Is mentally rehearsing positions away from the board, without pieces, a legitimate training method?
These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram repetition casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it against the engine before publishing.
Direct answer
Yes, genuinely legitimate, and it costs nothing but attention. Visualising a familiar position, or working through a short sequence of moves entirely in your head without a physical board in front of you, strengthens the same underlying skill that supports normal calculation and, at the far end, full blindfold play.
Why this is more than just daydreaming about the game
Calculation during a real game already requires holding a position in your head several moves ahead of what is physically on the board, so deliberately practising that same skill away from the board is direct, relevant training rather than an unrelated novelty. It is simply the visualisation half of calculation, isolated and practised on its own.
A reasonable way to actually do this
Start with a short, recent game you remember reasonably well and try to replay it move by move purely in your head, checking yourself against the real record afterward. See blindfold xiangqi as a trained skill for where this ability leads if developed much further.
Related questions
Do I need to be strong already to benefit from this?
No, starting with very short, simple sequences works at any level; the skill builds gradually the same way any other training does.
Is this a substitute for studying with a real board?
A supplement, not a substitute; a physical or digital board remains the primary way most study should happen.
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