Board Visualization

Training the capability of seeing the chess board in your mind as being just before your
eyes has a great influence for your entire future chess development.
Although positional thinking is very important, precise analysis is just as important.
During the games, the chess player will be faced with many situations when a concrete
calculation of variation is required. In these kind of positions, when you need to calculate
many variations, the capability of seeing the resulting positions in your mind is of the
first importance and this can be improved a lot by the so-called board visualization
training. Moreover, the well-known blunders during your games will be drastically
diminished.
We start our training by 2 short tests with the objective to get your current level as
beginner, intermediate or advanced. As even the great tactician, the former World Chess
Champion, Mihail Tal stated, training the board visualization should be made by every
chess player, no meter their level.

The next 2 following tests should be made without looking at all at the chess board!
So, read the questions, write down your answers and, then, check the correct solutions.

TEST A)
1.
2.
3.
4.

Which is the color of the f6-square?

Which is the color of the b4-square?
How a bishop from f5 can arrive on d6?
Tell all the shortest routes to move a knight from e4 to h8.

Now, you can check the solutions at the next page. If you answered 100% correctly, you
are intermediate or advanced as the TEST B) will tell.

Solutions to test A)
1.
2.
3.
4.

dark (black)
dark (black)
it cannot
1: Ne4-d6-f7-h8; 2:Ne4-g5-f7-h8

If you have not answered 100% correctly to these questions, you are at the beginner level.
If you have answered correctly to the Test A), please take the second test.

TEST B)
1.
White: Kh1, Qe4, Nf8, pawns: b2, e5, g2, h2
Black: Kh8, Qe3, Bc1, pawns: a4, b4, g7, h6
White is to move. What would you move?
2.
Initial position. After the moves: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Qe2 Ngf6,
recommend the best move for White.
3.
White: Kg1, Qa3, Rd1, Bg5, Ne2, pawns: a2, b3, c4, f2, g2, h2
Black: Kg8, Qg6, Rf8, Bb7, Ne5, pawns: a7, b6, c7, f7, g7, h7
White is to move. How should White play?
4.
White: Kg1, Bg2, Ne4
Black: Ke3, Qb2
Black is to move. Can he win? How?

Solutions are given below.

Solutions to Test B)
1.
2.
3.
4.

1.Qh7#
1.Nd6#
1.Qxf8+ Kxf8 2.Rd8#
Black cannot win because his king has no entrance in the corner to help the queen.
White will move only the king in the corner.

If you have not answered correctly to all the fourth exercises above, you are at
intermediary level and you should start our board visualization training.

If you have answered 100% correctly to all the above questions, you have a good board
visualization capability and you may continue improving your skills by specific advanced
exercises. Our recommendations for you:
-

Take a book with tactical exercises. Look at the diagram of a position for some
seconds/minutes until you memorize it. Then, solve the combination with all the
candidate moves / replies of your opponent.
Read games without looking at the board.
Play training games with some friend of you. If he is weaker than you, he should
play at the board, telling you the moves and you should not look at the board (but
write down the moves you two are telling)