Chess Visualization with Aiden Rayner

Episode Archive

Episode Archive

851 episodes of Chess Visualization with Aiden Rayner since the first episode, which aired on August 25th, 2023.

  • ⚡️ What 1800s Are Missing (Quick Lesson)

    August 15th, 2026  |  14 mins 21 secs
    chess, conceptualization, visualization

    In my work with 1800 and 2000 rated students, I've seen two common areas for improvement that seem to mark the difference between players at that level and the level above. Here's what they are and how to train them.

  • 👨‍🏫 Conceptualization and Rating (Insight Episode)

    August 14th, 2026  |  8 mins 42 secs
    chess, conceptualization, visualization

    Today we kick off a new series walking you through key rating milestones and exactly what conceptualizations skills are most important to master at each one.

  • 🧠🧠🧠 One Anand Done (Position Exercise)

    August 13th, 2026  |  6 mins 7 secs
    chess, exercise, visualization

    Position Exercise: The audio will tell you where each of the pieces on the board are and whose turn it is. Find the best move!

  • 🧠🧠 Hold a Candelario (Awareness Exercise)

    August 12th, 2026  |  5 mins 55 secs
    chess, exercise, visualization

    Awareness Exercise: Listen to the locations of all the pieces in the position, then answer the questions to test your awareness.

  • 🧠 One Point Down (Hybrid Exercise)

    August 11th, 2026  |  4 mins 47 secs
    chess, conceptualization, exercise, visualization

    Hybrid Exercise: The audio will tell you where each of the pieces on the board are, then read a series of moves from that position. When prompted, try to identify the best next move.

  • 🧠 Grobtastic (Find the Blunder Exercise)

    August 10th, 2026  |  5 mins 27 secs
    chess, exercise, visualization

    Find the Blunder Exercise: The audio will lead you through a series of moves from the beginning of a game. One player will blunder and the other will not punish them for it. Can you find the blunder and the best punishment?

  • 🚶‍♂️ Both Sides of the Move (Walkthrough)

    August 9th, 2026  |  32 mins 44 secs
    chess, conceptualization, visualization

    If we only pay attention to what the piece is doing on its new square, we miss all the things it's no longer doing on its old. And that's where many opportunities are missed and blunders are made.

  • 🎉 Mate-in-2s for Quiet Moments (Saturday Fun Episode)

    August 8th, 2026  |  18 mins 41 secs
    chess, conceptualization, visualization

    I give you three of my favorite "Meredith" mate-in-2 puzzles to memorize and chip away at through your day.

  • 👨‍🏫 An All New Don't Move Until You See It

    August 7th, 2026  |  7 mins 5 secs
    chess, conceptualization, insight, visualization

    The all new Don't Move Until You See It website is live! Here's a little info on why I'm so excited about it.

  • 🧠🧠🧠 Doom in Dunedin (Find the Blunder Exercise)

    August 6th, 2026  |  13 mins 59 secs
    chess, exercise, visualization

    Find the Blunder Exercise: The audio will lead you through a series of moves from the beginning of a game. One player will blunder and the other will not punish them for it. Can you find the blunder and the best punishment?

  • 🧠🧠 Seventh Haven (Lost Piece Exercise)

    August 5th, 2026  |  6 mins 58 secs
    chess, conceptualization, visualization

    Lost Piece Exercise: The audio will tell you the position of most of the pieces on the board. Can you work out where the missing piece is meant to be?

  • 🧠 Data First (Opening Exercise)

    August 4th, 2026  |  5 mins 3 secs
    chess, exercise, visualization

    Opening Exercise: The audio will lead you through a series of moves from the beginning of a game. At a certain point, one player will make a mistake and it’ll be your job to find the move to punish it.

  • 🧠 Rook Endings (Vigilance Exercise)

    August 3rd, 2026  |  5 mins 40 secs
    chess, exercise, visualization

    Vigilance Exercise: Follow the sequence of moves from a position and decide at the end which of two moves should be played.

  • 🚶‍♂️Resisting the Obvious Move (Walkthrough)

    August 2nd, 2026  |  45 mins 37 secs
    chess, conceptualization, visualization

    Some moves seem so obvious they shut down our brain and cause us to play without thinking. Here's a walkthrough with a great example and some advice on resisting that.

  • 🎉 Models of the Masters (Saturday Fun Episode)

    August 1st, 2026  |  34 mins 16 secs
    chess, conceptualization, visualization

    I discuss the conceptualization spectrum and break down some of the most interesting models I've run into in my half-decade of researching this stuff. And I try (and fail) not to go on tangents about cool Chess conceptualization stories.

  • ⚡️ Aphantasia and the Visual-Verbal Spectrum

    July 31st, 2026  |  14 mins 53 secs
    chess, conceptualization, visualization

    If you can't create pictures in your head, does that mean you must use words instead? I break down some new insights I've run into, and suggest that may not be the case.