Mental images can also lead to solutions when it comes to solving problems. Albert Einstein used a mental image in developing his theory of relativity when he pictured in his mind what it would be like to ride a light beam at the speed of light. He later said that words played no role in his creative thought; instead, he created mental images.
Chess players know something about visualization. It's the skill used to form mental images of future positions. Strategy and tactics require creating mental images and the move selected is played because the outcome has been visualized.
It works that way for all players, but, of course, the stronger the player, the better they are at it.
However, as we will see in today's game sometimes calculating and mental imaging can go haywire even for masters.
In 1970 the US team captured the World Student Team Championship that was held in Haifa, Israel. The team was made up of Kenneth Rogoff, Andrew Soltis, Michael Senkiewicz, Richard Verber, James Tarjan and Marc Yoffie.
Although winning the event by a single point meant every point and half point was critical, the one game that gave the team the championship was one that, well, was literally given to them...it was Richard Verber's win over the Austrian player Werner Mikenda. 
Against Austria, at the beginning of the fifth hour of play, the US was losing 2-1 and things looked bad. In Verber's game he had a poor game positionally and if he lost the US team would most surely be eliminated from the race for first.
Out of desperation Verber began to complicate things and in the end a miracle happened...Mikenda miscounted the pieces on the board and resigned in a position in which his winning chances were quite good!
Senior Master Richard Verber (June 3, 1944 – December 10, 2001) was long one of the strongest players and most prominent chess organizers and teachers in the Chicago area when he passed away at the age of 57.
A National Tournament Director, Verber organized many important events in Chicago.
As a player he represented the US three times in the World Student Team Championships. His score at Haifa in 1970 was the highlight of his career because he won the gold medal for best fourth board score with a 5.5-1.5 score.
In his later years, Verber, who was quite obese, was plagued by poor health and was confined to a wheelchair.
Verber's opponent in this game was Austrian FM Werner Mikenda (September 15, 1946-September 11, 2008, 76 years old) who was a chemist and an associate professor at the Institute for Organic Chemistry at the University of Vienna. His last chess activity seems to have been around 1985
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Richard Verber (USA)–Werner Mikenda (Austria)1–0A14World Student Team Chp, Haifa1970Stockfish 15.1
Reti Opening 1.g3 d5 2.g2 f6 3.f3 e6 4.c4 e7 5.0-0 0-0 6.b3 c5 7.b2 c6 8.d3 b6 9.e3 b7 10.e2 c7 11.c3 dxc4 12.bxc4 ad8 13.fd1 d7 This has all been played before and besides 14.h3 white has tried 5 other
moves! 14.h3 fd8 15.a3 b8 16.h2 e8 17.e1 f6 18.ab1 a5 19.a1 d6 20.xb7 xb7 If you are bored, hang on...things are about to get exciting. 21.e4 This turns out not to be so good because it saddles white with a
backward d-Pawn. Either 21.Na4 or 21.f4 would have kept up the boredom. d4 22.c2 c6 23.f4 c8 24.e5 8e7 Positionally black stands well here because
of white's backward d-Pawn and the fact that he can occupy d5. 25.e4
One suspects the N is headed for d6, but one would be wrong! xa1 26.xc5
Objectively this is not a very good move, but because he has a poor game
positionally and a slow strategic battle is not likely to turn out well for
him Verber decides on some tactical shenanigans. 26.xa1 f5 Play now will
revolve around d4 27.g4 27.d2 fd4 28.xd4 xd4 29.d1 29.g4 b3 30.f6+ h8 31.xd7 xd2 32.e2 f3+ is winning for black. 29...h6 Black
stands slightly better. 30.d6 won't work because of xd6 31.exd6 f3+ 32.g2 xd2+ 27...fd4 28.xd4 xd4 29.f2 b8 30.d6 26.d6 This also
allows black to maintain his positional advantage after xd6 27.exd6 f5 28.xa1 xd6 Black has a N+P for the R and his more active pieces give him a
slight advantage. 26...a8 27.xd7 d4 This attacks the Q, but it's the
wrong piece to place on d4. 27...d4 28.xd4 xd4 29.e4 ec6 30.xb6 axb6 This is a very complicated position! Black has two Ns vs a R+2Ps but his
position is judged to be better because of the activity of his pieces. In fact,
in 5 Shootouts using Stockfish, black scored 5 wins. 28.e4 xc2 28...xe4 Trading Qs would cost black the game. 29.dxe4 ec6 29...xc2 30.f6+ gxf6 31.xd8+ wins 30.xa1 xd7 and white is winning. 29.xa8 xa8 30.c5
With this move Verber frees his N on d7, but more than that, Mikenda has
become confused about the material situation! 30.xa1 loses the game. xa1 31.xa1 d8 32.xb6 axb6 33.d1 f5 and black is winning. 30...e3
This is, or should have been, a losing move! 30...d4 31.cxb6 axb6 32.xb6 is nearly identical to the final position. 31.e1 Verber counter-blunders!
31.xa1 xd1 32.xd1 d8 33.xb6 axb6 34.cxb6 b8 with a likely draw. 31.cxb6 axb6 32.xb6 d8 32...xd1 33.xa8 b2 34.a4 and white is
winning after d5 35.xd1 33.xa1 xd1 34.xd1 and white has a decisive
advantage. 31...d4 32.cxb6 axb6 33.xb6 Incredibly, black resigned. GM
Andrew Soltis pointed out that black's two pieces are superior to white's R
and so black definitely has winning chances. But, somehow Mikenda believed he
had lost the exchange and when he resigned he told Verber, "I have no moves." 33.xb6 xb6 34.xb6 7d5 In Shootouts black won 2 games while 3 were
drawn. 34...xa3 35.b8+ c8 36.xc8# 1–0
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