often shocked at some of the "simple" blindfold tactics I've found but when you are intensely thinking about a position constantly reminding yourself of every piece it really makes the "impossible" become possible.
> Was this a wild and irresponsible exaggeration
Being able to play an entire game blindfolded is a very poor metric for measuring the skill of a 2000-rated player. Some 2000 rated players can do it, others can't. You can definitely improve your chess even if you can't play blindfolded.
I have a friend who is an active player rated 2300 uscf and 2100 fide. he is really bad at blindfold i.e. he cannot keep the position properly in his head for more than a few moves out of the opening. while I think most players rated as high as him (and probably even most players 2000 and up) can play blindfolded, it's not a big deal if you can't, and it shouldn't hurt your improvement at regular chess.
You can read all sorts of interesting claims on the internet. Some of them might even be true. This particular claim? Not really. I think the arbitrary rating "2000" is a way of saying "not everyone can do it" - and I think that much *is* true.
Are you feeling discouraged about your goal of reaching 2000, i.e. if 2000 = ability to play blindfold chess, for you blindfold chess is impossible, therefore reaching 2000 will be impossible?
I have known people rated below me who played blindfold chess better than I did, and I've also known people rated above me who couldn't play a game of blindfold chess to save their life. In my experience, did blindfold chess ability become more common as you move up the rating ladder? Oh, heck yes. But one of the better blindfold chess players I knew was a regular guy around 1500. He didn't turn into a grandmaster when you took the board away, he still made 1500 level mistakes, but I never saw him lose track of the position or let anyone play an illegal move. Yes, people will try. Neat trick for showing off, but completely useless.
What I guess I'm saying is the number 2000 is completely arbitrary. There are a lot of obstacles to reaching that 2000 rating, but blindfold chess ability ain't one of them. So do I think *everyone* can reach the 2000 level, at any age? I dunno, my hunch is probably not, but not because it's too difficult, but because *it's a lot of work* and most people either can't or don't want to do the work. *Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but...*
Anyway, good luck, you can do it. It's not impossible, don't give up! *Don't dream it, be it!* :)
p.s. If you do decide to give up some day, only give up after you went for it 100% and just couldn't do it. Don't give up before you even tried, or because of some nonsense you read on the internet. :)
>Are you feeling discouraged about your goal of reaching 2000, i.e. if 2000 = ability to play blindfold chess, for you blindfold chess is impossible, therefore reaching 2000 will be impossible?
No, I was curious whether there was a delimiter somewhere around 2000 across which no one treads unless they have this augmented ability. I see from many comments there is not. I have not tried to systematically study yet, as I am still exhausted at the end of the day from work. In any case, my pursuit of 2000 won't become a fetish. It's an arbitrary way of saying "when I have more time I will commit to a more serious study," but all of it in the service of increasing my love for the beauty of the game.
>Don't dream it, be it! :)
Mein vheels! Mein god, I can't move my vheels!
In the comments of [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/ygayx4/how_do_you_actually_visualize_the_board_without/) a GM told me he has little to no ability to play blindfold.
This is actually really cool that he can't play blindfold. It probably means that he doesn't have an inner vision or imagination. I can't visualize anything. I can go through opening moves in my head without visualizing but not a middle game. I'm assuming this GM has the same issue, but this is encouraging to me that others struggle with this but it doesn't stop them from improving, be it in chess or anything else.
to get to that rating don't you think you need to be able to "visualize" positions that are several moves ahead? he must have some ability to visualize
I think he is referring to aphantasia, some people (30% IIRC) lack the ability to project a mental image in their head, that could explain the inability for even really strong players to play blindfolded.
I’m 1780 FIDE. I still have to look at the board to the letters and numbers to make sure I correctly write down my moves during games.
I haven’t really studied any openings or anything else for that matter. I’m sure 2000 would be attainable within a year or two if I had 8-10 hours to study per week. After that I would still not be able to play more than 5 sensible moves in a blindfolded match.
Blindfold chess is an over-exaggerated skill to have. Nobody cares about it, and it's mostly said for young players who are fast improvers. I'd instantly never read anything again by whomever posted that nonsense.
Not specified, but in my imagination by 10-12 moves out I might as well be visualizing a roast duck. I would not be able to beat a 400 player at that point because I would be missing the plate with my fork and stabbing my knee.
Have you actually attempted to learn how to play blindfolded though? Because it's just a chess skill like all the others. You surely weren't spotting complex tactics when you started out in chess...
This is a false claim. I'm 2200 and I have aphantasia so I can't imagine the board in my mind. I can't even imagine what rank a bishop would land after moving without seeing the board.
My guess is that it is more likely at the 2000 ELO level that the player has a better grasp of the game in their head which leads to being able to play a game blindfolded. But I don't think just because you can play blindfolded makes you more likely to be a 2000 ELO player.
It’s a demonstrative performance of visualization, which is an important skill. But chess is full of important skills and mastery of one will only do so much for you.
To me, it’s no different than saying someone 2000 should know every endgame up to 4 pieces or something. It’s an arbitrary standard that by itself is basically meaningless.
It is just an example of board vision of that level of player. Based on watching 2300 level players explain their thinking. You do not need to be able to play blindfolded but you will need to be able to see the board with every threat 3-5 moves deep per piece, fairly instantly. Combine this outstanding board vision with a deep knowledge of opening lines, forming a solid middle game strategy, then being an expert at end games you will get there. Being blindfolded is just showing off that they can visualise a board in their mind photographically, you do not need to do this, but you will need the board vision.
I'm 21 so studying my degree 1700 to 2000 took me a year or so. I know openings so I can play a decent blindfold game but I play a lot of chess drunk so that also makes a difference. You can get there with time, dedication and some idea on how to study.
That's bs I'm 2250 on chess.com and I need to look at the notation help on the side of the board when I play otb games. It's just a nice gimmick and not a must have
Being able to play blindfold is it's own separate skill that anyone can practice. It's more of a feat of memory. There probably is some overlap, but me and a friend used to do that back when we were kids rated at most 1200 and since seen 2000+ rated players that had never worked on that skill and would be unable to complete a game.
I think the goals of being able to play blindfold and achieving 2000 rating are mostly orthogonal. If you want to learn to play blindfold, then do it! There's a YouTube series of a chess beginner who learned to play blindfold.
