Can you “see” future chess moves in your mind?
I’m only an intermediate chess player although I enjoy it. I have a difficult time keeping track of moves in my head. I have very little visual memory; I believe it’s called aphantasia. Aphantasia - Wikipedia
Consequently, it becomes hard for me to plan out more than a few moves in my mind.
Do you play chess? Can you “see” the moves you plan to make?
My father taught me how to play chess when I was 9yo. I have recently taken it up again 2 years ago. My wife and I typically play a few games a week. We have played hundreds of games and I also play against an app on my phone.
To plan out more than a few moves, when you think about it, can be hundreds of possibilities depending on what your opponent does. Now I don’t know if I really visualize them as you say. I can visualize a few pieces in different positions, and predict what my opponent may do because of my moves. I don’t know if ‘visualize’ is the correct term for me though. I’m a GIS programmer. Our specialty really comes down to spatial analysis. A map maker in its simplest terms. It’s what I do for a living. I think this gives me a distinctive advantage.
I can analysis the entire board very quickly, and cut defensive and offensive areas into it’s zones, but see the bishop that may swoop in from across the board. I really don’t know how I visualize it.
I have excellent spatial skills. Just don’t ask me what I had for lunch yesterday. Or what year I took a certain vacation. I Won’t have a clue (drives my wife a bit nuts I think).
TokyoBayer, how is your other memory?
I don’t know how to describe what kind of chess player I am. I understand the most basic of basic strategy (I don’t open with a3, for example), and am familiar with the basic techniques (pins, forks, and skewers, for example), but I still routinely get shredded when I play.
I can see maybe two moves ahead. I say this based on the fact that I can generally solve about five in ten of those “White mates in two” problems that are in chess books. I don’t think I’ve ever solved a “White mates in three” problem. I sure as hell can’t do “White gets a slightly better position in three” problems that masters have to solve in their heads.
“Sort of”.
When calculating, my mind focuses on specific elements of the position that are deemed salient. I then calculate and can visualize the resulting positions. However, I am not visualizing the whole position, just certain elements of the position. I’m not typically visualizing the position of the pawn on a3 or the rook in the corner on a8 when conducting a kingside attack, for example, because I’m not a good enough player. With all the predictable results this entails (sigh "Oh yeah, rook to e8 counters; my position sucks…).
I’m a retired professional chess coach.
I also played at international level (I’m a FIDE Master and once reached 2390 ELO.)
I can visualise the entire board and analyse a few moves ahead (then ‘reset’ to the original position. 
)
N.B. A ‘few’ moves depends on how many pieces are on the board.
In a complicated middle-game position, I’m happy to see 2-3 moves ahead (for both my opponent and myself.)
I once accurately saw 12 moves ahead in a King + pawn ending.
I learnt how to imagine the board as a teenager. I stared at a ceiling and tried to see the starting position. After a couple of years … I could!
Moderator Action
Since this is more about chess than aphantasia in general, let’s move this to the Game Room (from IMHO).