THE BENEFIT OF SOLVING BLINDFOLDED TACTICS IN YOUNG AND ADULT PLAYERS

Giovanni MARCHESICH; Laura TAMBURINI

doi:10.24234/miopap.v11i2.41

Authors

Giovanni MARCHESICH ARM https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1281-3273
Laura TAMBURINI

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24234/miopap.v11i2.41

Keywords:

blindfold chess, tactics training, cognitive development, chess players, young players, adult players, problem-solving skills, visualization techniques, mental calculation, chess training benefits

Abstract

Blindfold chess is a game where the board and pieces are not visible to its players. The project aims to verify the didactic usefulness of solving blindfolded tactics in young and adult people. A sample of 27 students (14 -30 years old) was formed, and several training sessions with blindfold tactical exercises were organized. In three months (from May to July 2023), 12 lessons of 2 hours each were organized. Then, objective measures (not subjective evaluations) of the benefits of this method have been collected by measuring two performance parameters (solving times of exercises and FIDE elo rating change after training sessions) and comparing them with their results before using this method. We analyzed the interaction between performance x blindfolding tactics compared to the control group participants, particularly the correlations between performance improvement x training interaction and the experimental cognitive path with the three training interaction steps. Significant are differences in the improvement (both in solving tactics times and in Rapid FIDE Elo rating) as a function of FIDE rating under vs over 1900 Elo (p0,05), with a more significant improvement for males. In the control group, the interaction is not essential (p>0,5) both in solving tactic times (with an average reduction of 30 seconds for each move) and in FIDE Elo Rating change after the training sessions.

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