Board visualization exercises

First of all, you should know without problems the notation of the moves. This is not an
objective of our course and you can easily find a guide for this.
Then, you should know that the board visualization training is very important for you and
the training consists in solving exercises, most of them without looking at the board.
The capability to see the board in your mind, the piece routes and, later, to be able to
solve simple positions only reading the arrangement of pieces takes a lot of time. The
good news is that the training is not hard and takes only some few minutes per week. The
process cannot be hurried up too much as your mind has to get used with this.
The training will consists in 3-4 days of training per week and a board visualization
training session should last for only 3-10 minutes. So, we will give between 12 and 16
sessions every month.
Answer to the given exercises, writing down your complete answers. At the end of the
training sessions, check your answers by looking at the board.
Do not try to solve the given exercises in less than a month as the effect is not bigger.
Again: your mind needs time to see the chess board, piece movement and tactical
cooperation between pieces.

Month 1
Day 1)
With the real board in front of you, arrange the pieces in the initial position and look at
the normal developing squares for the pieces (but without moving them):
- c3 and f3 squares are for the white knights
- c6 and f6 squares are for the black knights
- e2, d3, c4, b5 squares are for the Whites light-square bishop. The same, observe
the squares for normal development of the other bishops
- g2, b2, g7, b7 squares are for the fianchetto developments of the bishops
- g1 is the square where the Whites king arrives after the short castle. The same,
observe the squares for the long castle and, as well, for the black king. Then, look
at the squares where the rooks arrive after the fourth possible castles.
- Look at the fourth central squares (e4, d4, e5, d5)
Now, take the pieces out of the board and try to do the same thing (to see the normal
development squares) looking only at the empty board.

Now, the last stage of training of the first day: without looking at the chess board, tell all
the squares from above (the normal development squares for the knights, bishops,
bishops on fianchetto, kings and rooks after the castle is done).

Day 2)
The same as in Day 1)

Day 3)
The same as in the first day, but without looking at the board:
-

tell the squares where the (4) knights develop normally

tell the squares where the (4) bishops can develop normally
tell the 4 squares of fianchetto development for the bishops
tell the squares of kings and rooks after the castle is done

Day 4)
With the real board in front of you, look at all the squares controlled by:
- a knight developed on c3 (put only this knight on the board)
- a knight developed on f3 (----)
- a knight developed on c6 (----)
- a knight developed on f6 (----)
Then, without looking at the board, try to tell all the squares controlled by those 4
knights.

Day 5)
With the real board in front of you, look at all the squares controlled by:
- the f1-bishop developed on e2 (put only this bishop on the board)
- the f1-bishop developed on d3, c4, b5
- the f8-bishop developed on e7, d6, c5, b4
- the other 2 bishops as above
Without seeing the board, tell all the squares controlled by those 4 bishops developed as
explained (1, 2, 3, or 4 squares developed away from their initial position)

Day 6)
Without looking at the board, tell all the squares controlled by:
- a bishop on g2
- a bishop on g7
- a bishop on e5
- a bishop on b7
- a bishop on d2
- a bishop on c5

Day 7)
Without looking at the board, tell all the squares controlled by:
- a bishop on b2
- a bishop on b7
- a bishop on a5
- a bishop on h4
- a bishop on d4
- a bishop on f4

Day 8)
Without looking at the board, tell all the squares controlled by:
- a knight on c3
- a knight on e2
- a knight on f6
- a knight on d4

Day 9)
Without looking at the board, tell all the squares controlled by:
- a knight on c6
- a knight on f3
- a knight on b2
- a knight on c5
- a knight on h7

Day 10)
Without looking at the board, tell all the squares controlled by:
- a knight on c5 and a bishop on g3
- a knight on f4 and a bishop on h8

a knight on d7 and a bishop on d2

2 knights on e4 and d4

Day 11)
Without looking at the board, tell:
- how a white rook from c1 can attack a knight on f6 (2 squares)
- how a black rook from h8 can attack a white knight on g2
- how a white rook from g5 can defend a white knight on h6
- how a black rook from c6 can defend a black bishop on g7
- how a white rook from f1 can check a black king on g8
- how a black rook from e5 can defend a black queen on c4

Day 12)
Without looking at the board, tell:
- Example: how a white queen from c5 can attack a black rook on g7 without being
captured? Answer: c3, d4, e5, f8. The squares controlled by the black rook are not
good, as for example c7.
- How a white queen from c1 can attack a black rook on g7 (without being
captured. This condition applies to all the next questions)
- How a white queen from d4 can attack a black rook on e8
- How a black queen from c3 can attack a white rook on f1
- How the white queen from the initial position can attack the black rook on a8,
and, then, h8.

Day 13)
Without looking at the board, tell:
- how a white queen from d1 can attack a black bishop on g7 without being
captured (This condition applies to all the next questions)
- how a white queen from d4 can attack a black bishop on b7
- how a black queen from c7 can attack a white bishop on g2
- how a white queen from d3 can attack a black bishop on h6
- how a white queen from b1 can attack a black bishop on f3
- how a black queen from g6 can attack a white bishop on b5

The exercises will continue in the next month of training.