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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[Event "World Student Team Chp, Haifa"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1970.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Richard Verber (USA)"]
[Black "Werner Mikenda (Austria)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A14"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.02.27"]
{Reti Opening} 1. g3 d5 2. Bg2 Nf6 3. Nf3 e6 4. c4 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. b3 c5 7.
Bb2 Nc6 8. d3 b6 9. e3 Bb7 10. Qe2 Qc7 11. Nc3 dxc4 12. bxc4 Rad8 13. Rfd1 Rd7
{This has all been played before and besides 14.h3 white has tried 5 other
moves!} 14. h3 Rfd8 15. a3 Qb8 16. Kh2 Ne8 17. Ne1 Bf6 18. Rab1 Na5 19. Ba1 Nd6
20. Bxb7 Qxb7 {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.} Bd4
22. Nc2 Nc6 23. f4 Nc8 24. e5 N8e7 {Positionally black stands well here because
of white's backward d-Pawn and the fact that he can occupy d5.} 25. Ne4 {
One suspects the N is headed for d6, but one would be wrong!} Bxa1 26. Nxc5 {
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. Rxa1 Nf5 {Play now will
revolve around d4} 27. g4 (27. Rd2 Nfd4 28. Nxd4 Nxd4 29. Qd1 (29. Qg4 Nb3 30.
Nf6+ Kh8 31. Nxd7 Nxd2 32. Qe2 Nf3+ {is winning for black.}) 29... h6 {Black
stands slightly better.} 30. Nd6 {won't work because of} Rxd6 31. exd6 Nf3+ 32.
Kg2 Nxd2+) 27... Nfd4 28. Nxd4 Nxd4 29. Qf2 Qb8 30. Nd6) (26. Nd6 {This also
allows black to maintain his positional advantage after} Rxd6 27. exd6 Nf5 28.
Rxa1 Rxd6 {Black has a N+P for the R and his more active pieces give him a
slight advantage.}) 26... Qa8 27. Nxd7 Nd4 {This attacks the Q, but it's the
wrong piece to place on d4.} (27... Bd4 28. Nxd4 Nxd4 29. Qe4 Nec6 30. Nxb6
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. Qe4 Nxc2 (28... Qxe4
{Trading Qs would cost black the game.} 29. dxe4 Nec6 (29... Nxc2 30. Nf6+ gxf6
31. Rxd8+ {wins}) 30. Nxa1 Rxd7 {and white is winning.}) 29. Qxa8 Rxa8 30. c5 {
With this move Verber frees his N on d7, but more than that, Mikenda has
become confused about the material situation!} (30. Rxa1 {loses the game.} Nxa1
31. Rxa1 Rd8 32. Nxb6 axb6 33. Rd1 Nf5 {and black is winning.}) 30... Ne3 {
This is, or should have been, a losing move!} (30... Bd4 31. cxb6 axb6 32. Nxb6
{is nearly identical to the final position.}) 31. Re1 {Verber counter-blunders!
} (31. Rxa1 Nxd1 32. Rxd1 Rd8 33. Nxb6 axb6 34. cxb6 Rb8 {with a likely draw.})
(31. cxb6 axb6 32. Nxb6 Rd8 (32... Nxd1 33. Nxa8 Bb2 34. a4 {and white is
winning after} Nd5 35. Rxd1) 33. Rxa1 Nxd1 34. Rxd1 {and white has a decisive
advantage.}) 31... Bd4 32. cxb6 axb6 33. Nxb6 {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. Nxb6 Bxb6 34. Rxb6 N7d5 {In Shootouts black won 2 games while 3 were
drawn.} (34... Rxa3 35. Rb8+ Nc8 36. Rxc8#)) 1-0
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