This is kind of conjecture based on various things I've read over the years, but I feel like there is a strong tie-in between memorization and visualization abilities. I think many great chess players actually have trained their visualization abilities and are great at this. This in turn allows for easier memorization of games, sequences, etc, because it feels like they're only half-memorizing it at this point. It's easier. Some great Chess players utilize the memory palace technique as well, which feels like it ties into their visualization skill abilities.