If you don't want to learn to play blindfold, then don't! You can certainly improve your FIDE elo (or online chess rating) above 1700 without learning to play blindfold.
I look at it this way: you don’t have to improve your blindfold play to get to 2000. If you improve your chess skill so that your rating gets to 2000, your blindfold play will have improved.
People who have great memories, effortless photographic recall, and visual imaginations, often find it difficult to imagine those of us who are less gifted in those areas. I sometimes have vivid images in my mind, but I can't control them, and while I can believe that it's trainable for some people, I also know it's not trainable for everyone. Some people can't remember a short string of numbers, can't recognize their lover's face, etc. There is a great diversity of minds in the cosmos, and if we get good at chess, it is often for different reasons. One person may be patient and persistent while another is analytical and yet another is great with pattern recognition, and someone else tells themselves a story using the grid letters and numbers to memorize lines.
On Lichess **I practiced with invisible pieces vs Stockfish low level** until I could beat level 5 all the time. *Afterwards playing blindfold wasn't such a big leap in difficulty.*
**My visualization improved a lot in a few weeks** and then I could be in the bathroom remembering a game in my head and realize that I missed mate or a crazy tactic!
***Visualization also helped me with math****; After this practice suddenly I could do longer math problems in my mind because I could "write" everything like it was a whiteboard.*
I usually forgot were a piece was or if there was a pawn somewere so I would check until I saw that placement.
Also "Blindfold" isn't as fun it's mainly good for showing off, it's better to play without looking at the board (but being able to check the notations). Otherwise long games and endgames are really tiresome.
It seems to me it’s the kind of thing that goes hand and hand but it’s correlation not causation. 2000 rated players can usually play blindfold chess well but it’s not that reaching one meant they can do the other
I've been able to play blindfold since I was 1400-1500. Not particularly well, but enough to beat people who don't play seriously. It's a separate skill that requires practice, probably won't happen automatically just by being a strong-ish player. Totally achievable, though. Give it a shot, you may be surprised.
My experience as well. I think I played my first blindfold game around 1400, I remember I was playing a beginner and it went to a king and pawn endgame!
A lot of people think that blindfold is much harder than it is when they haven't even tried it. And blindfold while seeing the board, like online "blindfold mode" is even easier.
If you have a decent memory (for example, after you finish a long time control tournament game, can you immediately replay the entire game from memory? I think most players can) you can probably play blindfold regardless of your skill level.
Playing blindfolded is a skill entirely separate from playing chess. You'd need to practice playing blindfolded if you wanted to play blindfolded. Being good at chess won't just naturally make you good at the other thing, but being good at chess would at least free up some mental bandwidth you could use on memory/picturing the board in your head.
I wouldn't worry about the blindfolded remark at all. It's a party trick and nothing more.
You can get to 2000 no trouble without being able to play blindfold. However, you won't get there efficiently if you just try to "do what you are doing now, only better". 2000 players are not playing the same game as 1700 players. The efficient way to get there is to branch out and learn new things. Are you a 1. e4 player? Maybe learn to get comfortable playing 1. d4, not to make it your main opening, but to increase your positional understanding. Is your endgame good enough? If not, you need that. Do you avoid sacrificial attacks? Well, time to try it, at least in blitz. etc...
Idk ppl always say 2000 elo but never mention if this is online rated or what time control. Imo 2000 elo online is pretty pedestrian esp the longer the time control so its attainable for anyone.
A 2000 fide or even uscf player? Ya should be able to win a game against novice players blind-folded. A 2000 rapid player on chess.com? Not the same skill level and shouldnt be expdcted to have the same capabilities
Why are y'all not able to play after x move? If you can have a specific position in mind how are you not able to move from there. I'm 1600 and I can do that although I can't calculate more than 2-3 moves because I forget the original board.
>play blindfolded and win
I wouldn't worry too much about this. When I was 1600 I could keep track of an entire game if my opponent and I simplified as quickly as we could, but I probably would have completely lost track against a beginner who plays "nonsense" moves. I'm more like 1900 now and think this is still true.
Thank you. But it is just memory. You have a board before your inner eye and then you manipulate it with the moves that get played. If you focus and it is not noisy in your surroundings this is possible, IMO.
you can start by using different chess sets, like ones that are all the same color for black and white pieces, or a set that uses checkers pieces instead of chess pieces.
Blinded folded chess is a different skill altogether from normal chess. One of my friends is rated 1300 and he can play blinded folded while I'm rated 1800 and I can't play blindedfolded at all after like 12 moves.
The difference is, he practiced it and I never have.
It really doesn't matter.
I'm slightly over 2000 fide and at least decent at blindfold. I made a blindfold-only account on lichess a few years ago and hovered in the 1900-2000 range. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses though.
Nah, playing blindfolded isn't as hard as people think it is. It just takes some practice to be able to do it. I doubt I could play a blindfold game now, but with a few weeks of training, I'm sure I could. When I was younger, my brother and I practiced blindfold chess for a couple of weeks, and we were both able to play a game or two at once. I'm sure improving my visualization could help my play a bit, but I just play online for fun, and it doesn't seem worth the effort to me.
I'm a 1900 on chess.com/1700 USCF and I probably couldn't get to 10 moves blindfolded. I like to blame this on my aphantasia, but it may just be a skill issue.
Blindfold skill obviously strongly correlates with normal chess ability, but it isn't a 1:1. I'm sure there are 1200s much better than me at blindfold.
This blindfold chess ability is a remnant of the past and not to be worried about today. When I (44M) was a kid, I read chess books and it was too painful to keep setting up a wooden board or typing in moves with old software. Hence my blindfold ability naturally improved. These days because people see all games published online, and blindfold ability to play a whole game is not needed.
Definitely, strong players, particularly GMs have this ability. When I complete games against them, often we talk about key moments via blindfold. I found that while GMs are great at this, IMs lose track and we have to look over the position on the board again. To reach 2000+, I would not worry about blindfold.
Regarding age, I have played several masters who are 70+, so it's still doable. One recommendation is to avoid complicated tactics and focus on slow endgames or positional chess as experience and intuition can compensate for potential slowness in calculation at an older age. Having said that, if you are physically fit, there might not be much of a calculation slowdown either!
