Yes, this. It takes practice. Advanced chess players presented with an unfamiliar arrangement of pieces on a board can reliably distinguish between actual/plaus

Yes, this. It takes practice. Advanced chess players presented with an unfamiliar arrangement of pieces on a board can reliably distinguish between actual/plausible mid-game states and semi-random "impossible" positions. There's a progression from rules and mechanics to openings and tactics to strategy and style. Same goes for music, programming, sports... really any skill or body of knowledge I can think of.