Originally posted by anthiasI had the same problem. Taking too much time to think out variations in standard games is why I have focused a lot of my effort on 5 minute blitz games. Of course, I was even worse at 5 minute blitz than I was at standard games, because my habit of taking a long time to think through variations was much more harmful in blitz...
I experience quite a lot of losses in tournaments because I quickly get excited and overwhelmed. Also I usually take a lot of time analysing difficult variations while my opponent just blitz out a move and it appers to be the correct one. Am I alone?
So I started playing a lot of 3 minute blitz games to help with my 5 minute blitz games. And they did help, but I found there were a lot of people who were just much faster at 3 minute blitz than I was, and I seemed like a snail compared to them...
So I went and played lots of 1 minute lightning to help with my 3 minute blitz... and at first I was simply awful. You completely have to rely on instinct at such a short time limit, and my instincts were just not honed to perform well at that speed, and I lost dozens of games. But gradually I got better. And I found that my 1 minute games helped helped my 3 minute games, both of which helped my 5 minute games, and all of which helped my standard games.
I still take a lot of time to think through variations in standard games, but not on every move. Blitz has helped me develop a sense for the position, and I can now tell when the position is complex enough to deserve a lot of thought, and when I can relatively quickly play my planned moves. Contrary to popular perception, blitz has also helped me analyze deeper in to variations.
Of course, from time to time, I still blitz out a move in a standard game when I should have thought things through more carefully. But I think those occasions are more than made up for by a the benefits I've reaped from blitz such as better time management and opening knowledge, a finely honed intuition, and the ability to think through deeper variations more quickly. And, when I do happen to get in to time trouble near the end of some of my standard games, I feel confident enough to bang out a large number of moves in the final minute or so of the game and not have the moves be completely random.
So, blitz, blitz, blitz. It's good for you! 🙂
- Joined
- 12 Aug 06
- Moves
- 5380
Originally posted by synesisThere are a lot of strong players in this site that beg to differ. They think that blitz harms overall play.
I had the same problem. Taking too much time to think out variations in standard games is why I have focused a lot of my effort on 5 minute blitz games. Of course, I was even worse at 5 minute blitz than I was at standard games, because my habit of taking a long time to think through variations was much more harmful in blitz...
So I started playing a lo ...[text shortened]... d not have the moves be completely random.
So, blitz, blitz, blitz. It's good for you! 🙂
In my opinion, blitz (5 minutes) is fine more most people it (1) speeds up their thinking (2) cures tentativeness (3) explores openings (4) helps middlegame play. You have to watch out for (1) superficial attitude (2) taking it too seriously. Most of the top players are also good at blitz and enjoy it as a welcome break, but they don't take it seriously. I don't think 5 minute can harm your game if you don't equate it with normal chess. In most cases, it think it helps.
Originally posted by anthiasSomeone earlier noted that your opponent isn't blitzing moves. They're thinking of their next move while you're making yours and are ready at about the same time.
There are a lot of strong players in this site that beg to differ. They think that blitz harms overall play.
Originally posted by anthiasYes, I know that's the prevailing opinion. And, of course, everybody's entitled to their own. Mine is that a particular training regimen may work fine for someone, but might not work for someone else. Playing blitz has certainly helped my game, in the ways I listed in my earlier post. I think it would probably be helpful to others as well, but maybe not everyone.
There are a lot of strong players in this site that beg to differ. They think that blitz harms overall play.
It's like the earlier thread we had about whether you need to read chess books to get good at chess. Sure, some people might have gotten very good at chess without even knowing how to read... and maybe they think reading is a waste of time. But that doesn't mean it hasn't helped other chess players.
Maybe if the people critical of reading chess books had tried it they might have gotten better faster. And even if they did try reading, but it didn't help them, that doesn't mean reading wouldn't help someone else. Likewise, I don't doubt that some strong players have tried blitz and felt it was the wrong way to go for them, but that doesn't mean it's the wrong way for everyone. People learn in different ways.
Originally posted by buddy2I agree, playing a dozen games in an evening at 5-10 minutes time will develop you more than playing one 2 hour game. Up to a point, of course. Long games have their place too.