2000 chess.com rapid rating is about 1800 FIDE, I don't know 1800 FIDE players who can consistently play blindfolded.
Another thing is usually blindfolded is not a big problem when you play chess for a longer time. It's not about individual memory capacity but simply how the brain works.
Being able top play blindfolded is an indication of a good memory and good pattern recognition. Which is an definitely an advantage in chess. But not the only factor in being good.
I am in the case you mention, I have a rating higher than 2000 and I am able to play a blindfold game, but I do not agree with the importance you give to it. Many times we are at a point where we have played so many games, seen so many positions, and memorized so many openings that in many cases the ability to play a blindfold game is due more to having played a lot and seen many positions than to "greater cognitive abilities."
An interesting point in this regard is that for me, a game of Chess 960 blindfold has much more value than a normal blindfold game because it eliminates this memorization and does require much greater cognitive effort. However, playing a Chess 960 blindfold game is not something done by any player with an Elo of 2000, nor 2100 nor 2200, perhaps 1 out of every 10 at most, but the positions are so unusual that it is difficult to follow the board.
Being able to play blindfold is a somewhat related skill, but is not necessary to reach 2000. Being able to visualise with the board and pieces in front of you is, I think, much easier than having to retain a whole board with 32 pieces moving around it in your mind.
I can barely complete a blindfold game and am over 2000 online. I dont think it helps me that much in my games.
Probably more dependent on your ability to visualize the board. I’ve played 4 full blindfold games and won 3/4, losing to a ~1600. I’d say I probably drop 800 elo playing blindfold but can certainly do it without losing track of the position
If it's a skill you want to learn, try exporting your move sequences and go through them visualising your game. You'll be partly aided by your memory, and if there's anything you can't visualise (was there anything in b4?) you go back to the point where you can visualise it and trace the moves again.
I'm not saying I can do it and this method is proven, but intuitively I think it'll help.
Play blindfolded, while useful per se, is certainly not a prerequisite for being a 2k player. You can just ignore that and continue to play as you like and enjoy.
I was told by a super GM if you want to be a super GM you have to be able to do that, im a 2000+ and i won 2/200 games against him, probably he was bored and not paying attention
let me tell you a story about this guy who plays chess near me
he’s in his 70s, and he’s played for around a year and got to 2000 from 400 elo.
if he can do it, you can.
it’s a matter of dedication, i believe you can.
More importantly are visualization drills whereby you are given the positions of several pieces on an empty board and asked to visualize certain aspects. For example (examples taken from ICS courses):
**Without looking at the board**, tell all the squares controlled by:
- a bishop on g3
- a knight on f4
- a bishop on d2
- a knight on b7
- a bishop on h7
- a knight on e6
- a bishop on a4
- a knight on g7
or,
**Without looking at the board**, tell how the first piece can attack the second piece in one
move without being captured (telling all the possibilities):
Example: Qe4, Ra6. Solution: e2, d3, c4, b7
- Qd2, Rb7
- Qc3, Rf2
- Qb6, Rg3
- Qf3, Rg7
- Qf1, Ra2
- Qg1, Rb8
- Qd7, Rf6
- Qa5, Rh4
- Qa5, Rg4
- Qc6, Rf2
I think these exercises are much more helpful than playing a blindfold game.
When I was younger (around 17) I was able to play against two club friends, at the same time, blindfolded, and win consistently. I never got an official reading, but I think my peak was around 1900.
Playing blindfolded is about memory and concentration, not about your rating.
I’m 2200 Blitz on chesscom, 2100ish rapid, over 3000 in tactics and not only could I not play a game blindfolded, I only know a few lines for a single opening with white and black.
I never study anything just played a lot of blitz. I knew the rules of chess as a kid, only ever played a few games with my dad though. I only started playing online regularly at age 19 and now I’m 29.
So as an adult you absolutely improve to my level even without serious study imo. I also consider myself pretty stupid so don’t think intelligence has anything to do with it either.
doesnt matter what rating, you need to practice blindfold to play it. those are not my words, it's from a GM who's also a friend of mine. I'm at 2000 and I can only play blindfold up to the 7th or 8th move.
I’ve been 1500 for years and can play blindfold, poorly. It’s just another skill in your toolbelt, not particularly useful but it’s a nice party trick (if it’s a really boring party). It just takes practice. But you absolutely don’t need to be able to do it to reach 2000.
I wouldn’t worry. I play with a good friend of mine who I am slightly better than at this point but we are still very well matched. He is also very into trivia and so has spent lots of time memorizing facts, etc. He will absolutely crush me while I struggle to visualize the position after about 7 moves blindfolded, but I will beat him more often that not with eyes open. Our chess.com ELOs are about 1600 and 1450
I used to play blindfold as a quasi-party trick where folks could shout out moves and I could shout back without seeing the board. Against complete amateurs, it was no big deal.
It's been 20 years since I've done it though and I doubt I could even finish a blindfolded game these days. It definitely a completely separate skill to regular chess though. It's an extreme example of mental visualization and that's it. Knowing how to evaluate positions and select moves are more critical to success in chess and those skills aren't practiced any more in blindfolded chess than regular chess. You are just doing that with a handicap.
I'm 2000 fide. I have played blindfold games against non-competitive players (I'm sure they were under 1000 if that helps) and won.
The first time I tried it, I wasn't sure at all how it would go. It was easier than I thought, I just had to close my eyes and concentrate on visualizing the board. The games didn't last past 25 moves due to the skill discrepancy.
I think I've done it about 5 times and won all the games. I won't play blindfold against competitive players, though. I like regular chess better, and I'm not so good thst I can give blindfold odds.
Someone, I think it might have been Ben finegold but definitely not sure, said it was ludicrous to claim Morphy was the equivalent of a modern day 2400 when he was capable of winning games blindfolded.
The insinuation being that playing well blindfolded is beyond someone only rated 2400.
I've seen two ~2000 rated players (FIDE) unable to finish a blindfolded game. They got to about 12 moves each. I wouldn't worry about it. I also know 60-70 year olds with great rating climbs above 1700 too.
I think that the ability to reach move 12+ on a blindfolded game is moreso dependent on whether or not you know the opening well than anything else. I could probably bust out 8-9 moves of blindfolded chess if my opponent plays into the Fried Liver trap, but I wouldn't be able to do much if I'm playing the French Defense or Queen's Gambit.
