blitz strategy

how does blitz strategy differ from regular, or untimed play?

is white's advantage amplified significantly?

Originally posted by Darth Sponge
how does blitz strategy differ from regular, or untimed play?

is white's advantage amplified significantly?

If you play blitz enough, you can basically use the same strategy you use in regular games in blitz, it's just faster. I think opening and tactics are extra important in blitz, since a lot of mistakes can be made in openings while you're playing fast, same with tactics.

In a lot of bigger tournaments, they play blitz instead of using tiebreaks, at least for 1st. White's advantage in those games is basically the same since they use different time controls, black usually has maybe 5-7 minutes and white has 3 1/2 or 4 1/2 or something, depending on which controls they're using.

Originally posted by Darth Sponge
how does blitz strategy differ from regular, or untimed play?

is white's advantage amplified significantly?

Since people don't have enough time to calculate you can made stupid sacs which look good and the person will be scared to accept the material since he doesn't have time to calculate even though the sac is not right.

Complicate the position and move quickly.

http://www.chessandpoker.com/introduction_to_blitz_chess.html

Also look for this book:
Blitz Theory: Jonathan Maxwell: ISBN 0967775205

I'll make deliberate positional errors in blitz for the psychological value. For example, after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 we reach



White may do several things here, but the only try for an advantage is 5.Nb5. In the MacDonnell - Labourdonnais match in 1834, MacDonnell played 5.Nxc6. One of those games won by Labourdonnais became the textbook study showing why this knight exchange is a positional error, as black's center pawns become dominant. However, it is difficult to show black's positional superiority in three minutes, and players of the Kalashnikov (one of the names for this line of the Sicilian) rarely spend much time studying the position after 5.Nxc6.

I would never play this move OTB or in CC, but I play it in blitz often.

Originally posted by Wulebgr
I'll make deliberate positional errors in blitz for the psychological value. For example, after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 we reach

[fen]r1bqkbnr/pp1p1ppp/2n5/4p3/3NP3/8/PPP2PPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq e6 0 5[/fen]

White may do several things here, but the only try for an advantage is 5.Nb5. In the MacDonnell - Labourdonnais match in 1834, MacDonne ...[text shortened]... ion after 5.Nxc6.

I would never play this move OTB or in CC, but I play it in blitz often.

so you're saying you'd play 5.Nxc6 in blitz because Black won't have time to realize a dominant position?

is the Sicilian the best blitz defense for black?

what about trying for the French with a locked pawn structure in order to make white run out of time?

Originally posted by Darth Sponge
so you're saying you'd play 5.Nxc6 in blitz because Black won't have time to realize a dominant position?

is the Sicilian the best blitz defense for black?

what about trying for the French with a locked pawn structure in order to make white run out of time?

The French is very good for the same reasons. Black's first ten moves or so, as well as black's plans take little time. Finding the way to break down the black defenses takes time.

I've won nearly every blitz game (1 loss) in which I've employed the Hammerschlag: 1.f3 2.Kf2. But, I've also won the only CC game in which I've tried it.

Originally posted by Darth Sponge
how does blitz strategy differ from regular, or untimed play?

is white's advantage amplified significantly?

I'd say tactics in blitz is even more important than in regular play; same goes for opening knowledge. Trying to (counter) attack and gain a decisive advantage on the middle game should be the priority, since you'll hardly ever make it to the endgame depending on the time controls. Playing something like the Caro-kann or the English Opening is usually pointless, since they're too slow for blitz.

As for white's advantage, I'd say it's even less significant than in regular chess. Since more mistakes will be made, the small advantage white gets from moving first is a non-issue. That is, unless black does something stupid like accepting a gambit they're not familiar with,

You wouldn't believe how many ppl play all these non-commital setups in Blitz such as the Hippo defence as Black (i.e. b6, d6, e6 and g6 etc)and just wheel the moves out willy-nilly hoping to win on time without taking much notice of White's play. They (Black) always stop to think when a White pawn creeps onto the fifth rank.

In blitz, play aggressive move even if they are somewhat bad. Basically I play the same openings in blitz as in OTB. I learn from the blitz games.

There's no point in playing thousands of blitz games without a purpose.

Wulebgr: Why play Nxc6 and never play it in OTB? I know what you mean but what's the point of playing 2 seperate moves? You win the game in blitz, rating goes up big deal. How is that going to help you in OTB?

Originally posted by RahimK
In blitz, play aggressive move even if they are somewhat bad. Basically I play the same openings in blitz as in OTB. I learn from the blitz games.

There's no point in playing thousands of blitz games without a purpose.

Wulebgr: Why play Nxc6 and never play it in OTB? I know what you mean but what's the point of playing 2 seperate moves? You win the game in blitz, rating goes up big deal. How is that going to help you in OTB?

I'm more likely to have the black pieces in this variation OTB, so playing the white side in games that don't matter can improve my feel for the position. I try to learn systems from both sides, and to become comfortable with either color in certain systems, for example, the French Tarrasch or the Slav Defense.

Originally posted by Wulebgr
I'm more likely to have the black pieces in this variation OTB, so playing the white side in games that don't matter can improve my feel for the position. I try to learn systems from both sides, and to become comfortable with either color in certain systems, for example, the French Tarrasch or the Slav Defense.

Fair enough, but how often would a white opponent play Nxc6 against you playing black?

Maybe if you try Nxc6 with white in blitz one or 2 times it's alright but still i think you would benefit more from Nb5 since that's the move black should expect white to play and then the game would be more meaningful.

Originally posted by RahimK
Fair enough, but how often would a white opponent play Nxc6 against you playing black?

Maybe if you try Nxc6 with white in blitz one or 2 times it's alright but still i think you would benefit more from Nb5 since that's the move black should expect white to play and then the game would be more meaningful.

Of course, and I do play the main lines most often. But playing the lines the books call positional errors without further analysis facilitates understanding. If blitz will be something other than a recreational drug, this sort of openings exploration is one possibility.

Originally posted by Wulebgr
Of course, and I do play the main lines most often. But playing the lines the books call positional errors without further analysis facilitates understanding. If blitz will be something other than a recreational drug, this sort of openings exploration is one possibility.

Oh, I thought you said that if you get that position then you always play Nxc6 in blitz.