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Why square names are worth drilling
Every chess book, video and engine line is written in coordinates. If you have to count ranks and files to find g5, you are spending the thinking time you needed for the position on the address of the square. Players around 1000–1800 lose more to that tax than they expect: you miss a fork because you never saw that both pieces sat on the same diagonal, or you lose the thread of a line because the notation stopped being a picture and turned into arithmetic.
This drill names a square and asks you to click it. It flips between White's and Black's side of the board, because seeing the board from Black is a separate skill and it is the one most players never practise. Each run records your accuracy and your average response time, so progress shows up as a number rather than a feeling.
Short and frequent beats long and rare. A couple of minutes before you play is enough; the goal is recognition, not endurance. Most people stop counting within a week or two and the board simply reads as a grid of names.
Questions
How long does it take to learn the chessboard coordinates?
Most players stop counting after one to two weeks of short daily runs. The first jump is quick; getting the same speed from Black's side usually takes about as long again, which is why this trainer drills both.
Does board vision actually improve your chess?
Indirectly, and that is the point. Naming squares instantly does not win games by itself, but it frees the attention you were spending on navigation for calculation, and it makes studying lines from books or videos far less tiring.
Why practise from Black's side of the board?
You play half your games as Black, and the coordinates do not flip in your head automatically. Practising only from White's view leaves a blind spot in exactly half your games.
What is a good accuracy and speed to aim for?
Aim for accuracy first: hold above 95% before you chase speed. Once you are steady there, under two seconds per square from either side is a comfortable club-level target.
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