blindfold-chess.app

Exercise 1.1: Checkmate with 2 Rooks

To make a move, you need to do 3 taps to select a piece and 3 taps to select its destination square. Do you understand how it works by looking at the 2-rook checkmate below?

Exercise 1.2: Colored Circles

Instead of seeing chess pieces, what about seeing only circles representing the pieces?

Exercise 1.3: Uncolored Circles

Now both your and your opponent's pieces are white circles!

Exercise 1.4: Empty Board

Can you also do the exercise if you can't see any pieces at all? Do you remember where the pieces are?

Exercise 1.5: Text and Areas

Can you do the same checkmate without seeing any board at all?

Exercise 2.1: Learn the Square Names

Do you know the names of all squares on the chessboard? If not, you can learn them here:

Exercise 2.2: Test your Square Knowledge

Now test whether you know the square names on an empty board:

Exercise 2.3: Quadrant Race

How quickly can you select the 64 squares without seeing a board at all?

Exercise 3.1: Many pawns!

From a starting position with many pawns...

...can you deliver checkmate?

Exercise 3.2: Many pawns, circles only!

Can you deliver checkmate while seeing only circles?

Exercise 3.3: Many pawns, uncolored circles!

Can you deliver checkmate while seeing only uncolored circles?

Exercise 3.4: Many pawns, an empty board!

From the same starting position as above, can you deliver checkmate without seeing any pieces at all?

Exercise 3.5: Standard starting position, circles!

For the standard starting position, how many moves can you do until forgetting the position of a piece?

Exercise 3.6: Standard starting position, uncolored circles!

For the standard starting position, how many moves can you do until forgetting the position of a piece?

Exercise 3.7: Standard starting position, empty board!

For the standard starting position, how many moves can you do until forgetting the position of a piece?

Exercise 4.1: Many pawns, just text and areas!

In lesson 3, you practised delivering checkmate with various visual aids. There, you proved that you can remember the piece positions.

Without seeing a board, there is another skill involved: can you reason about the board and piece movements without seeing a board? Now, from this starting position...

...try to deliver checkmate with only "Text and areas" as visual help! You may find it easier to close your eyes and rely on the audio only.

Exercise 4.2: Diagonals

In blindfold chess, diagonals are harder to reason about than ranks and files. Do you instantly know that you can move a bishop from c1 to h6? Is your opponent's bishop on c8 able to take your queen on f3 in 2 moves?

The following exercise is a preparation for a blindfold exercise. You'll see the names of 2 squares, for example "c1 → e7". Can a bishop move from the first square to the second square in 2 moves? In this case there are 2 possible solutions: "g5" or "a3". Select both solutions in any order. If a bishop cannot move to the second square (because their colors are different), click "Impossible!"

Exercise 4.3: Diagonal Race

If you think you're ready to do the above diagonal exercise with your eyes closed, do a "Diagonal Race". If a move is impossible (because the start and end squares have different colors), swipe from the center to the right.

Exercise 4.4: Knight Race

Another visualization exercise is Knight Race.

You'll hear 2 squares and the goal is to select the squares that form a knight's shortest path between the two squares. For example, if you hear "a1 → a2", the shortest paths are "start → b3 → c1 → end" and "start → c2 → b3 → end", so you must select "b3 c1" or "c2 b3" (6 taps).

Exercise 4.5: Blindfold chess puzzles

Close your eyes, click "Puzzle Ascent 6" see if you can solve 3 puzzles. The position of each puzzle is read out loud. Swipe from the square in the center downwards to hear the position again. You have the white pieces in each puzzle.

Puzzle Ascent 6

Go on an adventure

Are you ready to take a leap? Go back to the main page and play a game from the standard position with just "Text and areas" as visual help. How many moves can you do until forgetting the position of a piece? Can you deliver checkmate?

Notice that there are many extra skills involved during such a blindfold chess game. Some skills only develop with well-focused practice and many nights of sleep in between.

• Knowing the square names (you got this, right?)
• Using the blindfold input system (do Quadrant Race for 10 minutes each day until you master it)
• Remembering the piece positions (practise with "Uncolored Circles", often closing your eyes for a couple of moves)
• Reasoning about the board and piece movements without seeing them (do Diagonal Race, do Knight Race, start a blindfold game, think about a chess puzzle)

Your brain will rewire itself to adapt to blindfold chess. We believe in you! You can do it! You can become a blindfold chess player!

Good luck and have fun!