Guide: How to Train Your Memory

Introduction

Memory is often noticed only when it fails: we cannot recall a conversational partner's name, forget where we put our keys, or re-read the same paragraph multiple times. In reality, it works almost continuously. Thanks to memory, we recognize familiar faces, navigate through the city, resume an interrupted thought, learn rules of a game, and predict the consequences of our decisions. Even a simple action—returning to a room to retrieve a left-behind item—requires retaining the goal, not losing it along the way, and linking it to the right place.

Visual and spatial memory are particularly important in everyday life. They help us remember where a car was parked, which part of the screen a symbol appeared on, how objects were arranged, or what is hidden under a flipped tile. However, memory is neither a video camera nor a warehouse where information arrives in an unaltered state. To recall something, the brain partially reconstructs the event from separate details, associations, and context. That is why a memory can be vivid and persuasive, yet not entirely accurate.

What This Skill Is

The word "memory" conceals not a single ability, but a whole set of processes. First, information must be noticed and encoded, then held for a certain period, and later retrieved and reproduced. A failed recall does not always mean that information has completely disappeared. Sometimes a proper cue is missing: a familiar scent, a location, or a first word can suddenly bring back what seemed forgotten just a minute ago.

Working memory is especially critical for ongoing mental tasks. Psychologists Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch described it not as a passive short-term storage, but as a system that simultaneously holds and processes information. For instance, it is needed when a person calculates mentally, compares several move options, or tries not to forget the beginning of a sentence while listening to its end. In Baddeley's model, a distinct visuospatial component is responsible for temporarily holding shapes, positions, and directions, while the central executive distributes limited attention across tasks.

The fact that different types of memory can function relatively independently was vividly demonstrated by the story of Henry Molaison, known in scientific literature as Patient H.M. After a surgical procedure that damaged structures of the medial temporal lobe, he lost the ability to form new conscious memories normally. At the same time, in experiments by neuropsychologist Brenda Milner, he gradually learned to perform certain motor tasks, even though each time he had no memory of previous practice sessions. This case became key evidence that memory for events and skill learning rely on distinct systems.

Another interesting example comes from mnemonists—competitors in memory sports. Their results might look like a manifestation of a rare natural gift, but many use specific strategies. One of the most famous is the method of loci, or the "memory palace": information is transformed into vivid images and mentally placed along a well-familiar route. A study by Martin Dressler and colleagues showed that after six weeks of such training, participants improved their material recall, and part of the effect persisted after several months. This does not mean that any exercise automatically improves all types of memory, but it demonstrates how crucial a well-chosen encoding strategy can be.

What Really Helps Train It

The first useful practice is active recall. Instead of immediately looking at the grid, text, or correct answer again, it is worth trying to reconstruct it from memory. Henry Roediger and Jeffrey Karpicke showed that self-testing can yield better results during delayed testing than repeated re-reading. Furthermore, difficulty during recall is not necessarily a sign of poor learning. The effort forces the brain to retrace the path to the required information. After the attempt, it is important to check the correct answer so that an accidental mistake does not become consolidated.

The second practice is spaced practice. A single long session might create a pleasant feeling of familiarity, but it does not always mean durable learning. Nicholas Cepeda and colleagues analyzed hundreds of experiments and confirmed the superiority of distributed practice over continuous cramming. The optimal interval depends on when the information will be needed again, but for ordinary training, returning to the task the next day is more beneficial than attempting dozens of nearly identical rounds in one sitting.

The third practice is chunking items into meaningful blocks. Individual shapes can be combined into a line, an angle, a symmetrical pair, or a familiar pattern. This technique is called chunking. It does not make memory capacity infinite, but it allows working with a few organized structures rather than a dozen isolated details. That is why an experienced chess player remembers a meaningful board position much better than a random arrangement of pieces: they perceive familiar combinations rather than a set of independent objects. Studies by William Chase and Herbert Simon formed the foundation of this explanation of expert memory.

The fourth practice is progressive difficulty. If a task is always too easy, one simply repeats an already mastered approach. If it is too hard, answers turn into mere guessing. Therefore, difficulty should be increased by one parameter at a time: adding elements, expanding the grid, shortening exposure time, or lengthening the delay before answering. This helps identify what specifically causes difficulty without confusing memory training with a random race for speed.

Varying the encoding method is also helpful. A layout can be described in words, linked to a route, turned into a story, or visualized as a complete pattern. The more meaningful connections information receives, the more cues will be available later to help retrieve it. However, the main goal of training is not to mechanically accumulate high scores, but to learn to encode material attentively, organize it, and intentionally retrieve it from memory.

How to Train Memory in BB Gym

In BB Gym, visual and spatial memory are most directly engaged by four trainers. "Memory Grid" shows shapes on a grid that must then be restored to their original positions: you do not recognize a ready answer, but reconstruct the layout from memory—which is the active recall discussed earlier. Here, chunking comes naturally: grouping shapes into lines, corners, and symmetrical pairs instead of holding each individually. "Fog" first lets you memorize a field of numbers, which then "fogs up"—and the required number must be wiped clear from memory relying on an internal map of the field. "Ternia" and "NAONAO" add another dimension to the skill: it is crucial to remember hidden information—what lies beneath covered tiles—and hold it while planning your move. Difficulty levels (base, pro, elite) alter the number of elements, grid size, and exposure time, so scale up one parameter at a time as recommended above.

A Simple Routine and How to Read the Radar

Memory responds better to regularity than to marathons: a few short sessions throughout the week are usually more beneficial than one long workout, and returning to a trainer the next day is more valuable than completing dozens of nearly identical rounds back-to-back. A practical guideline is 3–4 short sessions per week with progressive difficulty. After a session, the result is plotted on the "Memory" axis of the skill radar; axes not trained by this specific exercise remain dimmed—this is normal, as no single exercise taxes everything at once. Focus on the trend of the axis over time rather than an isolated result, and compare yourself with your own past performance on the same difficulty level: base and elite scores do not sit on a single linear scale. The main score (0–1000) combines accuracy and speed, with accuracy unlocking speed—so there is no point in rushing at the expense of errors.

Final Thoughts

BB Gym helps train memory regularly and use it more deliberately, but it is an educational-entertainment tool, not a clinical test or a medical diagnosis. A game score is not an IQ assessment or a medical conclusion, and an individual trainer does not "cure" memory. If you notice persistent memory difficulties in daily life, you should consult a qualified professional rather than rely on game results.