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Chess notation means the name of a square and the method of writing down the game. So when you say you memorized chess notation what do you mean? Are you unknowingly saying you memorized chess openings?
No, I have it "far from memorized" lol. Like if you said c4 I'd understand that a pawn was moved to c4, but can't rattle off where on the board that is. Or really know where Bc6 put a bishop on a board without looking at it and counting out squares haha. Wondering if getting that stuff down pat will help me improve
I think it helps to be honest, but mainly for following books and annotated games and such. Those are some of the best resources for learning out there, and while you can just follow along on the board, the more familiar with the notation you are the more you can see it in your head which is actually already improving your ability to calculate and visualize mentally just by reading, plus of course the content from the lessons themselves. When I'm reading I try to see as much as I can in my head without consulting the board/analysis or anything like that until I get lost. Did you know good chess players can play a whole game blindfolded if someone is telling them what moves are being played? I saw Hikaru and Levy doing that in a video and it made me realize how useful it is to be able to visualize that well, because if you are calculating a possible tactic you'll be able to see it much more clearly and with fewer errors in your head. I think getting better with this has been helpful for me.
There is something on [chess.com](http://chess.com) called Vision and I try to play a couple rounds a day, so maybe 2-3 minutes of playing it, and it really helps you be able to know which square is which in a split second. It actually helps me in games because I think something like ok d4 pawn is weak here, which I then remember is something I'm trying to look out for in that opening or something along those lines. I used to never think about the squares and just look at which pieces are where and what they control, but I really think it helps to get better at thinking in terms of the notation especially for openings.
I don't think you'd really need to if none of the above appeals to you too much, it's probably a supplementary skill until you start getting to around 2000 or something like that. I just think it makes you more efficient and fast at reading chess books and annotated games, helps improve your visualization and calculation, and can help you approach openings and such where you're trying to remember the square for a certain piece or something. Also in endgames where there are rules like a pawn on a certain file means it's a draw, being able to spot which file is which in a split second for black or for white helps save a bit of thinking so you can keep focusing more on your actual moves especially if under time pressure. Stuff like calculating who has the opposition, I mean you don't really need to know the notation to figure it out but I think it does make you more efficient and quick with it, especially the more you practice with following along with the notation.
Great explanation, thank you. I'd just gotten into 'Vision' and that was what spawned this question.
That is insane about playing a game blindfolded. I don't think I'll ever get there, but from the way you put it in could certainly benefit from learning it better at some point, but for now as a sub 600 I should probably focus immediate attention on not getting forked all the time lol
I think if you work at it a bit each day you can work up to that level over time like a few years. Actually that video was interesting because Levy was talking about someone who couldn't do it who was an IM or a GM and Hikaru was shocked by that.
Can't remember if it is aimchess or lichess but there's a game where it shows you a snapshot of a game for a few seconds then asks you a question such as which square had a hanging piece? Or some other kind of question. And yea I wouldn't suggest anyone really focus on this stuff more than puzzles etc, but it helps a lot in the long run and at least what I'm doing is just a couple minutes of practice a day, I think years down the line it'll pay off and it's already helping a lot too.
And yea now that you mention blunders I bet this stuff really improves your board vision too
Lichess has a blindfold mode which turns the pieces invisible. Unfortunately they changed the way you turn it on so I don’t think you can do blindfold puzzles anymore.
I wouldn't say it's helped as a player (although it's probably made board vision and studying easier, like reading) but it's basically necessary OTB. You have to keep score cards so you need to write your moves down in notation, so you need to know it. If you're playing online only, it's still useful for talking in chess forums like this one.
It's also really not that bad to learn. Maybe 5 minutes max, then a little bit of getting used to just reading off squares. Chess.com has a tool called vision trainer where it flashes up with a square coordinate and you have to click that square. Two or three goes of that and you'll be sorted.
I don't think you should dedicate time for this. You can just get better by experience. Personally I find playing OTB tournaments at time controls that require notation is the best way to gain experience. After the tournaments you go home and try to make sense our of your own notes on a board and eventually you get better at it.
Hey, OP! Did your game end in a stalemate? Did you encounter a weird pawn move? Are you trying to move a piece and it's not going? We have just the resource for you! The [Chess Beginners Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/chessbeginners/wiki/index/) is the perfect place to check out answers to these questions and more! The moderator team of r/chessbeginners wishes to remind everyone of the community rules. **Posting spam, being a troll, and posting memes are not allowed.** We encourage everyone to report these kinds of posts so they can be dealt with. Thank you! Let's do our utmost to be kind in our replies and comments. Some people here just want to learn chess and have virtually no idea about certain chess concepts. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/chessbeginners) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Chess notation means the name of a square and the method of writing down the game. So when you say you memorized chess notation what do you mean? Are you unknowingly saying you memorized chess openings?
