English Chess Forum

I have noticed over the years that I have an excellent memory for faces. When I watch a movie for example, if I have seen an actor in something previously I cant leg go until I trace back to where I've seen them before.

I read this article with interest a few years ago:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... recogniser

I took the test from the article:
https://facetest.psy.unsw.edu.au/

I was in the top 1-2% of participants.

There is some overlap between the parts of the brain used to memorise chess positions and the parts used to memorise faces, so it could be that playing chess has developed my facial recognition ability.

I wondered if there are any other chess playing super recognisers?

I don't think things like this can be developed, they are innate the the individual brain and you are just lucky to be in that top 1% of people who have it- I can remember the layout of buildings I've visited with crystal clarity even years later but a lot of people's faces are a completely amorphous void in my memory, even people I have spent a lot of time with and should remember better.

I do wonder, on the subject of recollection, what a grand masters memory of chess looks like - can they recite entire games from memory, and hence are continually building a more and more advanced mental database throughout their career or are they just really good at spacial awareness and pattern recognition so can simply out calculate their opponents?