Stigma wrote on 08/20/09 at 13:53:44:


That's exactly how my wife prepares for her exams. Never tried it myself, but she says it helps.

Back to the topic, I have a few colour associations, for various reasons:
- The Dutch is orange, for the reason MNb says.
- The Norwegian and the Danish are red because of the flags.
- The KID is green, probably because my first KID book had a green cover. Could also be because green is my favourite colour, and I like to face the KID.
- The Meran is White, because I score very well with White in that opening.
- The Black Knight's Tango is, well, Black.

Those are the ones that I can come up with right now.

I've even heard this recommended as a training technique: Listen to a certain style or artist while studying a particular opening, and you will more easily remember the theory if you think about the music!

Never tried this myself, but I have some other weird music associations that suggest there might be something to it. To me, that beast howling in Michale Jackson's "Thriller" is not a wolf; I happened to be reading Conan Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and listening to "Thriller" at the same time! 

Also, for similar reasons I cannot hear Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" without being reminded of the Stephen King novel "Desperation".

Quote:

Hmm - "Go west life is peaceful there..." You have to be a 1.c4 (slightly west on the chessboard, isn't it!) player for that - Richter Rauzer is more like taking Jethro Tull's Lokomotive breath

Bibs wrote on 08/20/09 at 10:39:15:


good one - perhaps "pink glases" is wrong - it just means you see the world very positive and optimistic - perhaps naive

As I am an optimist I see most opening through my pink glases 

But I see red when someone on ICC plays "Trash Openings" - ECO T - like 1....h5 2...h4 or 1...f7 - cause red is the colour of blood from oponent then 

Everything seams allright then - all to confuse your opponent..

Colourblind? Does it mean "Random opening"? How to prepare against that?

There have been certain mental conditions that have been documented in which savants associate colors and shapes with numbers and other items in order to help them remember.

I tend to think abstractly when analysing, but I remember the book cover, and mentally find the right page (or computer screen and game).  I don't worry too much about the names of the openings and so don't associate colors with them.   

I do associate feelings with certain openings, such as joy at seeing the King's Indian, determination at the Triangle defenses, a sense of anachronism at certain e4-e5 lines, and general befuddlement at the first move.