Do grandmasters have photographic memory?

No. Not at all. A lot of grandmasters are very good with spatial memory like John Ward has mentioned, but that doesn’t make it photographic memory.

Is good memory needed for chess?

Well yes, there is no significant importance of memory in chess but if you want to win a timed tournament matches, memory might come handy. I mean memorizing openings could save a lot of time, same could do the endgames. Besides saving time it can also make you confident about your moves or strategy etc.

What makes Magnus Carlsen a good chess?

His memorization of various masters game, his ability to maintain focus and concentration for long stretches at a time, and his fierce desire to win are all elements that make him good at chess. Having started at a young age and having several years of top competition helps hone his skills.

Does photographic memory help chess?

So-called photographic memory (or eidetic memory) does exist, but it is not particularly helpful in chess for the reasons you specify.

Which chess player has the best memory?

Well, it’s not. But, Carlsen also uses his exceptional memory skills to memorize chess patterns, classical games and endgame themes. In one of the recent interviews he stated that he remembers a few hundred classical chess games of the Great Ones.

Does chess improve working memory?

It has been suggested by different scientists that chess involves, and possibly boosts, cognitive abilities such as working memory, fluid intelligence, and concentration capacity. Therefore, chess helps to exercise the different memory stores as it helps to stimulate the rehearsal and retrieval functions of the memory.

Do chess players remember their games?

Broadly, chess players tend to be the subject of envy for their eidetic memory – or at least what’s commonly perceived as eidetic memory. It showed that Grandmasters didn’t look at or commit to memory the positions of individual pieces; rather, they remembered pieces in groups, structures or patterns.

Do you need photographic memory to be a chess grandmaster?

It’s not enough to have a photographic memory and score high on the IQ tests to be a great or even a good chess player. Chess is a game of skill that can be learned and improved. According to many studies it takes about 10 years of systematic work for becoming a chess grandmaster.