user11071: There seems to be no shortage of stories about top rated players playing blindfold, either recreationally, or in tournaments. I'm curious whether all top players have this ability. Are there are GM-level players (current or former), for instance, known to not have any ability to play blindfold?

user26399: As of this post all super grandmasters can play blindfold. For young GMs who are just starting out playing blindfold, they may not be super good at first but they should be able to pick it up quickly. Also, for old GM's it might be harder for them to play blindfold, as short term memory and spatial reasoning might be diminished. But most, if not all, GMs should be able to play blindfold chess.

11071: <p>There seems to be no shortage of stories about top rated players playing blindfold, either recreationally, or in tournaments. I'm curious whether <em>all</em> top players have this ability. Are there are GM-level players (current or former), for instance, known to <em>not</em> have any ability to play blindfold?</p>
 26399: <p>As of <a href="https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/8719/is-it-common-for-super-grandmasters-to-have-the-ability-to-play-simultaneous-bli">this post</a> all super grandmasters can play blindfold. For young GMs who are just starting out playing blindfold, they may not be super good at first but they should be able to pick it up quickly. Also, for old GM's it might be harder for them to play blindfold, as short term memory and spatial reasoning might be diminished. But most, if not all, GMs should be able to play blindfold chess.</p>