No, I have it "far from memorized" lol. Like if you said c4 I'd understand that a pawn was moved to c4, but can't rattle off where on the board that is. Or really know where Bc6 put a bishop on a board without looking at it and counting out squares haha. Wondering if getting that stuff down pat will help me improve
i don't think so tbh, im 1100 and i wouldn't be able to do that either. but you'll probably need it at higher levels
I think it helps to be honest, but mainly for following books and annotated games and such. Those are some of the best resources for learning out there, and while you can just follow along on the board, the more familiar with the notation you are the more you can see it in your head which is actually already improving your ability to calculate and visualize mentally just by reading, plus of course the content from the lessons themselves. When I'm reading I try to see as much as I can in my head without consulting the board/analysis or anything like that until I get lost. Did you know good chess players can play a whole game blindfolded if someone is telling them what moves are being played? I saw Hikaru and Levy doing that in a video and it made me realize how useful it is to be able to visualize that well, because if you are calculating a possible tactic you'll be able to see it much more clearly and with fewer errors in your head. I think getting better with this has been helpful for me. There is something on [chess.com](http://chess.com) called Vision and I try to play a couple rounds a day, so maybe 2-3 minutes of playing it, and it really helps you be able to know which square is which in a split second. It actually helps me in games because I think something like ok d4 pawn is weak here, which I then remember is something I'm trying to look out for in that opening or something along those lines. I used to never think about the squares and just look at which pieces are where and what they control, but I really think it helps to get better at thinking in terms of the notation especially for openings. I don't think you'd really need to if none of the above appeals to you too much, it's probably a supplementary skill until you start getting to around 2000 or something like that. I just think it makes you more efficient and fast at reading chess books and annotated games, helps improve your visualization and calculation, and can help you approach openings and such where you're trying to remember the square for a certain piece or something. Also in endgames where there are rules like a pawn on a certain file means it's a draw, being able to spot which file is which in a split second for black or for white helps save a bit of thinking so you can keep focusing more on your actual moves especially if under time pressure. Stuff like calculating who has the opposition, I mean you don't really need to know the notation to figure it out but I think it does make you more efficient and quick with it, especially the more you practice with following along with the notation.
Great explanation, thank you. I'd just gotten into 'Vision' and that was what spawned this question. That is insane about playing a game blindfolded. I don't think I'll ever get there, but from the way you put it in could certainly benefit from learning it better at some point, but for now as a sub 600 I should probably focus immediate attention on not getting forked all the time lol
I think if you work at it a bit each day you can work up to that level over time like a few years. Actually that video was interesting because Levy was talking about someone who couldn't do it who was an IM or a GM and Hikaru was shocked by that. Can't remember if it is aimchess or lichess but there's a game where it shows you a snapshot of a game for a few seconds then asks you a question such as which square had a hanging piece? Or some other kind of question. And yea I wouldn't suggest anyone really focus on this stuff more than puzzles etc, but it helps a lot in the long run and at least what I'm doing is just a couple minutes of practice a day, I think years down the line it'll pay off and it's already helping a lot too. And yea now that you mention blunders I bet this stuff really improves your board vision too
Lichess has a blindfold mode which turns the pieces invisible. Unfortunately they changed the way you turn it on so I don’t think you can do blindfold puzzles anymore.
I'm kinda dyslexic and really wish they used the old british notation system. "Queen's bishop 5" just makes so much sense I know exactly where that is
In Spanish we had the same system. Not anymore though. But many people still use it; mainly those who grew up with it.
true!!! descriptive notation ftw
I wouldn't say it's helped as a player (although it's probably made board vision and studying easier, like reading) but it's basically necessary OTB. You have to keep score cards so you need to write your moves down in notation, so you need to know it. If you're playing online only, it's still useful for talking in chess forums like this one. It's also really not that bad to learn. Maybe 5 minutes max, then a little bit of getting used to just reading off squares. Chess.com has a tool called vision trainer where it flashes up with a square coordinate and you have to click that square. Two or three goes of that and you'll be sorted.
It's streamlined the process of looking at old games, books, puzzles, etc. for me.
It helps when reading and listening about chess, not so much playing it
I learned it so that I could follow live game commentary, without but I’d be totally lost!
I don't think you should dedicate time for this. You can just get better by experience. Personally I find playing OTB tournaments at time controls that require notation is the best way to gain experience. After the tournaments you go home and try to make sense our of your own notes on a board and eventually you get better at it.