In my opinion, blitz (5 minutes) is fine more most people it (1) speeds up their thinking (2) cures tentativeness (3) explores openings (4) helps middlegame play. You have to watch out for (1) superficial attitude (2) taking it too seriously. Most of the top players are also good at blitz and enjoy it as a welcome break, but they don't take it seriously. ...[text shortened]... n harm your game if you don't equate it with normal chess. In most cases, it think it helps.
Originally posted by anthiasAn interesting series of articles on chess stress:
I experience quite a lot of losses in tournaments because I quickly get excited and overwhelmed. Also I usually take a lot of time analysing difficult variations while my opponent just blitz out a move and it appers to be the correct one. Am I alone?
http://www.kevinspraggett.com/stress.htm
A brief excerpt:
"It can be argued that competitive chess is more stressful than many other similar activities and sports. If only by reason of the innate nature and design of the game itself: the inordinate amount of time it takes to complete a game; the constant worry about the clock; the doubts and uncertainties of our plans, ideas, and moves; the difficulty in predicting the outcome of the game; the never ending barrage of threats from our opponent (whether real or imagined ); the psychological implications and consequences of competition; how much our self-esteem is on the line; the spectators... All these can give life to strong fears and numerous anxieties.
Contrary to what happens in most sports, chess has no obvious outlet for releasing the build up of stresses and pressures that accumulate during the course of the game. In tennis, for example, the player can release (externalize) this buildup in the form of a controlled physical 'explosion' or outburst: he can hit the ball as hard as he wants or run back and forth as much as he likes. His level of arousal can thus be decreased. He can therefore control stress more easily than a competitive chess player -- who is essentially confined to sitting for the duration of the game -- because he has a mechanism that serves as an escape valve for excess stress and pressure. In chess it is the internalization and the resulting accumulation of stress that sets it apart from other sports. This creates unique problems for the competitive chess player..."
Originally posted by synesisrecommended.
An interesting series of articles on chess stress:
http://www.kevinspraggett.com/stress.htm
A brief excerpt:
"It can be argued that competitive chess is more stressful than many other similar activities and sports. If only by reason of the innate nature and design of the game itself: the inordinate amount of time it takes to complete a gam ...[text shortened]... other sports. This creates unique problems for the competitive chess player..."
Thanks for posting that, GM Spraggett has quite a lot of useful advice on that site.
btw i've played around 4000 games in the past 2 years. what i've learned... 5-10 minute games work well for lower rated players. you can learn many positions and later research them when you are not playing the game. they also help with tactics believe it or not. i was 1100 and played about 1200 games with 10 mins a move total but never took much more than 2 mins. afterwards i joined a site and played i went to about 1450 on gameknot and then they booted me for some reason. i cam here and from about 1350 my agv was. but now after thousands of games i have learned a lot from it. these games should not be stressed at your level nor ne where. you are a learning player give it time and effort and you will improve with STUDY.
Originally posted by anthiasTo quote the second poster, "this is where experience comes in". Probably the first 10-15 or so OTB games you play in tournaments will be crap per se. After you find "yourself" you will be more comfortable. But this comes with time. Just remember it is about you, not about how your opponents play.
I experience quite a lot of losses in tournaments because I quickly get excited and overwhelmed. Also I usually take a lot of time analysing difficult variations while my opponent just blitz out a move and it appers to be the correct one. Am I alone?
..why stress and fear?? It's all in your mind. Take a moment before the game to meditate... seriously... and calm yourself with a mantra like "I have nothing to fear, but fear itself"...
There is no shame in losing, only opportunity. You learn nothing from a win because obviously, you were the best player at the board... look at it like an opportunity to improve yourself and then resolve to make it as difficult as possible for your opponent.
Sometimes, just having good "positional" feel for what is occuring is more important than finding any "knockouts"... be patient, trust development and control of the the center; avoid blunders.
Inaccuracies rarely LOSE games unless you make several, coupled w/ a bad position.
When I was a newbie "A" class player, I NEARLY beat a master by using the calming technique and ignoring HIS credentials and concetrating on his MOVES... in the end, I threw the win away w/ several inaccuracies in the end-game and was forced to accept the draw.
More importantly, I learned a LOT from that game.... mostly, about how I PLAY, not him...
regards,
Helldweller