time management otb?

Hi SF.

"In general, trying to stay within 5 minutes of your opponent IS a good approach in quickplay chess. "

Have to disagree in this special situation.

Good general advice perhaps for a seasoned player.
(though I'd never put the clock before the board - I will not be rushed
by the state of my opponents clock).

But this is his first OTB tournament using a clock.

You must have seen first timers at a tournament confronted by a clock
for the first time.

I saw 5 Bells guys who never even knew what a chess clock
looked like at their first league match.

They went boggle-eyed at the clock and fell to bits.
Spending more time looking at the clock than at the board.
Their games were lost in 10 moves.

I wanted this guy to forget the clock and play the board.
Not to make such a big issue of the clock - (it's too late now - thanks lads). 😕

Look Lordgledhill, just sit down and play chess - forget the clock.
Give it a wee glance every now and then to make sure it's working.

Just remember to push the wee button thing after your move.
(your opponent won't tell you if you have not done so.)

If you find that by playing your natural game you are way behind
on the clock then you know you will have to play faster.
(it's not rocket science).

After you have played a couple of rounds you will wonder what all
the fuss was about.

You must come back and tell us how you got on.
Show us a game.

Good Luck.

Originally posted by streetfighter
There is a lot of good advice here, but also some [b] very bad advice regarding clock handling!

Far too often I see players using 40-50 minutes trying to 'solve' a middlegame problem, and then having to play their last 10 or 15 moves in as many minutes-more often than not blundering in the process. This is a nonsensical approach to the game.
...[text shortened]... ant as the actual moves sometimes!!

http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-psychology-101[/b]

OK, 10min on 1 move was off for this time control. But myself, I'd still spend enough time at a critical juncture of the game (proportional to the total time of course, my 10 min in a 30min game was a bad example!!). The time spent on a critical move/position will last you for several moves, and often dictates how you will play the rest of the game. If your opponent replies as calculated, you can often proceed for several moves before recalculating thereby "making up" the time spent. If he messes up the reply, the game can often over, and you can speed play the rest. Of course, if you miscalculated the whole thing then you're in big trouble, short on time and in a bad position 😉

Moves with big commitment (sacs, placement of key pieces that cannot be easily reversed) are critical to the outcome of the game and spending time is warranted.

I'm no expert but from the lessons I've received from titled players, they have all asked for my move times and have always asked why I did or did not spend time on certain moves. In fast play, the advice was to spend little time in the opening (I should be prepared) and little time in the ending (I should know the techniques before hand). The bulk of the time is always spent in the middle game.

Hmmm, I know exactly what you're saying Greenpawn, but the simple fact is Lordgledhill is going to be using a clock (first time or not) and he'll have to find some way of apportioning his time!?

Keeping within a few minutes of his opponent is a good way to know that he's probably playing neither too quickly nor too slowly. Not that he should be so fascinated by the time issue that he forgets there is a game to be played of course!

And to jnguyen, I agree with you there for the most part. The problem is that many average players don't have a 20-minute think at a critical juncture, followed by rattling off a few prepared moves as planned beforehand.

They tend to have a 20-minute think, followed by a 10-minute rethink (whether it's necessary or not!) followed by another, then blunder horribly because they have to play a minute per move (and even then the blunder is down to an instantaneously played move because the concept of time is all a bit alien to them in any practical sense).

This is why I feel that the issue of time-management is a much more serious affair than many people seem to think. : )

Hi,

I'd like to thank everyone that's contributed to the debate for their thoughts and advice.

I'm feeling pretty nervous but definitely looking forward to tomorrow, simply for my first experience of competitive OTB play, and I will post in the evening to let you know how I got on, good or bad.

Thanks again.

lordgledhill

I once drew a game with a queen and a rook vs a lone king just because my flag fell. Don't let that happen to you.

Just had a thought SF.

What happens if the guy our guy is playing is also playing
for the the first time and they both try too keep an eye on each
other's clock and stay within 4-5 minutes of each other.

It will be a battle of the clocks!

Thought you'd gone to the pub? Was feeling a tad jealous there for a moment-can't play chess in the pubs here for fear of being ridiculed by the beardy-weirdy computer club boys drinking snakebite and pints of Old Fart in the corner.

Anyway, the clock issue. It's not something to get TOO caught up in (hope I didn't make it sound like it was the only relevant part of OTB games!?), it's just another part of PRACTICAL chess which people should (but generally don't) pay some attention to, sort it out so they are comfortable with how to handle their time, and then they won't have an issue with it ever again hopefully!

Bells mobbed - enjoying self here.

What pub is it - me and the boys from Bells will pile down
one night and take over.

I'll put it on the corner.

It's all the pubs! I avoid them like the plague now - sometimes wish I was still living in Edinburgh.

Although, when they got rid of the Tap (for music) and the Green Tree (for the beer garden) and quite a few other places, it was time to leave Edinburgh anyway.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Just remember to push the wee button thing after your move.
(your opponent won't tell you if you have not done so.)

yep, i got in a horrible position in a tournament game at school 9 years ago i think and my opponent forgot to hit the clock...there was about 12 mins left (20 mins per player) and i just sat there looking at the board. by the time he realized what was going on it was to late and i won soon after on time. i won the group because of that game and the other player was knocked out in third.

make sure you hit that clock.

but you're right he shouldn't be paying much attention to his clock and none to his opponents clock until late in the game. in the 20 mins games i used to set my alarm on my phone to go off after 25 mins, only then would i look at the clock.

haven't played a game with a clock for over a year though.

Originally posted by streetfighter
It's all the pubs! I avoid them like the plague now - sometimes wish I was still living in Edinburgh.

Although, when they got rid of the Tap (for music) and the Green Tree (for the beer garden) and quite a few other places, it was time to leave Edinburgh anyway.

I live 100 yards from the old taps.

Great place - played chess there during the week and watched
Punk Bands at the weekend.

On 3rd can - will slow down now

Been kicked of the net a few times because son and wierdo friend
are playing X-Box on line through same router.

Always happens for first 10-20 minutes till it settles down.

Back to the clock. Never lost a serious game on time in my life.
Tells you all about me - play first and analyse later :'(

Originally posted by greenpawn34
...text shortened...If your opponent is in major Time Trouble do not speed up. ... text shortened...

I would modify this slightly:

1. IF your opponent is in major time trouble AND the position on the board is favorable for you or equal or unclear THEN do not speed up.

2. IF your opponent is in major time trouble AND the position on the board is unfavorable for you THEN speeding up is probably correct. However, if your opponent makes a move that you think may be a significant mistake, you should revert back to normal playing speed.

Good luck.

Well,

I had an alright day.

I won 2 games of five that I played, should have at least drawn one (more to come regarding this) and missed a forced mate in my last game, which my opponent then won. So I could have done better, but overall I'm pleased with the experience. I didn't let the clock force me too much but I think I should definitely have considered certain positions longer than I did (the forced mate and my horrific blunder in game one). So thank you to everyone who gave me advice and I'll post that blunder in a minute.

Cheers,

lordgledhill

What the hell was I thinking?