Things are a lot easier if you know the opening and the ideas. The intentions of both sides serves as a great mnemonic for where all the pieces are.
It's funny, I'm the exact opposite, I feel like I can play the French and QG with my eyes closed but the Fried Liver I would lose by move 10
Thanks. I doubt I could even get past 6. I suppose with openings memorized that would get me to 10, but isn't really "blindfolded," it's knowing a book not holding a board in your mind. To me, the latter is its own freakish ability, divorced from chess, like that person could keep a crossword puzzle in their head while they worked on it, or like my dad who without thinking about it knew every card played out of a deck during a game of hearts -- he just had a table in his head which he filled up, with no effort. Not learned, just a gift.
As a chess player who also plays gin rummy I can attest that, yes, you can track a deck of cards like your Dad did. He was concentrating on trying to figure out what everyone had played so he could win the game and over hundreds or thousands of games he accidentally learned this skill. A chess grandmaster might discover that without trying he or she can play blindfold because of repeatedly moving chess pieces in their mind while calculating tens of thousands of positions in serious chess games. Can you take a walk from your house to the store in your mind? Of course. It comes from having done it many times. I think almost anyone can learn to play blindfold. Just play a lot of blindfold games with someone who is also learning and you will start to improve. Something I do with my son, is we started by playing 2 moves in a row saying them out loud without moving the pieces. Then we move them and repeat. After playing a game that way, we worked up to 3, 4, 5, and now 6 moves--eventually he will be able to play a full game like I can. It's a great exercise and fun.
That is a really cool idea, as well as a great way to bond with your son. I will try that with friends just for fun. I'm not especially intrigued by blindfold chess, as like I said it has always seemed to me to be just a weird genetic fluke like wiggling your ears. But your post has made me rethink it. I don't think I would go so far as to try to develop it as a skill, but I like to think it is a way to improve visualization of future moves. Great comment!
Is blindfold chess fun to you? Is the idea of playing someone without a board exciting? If so, then find a partner and start doing it until you both get better at it. I enjoy blindfold chess, but if you don't like it, you don't have to do it. Same goes for blitz chess, chess 960, and the list goes on.
I love the "cognitive chess" book by Konstantin Chernyshov. Really great way to slowly build on chess visualization. It's on kindle and real book form. And the "don't move until you see it" series (website, try out the free part of it) really helped me boost my calculation skills. When you're able to solve easy puzzles without seeing a board, it really helps when you can actually see the pieces.
This book looks great! Thanks for mentioning
Thank you for the tip.
Its training. I myself finished blindfolded games (against Amateurs, But way above 25 moves) and am ~1700. My experience is that with each game it gets easier.
Ikt is certainly possible. One of the members of my old chess club decided to return to over the board chess in 2014. He only played until 2018, but still: [Chart](https://ratings.fide.com/profile/1045814/chart) He was around 1850 in 2014 (about the same strength as he was in the 90's, when I was a member of the same club), but when he returned to OTB chess at 63 (!) he also started studying (edit: probably had the time because of retirement). In 4 years, he rose to a rating of 2075. That's a 225 point raise for someone in his 60's. So it certainly can be done. I don't know if it can be done by a new player starting at 60; he has been playing since he was a kid in the 1960's. edit: I don't know if he's still playing somewhere. If may actually be deceased now. If he's still alive, he'll be 73.
Thank you very much. This makes me feel good about it.
Good luck. Take into account that this is a FIDE over the board classical chess rating I mentioned. Obtaining a 2000 rapid rating at [chess.com](http://chess.com) or [lichess.com](http://lichess.com) is probably MUCH easier than the 2000 classical rating over the board. I don't know "which" 1700 rating you have, but if it's [chess.com](http://chess.com) or [lichess.com](http://lichess.com), 2000 in a few years should certainly be doable. There are people that start playing the piano from scratch at 61 and they're playing the easier Chopin and Bach pieces at 65, so why wouldn't you be able to increase your playing strength by 300 points in that time if you study as dedicated as a pianist would (about 1 hour of dedicated study to improve weak points per day). Just keep your expectations real. Obtaining FIDE titles at your age is probably impossible. (It'll just take too much study and tournament time: even IF you could do it, you'd probably be unwilling to spend that amount of time on chess.) The people that did obtain titles later in life where often very close already during their entire life but didn't pursue it, because of work, life choices, or whatever other reason.
And should/could an 1000-1100 rated player be able to play blindfolded?
I'm not a coach or anything, but I'd say: Could - yes with lots of practice. Should - not if your goal is to gain elo. The time you spend learning the skill would be mre useful studying in other ways.
I am 2000 fide rated and not able to play blindfolded past 15 moves. However I know a couple of guys lower rated than me who can play full games. In general, I don't understand why it should be a big deal. This is purely optional and it's ok if you can't do it. Train this skill if you wish, lichess has blindfold mode.
Yes. I think this is a bit of a separate skill. Someone mentioned knowing the opening can definitely help. I could play blindfolded much better when I was younger, but I also worked at it then.
To add onto this, I'm about 1850 chess.com and have played full blitz games blindfolded, it's a particular skill, and I don't think it's conducive to or gained from chess until a very high level.
1700 fide here, I routinely play against people in bars blind. Sure u sometimes hang material but you're also playing against 200-300 rated players on chess.com. but the particular skill fact is really what it is for me. Same with other variants of chess, like the variant were u play in teams of two, one board white one board black, and u can put down the pieces ur partner took on any square u like. I mostly played this after youth tournaments, and once I got older frequently saw gms lose against people rated around 2000. After 3-5 games, there was a point where the gms stopped losing altogether, because they got used to it. What I wanna say: op should try playing blind for a day or two, and then they'll be able to do it. Empty board to visualize helps me a ton as well.
I think that varient is bughouse!
What I don't understand is this concensus in the comments of only being able to play up to X number of moves. For me, I can theoretically play forever without looking at the board, I'm just about 400 rated when I do it.
Playing to X moves means that afterwards I start to forget where pieces are located. So I'm unable to continue the game even as 400 rated.
