Blindfold Chess: How Do Players Do It?
In the world of chess, few feats are as awe-inspiring as blindfold chess. The very idea that someone can play a full game of chess—often multiple games simultaneously—without seeing the board challenges our understanding of memory, visualization, and human cognitive capacity. Yet, elite players from past and present have not only done it but have amazed spectators with their accuracy, speed, and creativity.
But how is blindfold chess possible?
How do grandmasters keep track of 32 pieces, complex tactical motifs, and long-term positional plans entirely in their minds? In this article, we’ll dive into how blindfold chess works, the history behind it, what cognitive skills are involved, and how players train for it.
What Is Blindfold Chess?
Blindfold chess is a form of chess where one or both players are not allowed to see the board or pieces. Moves are announced using algebraic notation, and players must visualize the position entirely in their mind.
While it may sound like a party trick or performance art, blindfold chess is a rigorous test of a player’s mental visualization, memory, concentration, and analytical reasoning.
It’s not necessarily about being “blindfolded” physically—although that is often the case—but about not referencing a visible board at any time during the game.
A Brief History of Blindfold Chess
Blindfold chess has a long and storied history:
13th century: The earliest documented games were played in the Islamic world. The Arabic chess master al-Suli was reputed to play blindfold chess.
1783: François-André Danican Philidor, a French composer and chess master, stunned Paris by playing three games simultaneously blindfolded—an astonishing feat at the time.
19th century: Paul Morphy, Louis Paulsen, and later Joseph Blackburne advanced the art. Paulsen played 10 games blindfolded in 1859, a record then.
20th century: The legendary Hungarian-American grandmaster George Koltanowski became the poster child for blindfold chess, setting a record in 1960 by playing 56 games simultaneously in San Francisco.
Modern era: Players like Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, and Vassily Ivanchuk often train with blindfold chess or even participate in blindfold tournaments like the former Amber Tournament.
How Do Players Do It?
Blindfold chess seems superhuman, but it rests on trainable cognitive abilities:
1. Strong Visualization Skills
Chess players visualize the board in their minds, often seeing it as clearly as a physical object. They don’t see physical images like hallucinations but form mental “maps” that show the position of every piece.
They often break the board into sectors or quadrants.
Many use color cues (light/dark squares) to orient themselves.
Players maintain a dynamic, updating mental board as moves occur.
2. Memory (Especially Working Memory)
Working memory is the short-term mental space where we store and manipulate information. In blindfold chess, players must:
Recall the last moves
Maintain piece positions
Forecast future moves
Top blindfold players often use a mix of visual memory, pattern memory, and move-sequence memory.
3. Pattern Recognition
Elite players don’t remember individual piece positions—they recognize patterns and common structures:
Pawn chains
Piece alignments (like battery on open files)
Tactical motifs like forks, pins, and skewers
This chunking of information allows them to compress the board into more manageable parts.
4. Inner Monologue and Verbal Rehearsal
Players often “talk themselves through” the game internally:
“Knight from g1 to f3… bishop out to c4… pawn to e4…”
Some use verbal encoding to support mental visualization, especially during complex sequences.
Cognitive Load: How Many Games Can Be Played Blindfolded?
While one game is difficult enough, elite players have pushed the limits by playing multiple games simultaneously. This not only tests their visualization but also their ability to manage parallel mental boards.
Some modern records include:
Miguel Najdorf (Argentina, 1947) — 45 games blindfolded simultaneously
George Koltanowski (USA, 1960) — 56 games (against weaker players)
Timur Gareyev (USA, 2016) — 48 games blindfolded, setting a Guinness World Record
However, playing many games at once is often more a feat of mental endurance than elite chess—many of these games are against weaker opposition, and the goal is more about memory and focus than deep calculation.
Training for Blindfold Chess
Believe it or not, blindfold chess is trainable, and many strong players routinely practice it. Here are common techniques:
1. Remove the Board
Play chess without looking at a physical board, either using:
Voice-only moves with a partner
Chess notation read aloud
Digital interfaces that only show move lists
2. Mental Board Recreation
Start with a known position (e.g., Ruy Lopez) and try to play it out move by move in your head. Then:
Try to recall all piece locations
Solve tactics from memory
Visualize threats and combinations
3. Memory Drills
Players use spaced repetition tools and pattern training to memorize common positions and their continuations.
Apps and tools like:
Chessable’s MoveTrainer
Lichess’s Blindfold mode
Blindfold Chess Trainer on mobile
help players condition their minds to operate without visual assistance.
Why Play Blindfold Chess?
While it’s clearly impressive, there are also practical benefits to blindfold chess:
1. Improved Calculation
By visualizing without aid, players strengthen their calculation skills and reduce their reliance on external cues.
2. Deeper Board Awareness
Blindfold practice forces players to stay alert, track piece dynamics, and avoid “losing” pieces mentally.
3. Tournament Readiness
Players in long tournaments benefit from enhanced mental endurance and focus that blindfold practice develops.
4. Entertainment and Performance
In simuls, exhibitions, or Twitch streams, blindfold chess is an audience magnet. Players like Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen occasionally play blindfold games live for dramatic effect.
Common Mistakes and Challenges
Even top players face pitfalls:
Losing track of a piece (e.g., forgetting where a knight was last moved)
Repetition errors (believing a position has repeated when it hasn’t)
Fatigue errors from long sessions
Notation confusion, especially in simultaneous games
Blindfold chess requires absolute mental clarity—the mind must be both relaxed and hyper-focused, a rare balance.
Is It Dangerous? The Psychological Effects
Historically, some players feared that blindfold chess could damage mental health. For instance:
Mikhail Botvinnik warned against overuse
Alekhine and Capablanca avoided extensive blindfold play to preserve their concentration
But recent neuroscience suggests that, while exhausting, blindfold chess does not cause harm—it’s just intense cognitive strain, similar to complex problem-solving or advanced mathematics.
Modern players are advised to limit long blindfold sessions and ensure rest.
Conclusion: A Mental Art Form
Blindfold chess is not a supernatural talent—it’s a trainable, awe-inspiring display of human cognition. By mastering visualization, memory, and focus, players have unlocked the ability to play the royal game without seeing it at all.
Whether you’re an amateur aiming to improve or just an admirer of chess legends, blindfold chess is a reminder of what the mind can achieve with discipline and passion. It is where chess transcends the board and becomes a true mental sport.
