There is a difference between memorization and rote memorization. In chess, rote memorization of master games or chess positions is not a recognized training method. Chess memory improves as a byproduct of analyzing many positions.
Rote memorization is absolutely a mainstay of learning both openings
and endgames.
It’s usually a part of tactics training as well although not as purely, the polgar sisters for instance were drilled on the same chess positions day in day out in a spaced repetition system. This is going away a bit because chess puzzle databases have so many unique positions that there’s less need for repetition.
Regarding openings, there's a trade-off between chess training and chess results. Rote memorization can improve your results (if you already have good skills), but it won't improve your skills.
Learning endgames is not about blindly memorizing moves in specific positions. You learn tricks that can be used in a large number of positions. Even the seemingly very specific positions can be mirrored left-right (not to mention black-white).
That seems reasonable, but at the same time my understanding is that there’s enormous value in novice and intermediate players to memorizing openings. I wonder if that effect is significant enough to categorize chess as another high-rote-memorisation-affinity task.
Learning openings beyond a very basic level is not going to help the club player very much and it’s generally a good way for them to waste their time, at least from an improving your ELO perspective.
Being the best out of the opening will typically put you a “quarter pawn” ahead, maybe putting you ahead as white or equalizing as black. Then if you’re a novice you will immediately hang a knight and end up 2.75 pawns behind. Then your opponent will hang a bishop and you’ll be a quarter pawn ahead again.
The other problem with learning opening theory against novices is you will learn 30 moves a side of Ruy Lopez opening theory and your opponent won’t get 10 moves without leaving theory rendering your study moot.
There’s far more emphasis on memorizing openings at the grandmaster level because people are playing a tight enough game elsewhere for that slight advantage to really matter, and because of all the pre-game preperation where teams of grandmasters and chess engines will come up with novel moves to throw an opponent off balance while the star player memorizes the lines. To the point of grandmasters like Bobby Fischer complain it ruined the game and inventing variants like chess960. All super grandmasters have outlier memorization abilities.
Generally club players just need to rote memorize not too deeply and understand the broad sweeping ideas and key moves of the openings (when white does that, counter them with this). That should allow them to come up with reasonable moves on the fly which might be the best or third best moves. Memorizing fewer openings at first is probably better. At the more casual level memory is much less important.
This can't be more wrong. It's absolutely a training method, and the importance of recognizing certain openings is even more pronounced in professional play.
faeriechangling|1 year ago
It’s usually a part of tactics training as well although not as purely, the polgar sisters for instance were drilled on the same chess positions day in day out in a spaced repetition system. This is going away a bit because chess puzzle databases have so many unique positions that there’s less need for repetition.
lbalazscs|1 year ago
Learning endgames is not about blindly memorizing moves in specific positions. You learn tricks that can be used in a large number of positions. Even the seemingly very specific positions can be mirrored left-right (not to mention black-white).
blueboo|1 year ago
faeriechangling|1 year ago
Being the best out of the opening will typically put you a “quarter pawn” ahead, maybe putting you ahead as white or equalizing as black. Then if you’re a novice you will immediately hang a knight and end up 2.75 pawns behind. Then your opponent will hang a bishop and you’ll be a quarter pawn ahead again.
The other problem with learning opening theory against novices is you will learn 30 moves a side of Ruy Lopez opening theory and your opponent won’t get 10 moves without leaving theory rendering your study moot.
There’s far more emphasis on memorizing openings at the grandmaster level because people are playing a tight enough game elsewhere for that slight advantage to really matter, and because of all the pre-game preperation where teams of grandmasters and chess engines will come up with novel moves to throw an opponent off balance while the star player memorizes the lines. To the point of grandmasters like Bobby Fischer complain it ruined the game and inventing variants like chess960. All super grandmasters have outlier memorization abilities.
Generally club players just need to rote memorize not too deeply and understand the broad sweeping ideas and key moves of the openings (when white does that, counter them with this). That should allow them to come up with reasonable moves on the fly which might be the best or third best moves. Memorizing fewer openings at first is probably better. At the more casual level memory is much less important.
stevenhuang|1 year ago