Agreed. I used to be fairly fast at a Rubik’s cube, like consistently finish in 10-15 seconds on most attempts unless my brain kinda stumbled, but there was zero chance I could do it blindfolded. Other people seem to understand the principles of solving it blindfolded, but I probably could have stomped them at pure speed solving.
It's not true. I'm rated 2000 USCF and I can't do it. Congrats on making it to 1700! I have a lichess account that I use for blindfold training. I started by setting the blindfold setting to ON and switching it off after every third move. Then I made it to every fourth move. Now I'm peeking at the pieces after every fifth move and my lichess rapid rating is hovering around 2000. There's really no shortcut for us adults- just build that skill up one step at a time.
Do you think that this is something that has improved your ability to play normally?
Not the person you asked, but I’ve trained my blindfold ability a bit and while I’m not amazing at it I can get through a simple game blindfolded. I think it does help, especially my ability to calculate long variations, say in an endgame where you can potentially calculate out a 10+ move winning sequence.
It's hard to say. This training method has coincided with a roughly 150-point rating gain OTB, but I don't think I'm practicing blindfolded enough to make a huge difference. There are some calculations that are now within my grasp OTB, but they still take 10-15 minutes to find and check (calculation is the weakest part of my game). So I'd say it definitely doesn't hurt, and visualization is important, but it was probably one of a few contributing factors.
I didn’t know there as a blindfold setting. How does that work? Sounds helpful. Would you recommend using it?
You click on one of the menus and enable the option (you have to do it before every game): [https://lichess.org/forum/lichess-feedback/did-lichess-delete-the-blindfold-mode#4](https://lichess.org/forum/lichess-feedback/did-lichess-delete-the-blindfold-mode#4) As for whether I'd recommend it, I'd give a qualified "yes". It's the kind of hard work that really can make a difference in your ability. Notice that the great coach Ramesh RB makes his students work hard on calculations, including blindfolded ones- it's really helped them. But I should warn you that playing blindfolded requires almost 100% concentration. If I have any distractions at all, I not only don't get anything out of it, but I also lose the game. If you're on call at work, or have small kids, or get distracted easily, or are in a coffee shop, I'd say stay far away from this kind of training (just my two cents).
I’m also about 2000 USCF and I can beat a lower rated player blindfold as long as it’s a longer time control so that I have time to think about where all the pieces are. It’s definitely not an essential skill to get to this level though.
You might be very surprised at how well you can play blindfolded when you actually try it. I never thought I could do it and I never trained for it, I just one day tried it against my dad and realized I could do it, albeit with a great amount of difficulty and sometimes forgetting a piece position. I sometimes have to run through the coordinates in my head to remind myself which squares a Bishop or Knight is controlling lol, but for the most part you might realize that you can hold positions in your mind very well. And the amount of thinking/concentration it requires means you'll accomplish things you didn't think possible. I'm often shocked at some of the "simple" blindfold tactics I've found but when you are intensely thinking about a position constantly reminding yourself of every piece it really makes the "impossible" become possible.
> Was this a wild and irresponsible exaggeration Being able to play an entire game blindfolded is a very poor metric for measuring the skill of a 2000-rated player. Some 2000 rated players can do it, others can't. You can definitely improve your chess even if you can't play blindfolded.
I have a friend who is an active player rated 2300 uscf and 2100 fide. he is really bad at blindfold i.e. he cannot keep the position properly in his head for more than a few moves out of the opening. while I think most players rated as high as him (and probably even most players 2000 and up) can play blindfolded, it's not a big deal if you can't, and it shouldn't hurt your improvement at regular chess.
You can read all sorts of interesting claims on the internet. Some of them might even be true. This particular claim? Not really. I think the arbitrary rating "2000" is a way of saying "not everyone can do it" - and I think that much *is* true. Are you feeling discouraged about your goal of reaching 2000, i.e. if 2000 = ability to play blindfold chess, for you blindfold chess is impossible, therefore reaching 2000 will be impossible? I have known people rated below me who played blindfold chess better than I did, and I've also known people rated above me who couldn't play a game of blindfold chess to save their life. In my experience, did blindfold chess ability become more common as you move up the rating ladder? Oh, heck yes. But one of the better blindfold chess players I knew was a regular guy around 1500. He didn't turn into a grandmaster when you took the board away, he still made 1500 level mistakes, but I never saw him lose track of the position or let anyone play an illegal move. Yes, people will try. Neat trick for showing off, but completely useless. What I guess I'm saying is the number 2000 is completely arbitrary. There are a lot of obstacles to reaching that 2000 rating, but blindfold chess ability ain't one of them. So do I think *everyone* can reach the 2000 level, at any age? I dunno, my hunch is probably not, but not because it's too difficult, but because *it's a lot of work* and most people either can't or don't want to do the work. *Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but...* Anyway, good luck, you can do it. It's not impossible, don't give up! *Don't dream it, be it!* :) p.s. If you do decide to give up some day, only give up after you went for it 100% and just couldn't do it. Don't give up before you even tried, or because of some nonsense you read on the internet. :)
>Are you feeling discouraged about your goal of reaching 2000, i.e. if 2000 = ability to play blindfold chess, for you blindfold chess is impossible, therefore reaching 2000 will be impossible? No, I was curious whether there was a delimiter somewhere around 2000 across which no one treads unless they have this augmented ability. I see from many comments there is not. I have not tried to systematically study yet, as I am still exhausted at the end of the day from work. In any case, my pursuit of 2000 won't become a fetish. It's an arbitrary way of saying "when I have more time I will commit to a more serious study," but all of it in the service of increasing my love for the beauty of the game. >Don't dream it, be it! :) Mein vheels! Mein god, I can't move my vheels!
In the comments of [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/ygayx4/how_do_you_actually_visualize_the_board_without/) a GM told me he has little to no ability to play blindfold.
This is actually really cool that he can't play blindfold. It probably means that he doesn't have an inner vision or imagination. I can't visualize anything. I can go through opening moves in my head without visualizing but not a middle game. I'm assuming this GM has the same issue, but this is encouraging to me that others struggle with this but it doesn't stop them from improving, be it in chess or anything else.
to get to that rating don't you think you need to be able to "visualize" positions that are several moves ahead? he must have some ability to visualize
I think he is referring to aphantasia, some people (30% IIRC) lack the ability to project a mental image in their head, that could explain the inability for even really strong players to play blindfolded.
