Fascinating subject.
Smyslov_Fan — Yes, memory and chess is very interesting and something I am having to do lots of thinking on, from an academic pedagogical perspective. This comes from trying to find ways to best teach/improve my 8 y o son's chess games. Off-topic but the ideas of Richard James (UK) at
http://www.chesskids.com/art04.shtml are very interesting (ie on children, chess and understanding). And thanks for the references.
Stigma — I think you are right. I wasn't sure and therefore didn't post it but I think the game is Dvoretsky vs Timoshenko (1966?) USSR Ch. And of course memory works also with understanding and existing knowledge (it is a loop!) see below.
trw and matemax — I think memorisation is of at least two types (maybe more according to Smyslov_Fan's post and the people mentioned. 1) rote memory of very basic 1st order stuff/facts. Eg the times table or in chess, the initial moves of chess openings. (
I am afraid this is one area where my memory really fails me since I have trouble even remembering the Phillidor after reading about it. I have to sometimes rely on my son's memory!!
)
2) memory by understanding. Here I think there are various ways to achieve memorisation. Some people are visual, some are eidetic, and/or some are "doers" (ie remember by physical action, eg playing in actual games).
A) I also think losing or winning games can assist in memory. Losing helps to put a "narrative" and this assists in associative memory. Similarly winnig after a protracted struggle etc.
B) Memory by doing is obviously crucial in blitz games where your mind is sort of on automatic. (This maybe akin to Michel Polanyi's tacit memory (whose ideas have abeen adopted (corrupted?) by all those knowledge management people).
There is of course the Susan Polgar's "thesis" that she has memorised at least 10,000(?) positions if not more which assists her in her games. (This is where the topic segues into my interest in children and chess. Do children below 11-12 learn by brute memory and mimicry with only a very rudimentary logical analytical thinking? Of course children who are "gifted" are a special case or more like on an extreme end of a spectrum where they may have been "blessed" with advanced logical analytical thinking ability a la Carlsen et al.)
Lastly (in another long post
): Anand (according to commentators!) recently failed to remember corredtly a transposition and lost a game to Ivanchuk(?). Re remembering old master games, I think there was also a recent example where the GMs were replaying a game from the 1960s without realising it.
Having said that, I noticed that the recent "junior" GMs/WGMs are not really studying master games from the 40s-60s. An example is Hou Yi-fan — check out the interview on Chesslife (USCF website) in a report by IGM Rogers.