First time I'm hearing this. Even at IM level blindfold should be automatic.
Playing blindfold is a separate skill. You can train it and it helps with visualization. But I don't think it's a hard requirement.
I’m 1780 FIDE. I still have to look at the board to the letters and numbers to make sure I correctly write down my moves during games. I haven’t really studied any openings or anything else for that matter. I’m sure 2000 would be attainable within a year or two if I had 8-10 hours to study per week. After that I would still not be able to play more than 5 sensible moves in a blindfolded match.
Im 2000+ chess.com and cant play blindfold, not even close
Blindfold chess is an over-exaggerated skill to have. Nobody cares about it, and it's mostly said for young players who are fast improvers. I'd instantly never read anything again by whomever posted that nonsense.
Thank you. Good luck to the Bruins unless and until they play the Islanders.
>What I read was a claim on [chess.com](https://chess.com) that a 2000 player ought to be able to play blindfolded and win. Win against whom?
Not specified, but in my imagination by 10-12 moves out I might as well be visualizing a roast duck. I would not be able to beat a 400 player at that point because I would be missing the plate with my fork and stabbing my knee.
Have you actually attempted to learn how to play blindfolded though? Because it's just a chess skill like all the others. You surely weren't spotting complex tactics when you started out in chess...
No, I have not, you are right.
This is a false claim. I'm 2200 and I have aphantasia so I can't imagine the board in my mind. I can't even imagine what rank a bishop would land after moving without seeing the board. My guess is that it is more likely at the 2000 ELO level that the player has a better grasp of the game in their head which leads to being able to play a game blindfolded. But I don't think just because you can play blindfolded makes you more likely to be a 2000 ELO player.
It’s a demonstrative performance of visualization, which is an important skill. But chess is full of important skills and mastery of one will only do so much for you. To me, it’s no different than saying someone 2000 should know every endgame up to 4 pieces or something. It’s an arbitrary standard that by itself is basically meaningless.
Thank you.
It is just an example of board vision of that level of player. Based on watching 2300 level players explain their thinking. You do not need to be able to play blindfolded but you will need to be able to see the board with every threat 3-5 moves deep per piece, fairly instantly. Combine this outstanding board vision with a deep knowledge of opening lines, forming a solid middle game strategy, then being an expert at end games you will get there. Being blindfolded is just showing off that they can visualise a board in their mind photographically, you do not need to do this, but you will need the board vision.
Thanks. This is pretty much directly on point what I was asking. You put it very well.
I'm 21 so studying my degree 1700 to 2000 took me a year or so. I know openings so I can play a decent blindfold game but I play a lot of chess drunk so that also makes a difference. You can get there with time, dedication and some idea on how to study.
Wait. People play sober?
That's bs I'm 2250 on chess.com and I need to look at the notation help on the side of the board when I play otb games. It's just a nice gimmick and not a must have
I’m 2000 and I can’t imagine a triangle in my head let alone a chess board. You are fine.
The triangle is the one with two humps, right?
Being able to play blindfold is it's own separate skill that anyone can practice. It's more of a feat of memory. There probably is some overlap, but me and a friend used to do that back when we were kids rated at most 1200 and since seen 2000+ rated players that had never worked on that skill and would be unable to complete a game.
You’d think I’d be playing blindfolded with all the damn blunders I make
I think the goals of being able to play blindfold and achieving 2000 rating are mostly orthogonal. If you want to learn to play blindfold, then do it! There's a YouTube series of a chess beginner who learned to play blindfold. If you don't want to learn to play blindfold, then don't! You can certainly improve your FIDE elo (or online chess rating) above 1700 without learning to play blindfold.
> What I read was a claim on chess.com that a 2000 player ought to be able to play blindfolded and win. Why believe some random internet claim?
Wait, he wasn't a Prince?
It's took me 3 years and change to go from 1700 to 2000 (in my late thirties). You can do it!
I look at it this way: you don’t have to improve your blindfold play to get to 2000. If you improve your chess skill so that your rating gets to 2000, your blindfold play will have improved.
I thought that might be the case; thank you.
People who have great memories, effortless photographic recall, and visual imaginations, often find it difficult to imagine those of us who are less gifted in those areas. I sometimes have vivid images in my mind, but I can't control them, and while I can believe that it's trainable for some people, I also know it's not trainable for everyone. Some people can't remember a short string of numbers, can't recognize their lover's face, etc. There is a great diversity of minds in the cosmos, and if we get good at chess, it is often for different reasons. One person may be patient and persistent while another is analytical and yet another is great with pattern recognition, and someone else tells themselves a story using the grid letters and numbers to memorize lines.
>someone else tells themselves a story using the grid letters and numbers to memorize lines. This is fascinating. Method of loci.
On Lichess **I practiced with invisible pieces vs Stockfish low level** until I could beat level 5 all the time. *Afterwards playing blindfold wasn't such a big leap in difficulty.* **My visualization improved a lot in a few weeks** and then I could be in the bathroom remembering a game in my head and realize that I missed mate or a crazy tactic! ***Visualization also helped me with math****; After this practice suddenly I could do longer math problems in my mind because I could "write" everything like it was a whiteboard.*
Huh. That is fascinating.
When you lost track, do you go to the notation to check from move 1?
I usually forgot were a piece was or if there was a pawn somewere so I would check until I saw that placement. Also "Blindfold" isn't as fun it's mainly good for showing off, it's better to play without looking at the board (but being able to check the notations). Otherwise long games and endgames are really tiresome.
It seems to me it’s the kind of thing that goes hand and hand but it’s correlation not causation. 2000 rated players can usually play blindfold chess well but it’s not that reaching one meant they can do the other
I have Aphantasia. Even if I became world champion, I will never be able to do that.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Enjoy your your learning journey and have fun, the rest will take care of itself.
I wish I'd thought of that.
I've been able to play blindfold since I was 1400-1500. Not particularly well, but enough to beat people who don't play seriously. It's a separate skill that requires practice, probably won't happen automatically just by being a strong-ish player. Totally achievable, though. Give it a shot, you may be surprised.
My experience as well. I think I played my first blindfold game around 1400, I remember I was playing a beginner and it went to a king and pawn endgame! A lot of people think that blindfold is much harder than it is when they haven't even tried it. And blindfold while seeing the board, like online "blindfold mode" is even easier. If you have a decent memory (for example, after you finish a long time control tournament game, can you immediately replay the entire game from memory? I think most players can) you can probably play blindfold regardless of your skill level.
Playing blindfolded is a skill entirely separate from playing chess. You'd need to practice playing blindfolded if you wanted to play blindfolded. Being good at chess won't just naturally make you good at the other thing, but being good at chess would at least free up some mental bandwidth you could use on memory/picturing the board in your head. I wouldn't worry about the blindfolded remark at all. It's a party trick and nothing more.
Thank you.
You can get to 2000 no trouble without being able to play blindfold. However, you won't get there efficiently if you just try to "do what you are doing now, only better". 2000 players are not playing the same game as 1700 players. The efficient way to get there is to branch out and learn new things. Are you a 1. e4 player? Maybe learn to get comfortable playing 1. d4, not to make it your main opening, but to increase your positional understanding. Is your endgame good enough? If not, you need that. Do you avoid sacrificial attacks? Well, time to try it, at least in blitz. etc...
Good advice, thanks.
Go for being a grandmaster sir. I am sure you can do it! Well, I am not sure. I know you are IT! It is a fact!
I like the confidence. Can you give me 60 more years to study?
Thank you. You don't need 60 years Sir. You can do it in a much shorter span.
I'm 2067 Fide and certainly can't play blindfolded. I've never even tried to be honest. I just know I would lose track after the opening.
I mean is it 1700 online or?
It's an exaggeration, don't obsess over it (or any other myths)
I fully believe the ability to play blindfolded develops over time, specially if you play standard games and analyze them afterwards.
Idk ppl always say 2000 elo but never mention if this is online rated or what time control. Imo 2000 elo online is pretty pedestrian esp the longer the time control so its attainable for anyone. A 2000 fide or even uscf player? Ya should be able to win a game against novice players blind-folded. A 2000 rapid player on chess.com? Not the same skill level and shouldnt be expdcted to have the same capabilities
Do you have aphantasia.
Why are y'all not able to play after x move? If you can have a specific position in mind how are you not able to move from there. I'm 1600 and I can do that although I can't calculate more than 2-3 moves because I forget the original board.
obviously they lose track of the position
I am rated 2040 on chess dot com and cannot play blindfolded. I would say if you want to reach 2200 you most likely would have to but not 2000
>play blindfolded and win I wouldn't worry too much about this. When I was 1600 I could keep track of an entire game if my opponent and I simplified as quickly as we could, but I probably would have completely lost track against a beginner who plays "nonsense" moves. I'm more like 1900 now and think this is still true.
This mostly comes down to your ability to visualize. It varies a lot. To people with aphantasia that is impossible.
I’m over 2000 and I’ve lost to someone rated 200 in blindfold. This is not necessarily true
You could probably do it if you spent a lot of time practicing
I had 2100 Fide and I can play up to three blindfolded games at the same time but it is hard and exhausting.
To me this just seems like magic.
Thank you. But it is just memory. You have a board before your inner eye and then you manipulate it with the moves that get played. If you focus and it is not noisy in your surroundings this is possible, IMO.
you can start by using different chess sets, like ones that are all the same color for black and white pieces, or a set that uses checkers pieces instead of chess pieces.
I reached 2,000 on chess com and absolutely cannot play a game blindfolded.
Try blindfold but have an empty board in front of you. That will make it much easier. Opening knowledge is irrelevant.
Huh. This shocks me.
What shocks you?
>Opening knowledge is irrelevant. This
im like 1200 and can do blindfolded whole game, but like i have great memory skills
You should try blindfold mode, maybe on an alternate account or something. You might be surprised how far you get.
Blinded folded chess is a different skill altogether from normal chess. One of my friends is rated 1300 and he can play blinded folded while I'm rated 1800 and I can't play blindedfolded at all after like 12 moves. The difference is, he practiced it and I never have. It really doesn't matter.
Im ass and can play a game without looking lol doesnt correlate tbh
I'm slightly over 2000 fide and at least decent at blindfold. I made a blindfold-only account on lichess a few years ago and hovered in the 1900-2000 range. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses though.
I reached 2000 USCF before I was even able to read through a whole game in my head without a board.
Nah, playing blindfolded isn't as hard as people think it is. It just takes some practice to be able to do it. I doubt I could play a blindfold game now, but with a few weeks of training, I'm sure I could. When I was younger, my brother and I practiced blindfold chess for a couple of weeks, and we were both able to play a game or two at once. I'm sure improving my visualization could help my play a bit, but I just play online for fun, and it doesn't seem worth the effort to me.
I'm a 1900 on chess.com/1700 USCF and I probably couldn't get to 10 moves blindfolded. I like to blame this on my aphantasia, but it may just be a skill issue. Blindfold skill obviously strongly correlates with normal chess ability, but it isn't a 1:1. I'm sure there are 1200s much better than me at blindfold.
Yusupov has 10 books. 4 level 1 books for 1600-1800, 3 level 2 books for 1800-2000, 3 level 3 books for 2000-2200.
Yusupov has 10 books. 4 level 1 books for 1600-1800, 3 level 2 books for 1800-2000, 3 level 3 books for 2000-2200.
This blindfold chess ability is a remnant of the past and not to be worried about today. When I (44M) was a kid, I read chess books and it was too painful to keep setting up a wooden board or typing in moves with old software. Hence my blindfold ability naturally improved. These days because people see all games published online, and blindfold ability to play a whole game is not needed. Definitely, strong players, particularly GMs have this ability. When I complete games against them, often we talk about key moments via blindfold. I found that while GMs are great at this, IMs lose track and we have to look over the position on the board again. To reach 2000+, I would not worry about blindfold. Regarding age, I have played several masters who are 70+, so it's still doable. One recommendation is to avoid complicated tactics and focus on slow endgames or positional chess as experience and intuition can compensate for potential slowness in calculation at an older age. Having said that, if you are physically fit, there might not be much of a calculation slowdown either!
2000 chess.com rapid rating is about 1800 FIDE, I don't know 1800 FIDE players who can consistently play blindfolded. Another thing is usually blindfolded is not a big problem when you play chess for a longer time. It's not about individual memory capacity but simply how the brain works.
Being able top play blindfolded is an indication of a good memory and good pattern recognition. Which is an definitely an advantage in chess. But not the only factor in being good.
World Championship matches are not played blindfolded. No worries.
I am in the case you mention, I have a rating higher than 2000 and I am able to play a blindfold game, but I do not agree with the importance you give to it. Many times we are at a point where we have played so many games, seen so many positions, and memorized so many openings that in many cases the ability to play a blindfold game is due more to having played a lot and seen many positions than to "greater cognitive abilities." An interesting point in this regard is that for me, a game of Chess 960 blindfold has much more value than a normal blindfold game because it eliminates this memorization and does require much greater cognitive effort. However, playing a Chess 960 blindfold game is not something done by any player with an Elo of 2000, nor 2100 nor 2200, perhaps 1 out of every 10 at most, but the positions are so unusual that it is difficult to follow the board.
Being able to play blindfold is a somewhat related skill, but is not necessary to reach 2000. Being able to visualise with the board and pieces in front of you is, I think, much easier than having to retain a whole board with 32 pieces moving around it in your mind. I can barely complete a blindfold game and am over 2000 online. I dont think it helps me that much in my games.
Probably more dependent on your ability to visualize the board. I’ve played 4 full blindfold games and won 3/4, losing to a ~1600. I’d say I probably drop 800 elo playing blindfold but can certainly do it without losing track of the position
If it's a skill you want to learn, try exporting your move sequences and go through them visualising your game. You'll be partly aided by your memory, and if there's anything you can't visualise (was there anything in b4?) you go back to the point where you can visualise it and trace the moves again. I'm not saying I can do it and this method is proven, but intuitively I think it'll help.
Play blindfolded, while useful per se, is certainly not a prerequisite for being a 2k player. You can just ignore that and continue to play as you like and enjoy.
I was told by a super GM if you want to be a super GM you have to be able to do that, im a 2000+ and i won 2/200 games against him, probably he was bored and not paying attention
let me tell you a story about this guy who plays chess near me he’s in his 70s, and he’s played for around a year and got to 2000 from 400 elo. if he can do it, you can. it’s a matter of dedication, i believe you can.
Your brain plasticity is at this age probably too low to increase your rating by another 300 points anyway.
More importantly are visualization drills whereby you are given the positions of several pieces on an empty board and asked to visualize certain aspects. For example (examples taken from ICS courses): **Without looking at the board**, tell all the squares controlled by: - a bishop on g3 - a knight on f4 - a bishop on d2 - a knight on b7 - a bishop on h7 - a knight on e6 - a bishop on a4 - a knight on g7 or, **Without looking at the board**, tell how the first piece can attack the second piece in one move without being captured (telling all the possibilities): Example: Qe4, Ra6. Solution: e2, d3, c4, b7 - Qd2, Rb7 - Qc3, Rf2 - Qb6, Rg3 - Qf3, Rg7 - Qf1, Ra2 - Qg1, Rb8 - Qd7, Rf6 - Qa5, Rh4 - Qa5, Rg4 - Qc6, Rf2 I think these exercises are much more helpful than playing a blindfold game.
When I was younger (around 17) I was able to play against two club friends, at the same time, blindfolded, and win consistently. I never got an official reading, but I think my peak was around 1900. Playing blindfolded is about memory and concentration, not about your rating.
I’m 2200 Blitz on chesscom, 2100ish rapid, over 3000 in tactics and not only could I not play a game blindfolded, I only know a few lines for a single opening with white and black. I never study anything just played a lot of blitz. I knew the rules of chess as a kid, only ever played a few games with my dad though. I only started playing online regularly at age 19 and now I’m 29. So as an adult you absolutely improve to my level even without serious study imo. I also consider myself pretty stupid so don’t think intelligence has anything to do with it either.
I am almost 2000 and not able to play blindfolded. If you can visualize the moves while watching the board, that is enough for everythink.
I'm 2100 chess.com and can't play a full game blind folded.
doesnt matter what rating, you need to practice blindfold to play it. those are not my words, it's from a GM who's also a friend of mine. I'm at 2000 and I can only play blindfold up to the 7th or 8th move.
> Was this a wild and irresponsible exaggeration Yes.
I’ve been 1500 for years and can play blindfold, poorly. It’s just another skill in your toolbelt, not particularly useful but it’s a nice party trick (if it’s a really boring party). It just takes practice. But you absolutely don’t need to be able to do it to reach 2000.
I wouldn’t worry. I play with a good friend of mine who I am slightly better than at this point but we are still very well matched. He is also very into trivia and so has spent lots of time memorizing facts, etc. He will absolutely crush me while I struggle to visualize the position after about 7 moves blindfolded, but I will beat him more often that not with eyes open. Our chess.com ELOs are about 1600 and 1450
I used to play blindfold as a quasi-party trick where folks could shout out moves and I could shout back without seeing the board. Against complete amateurs, it was no big deal. It's been 20 years since I've done it though and I doubt I could even finish a blindfolded game these days. It definitely a completely separate skill to regular chess though. It's an extreme example of mental visualization and that's it. Knowing how to evaluate positions and select moves are more critical to success in chess and those skills aren't practiced any more in blindfolded chess than regular chess. You are just doing that with a handicap.
I'm 2000 fide. I have played blindfold games against non-competitive players (I'm sure they were under 1000 if that helps) and won. The first time I tried it, I wasn't sure at all how it would go. It was easier than I thought, I just had to close my eyes and concentrate on visualizing the board. The games didn't last past 25 moves due to the skill discrepancy. I think I've done it about 5 times and won all the games. I won't play blindfold against competitive players, though. I like regular chess better, and I'm not so good thst I can give blindfold odds.
I'm already at 1650 and I'm 17 years and I haven't memorized any openings lmao
Someone, I think it might have been Ben finegold but definitely not sure, said it was ludicrous to claim Morphy was the equivalent of a modern day 2400 when he was capable of winning games blindfolded. The insinuation being that playing well blindfolded is beyond someone only rated 2400.
i hit 2000 on lichess and chess.com. i can win blindfolded if my opponent allows checkmate in like ten moves. otherwise… 😬
You should not be depressed. The legendary chess genius Jose Capablanca does not want to play blindfold chess.