why is blitz so demoralising?

you got the dasher? practice over and over 15 minute games 2 nights a week for 3 weeks, then 10 minute games 2 nights a week for 2 weeks then 5 minute games for as much as you like- 3 nights a week or more for aslong as you play I guess. I play blitz chess at -- World Chess Live

Playing Blitz, I feel pop-quizzed. It's pernicious to your ego at first, but good for your game in the end.

(In)famous quip: "Ignorance is blitz."

I remember the days when I took up blitz on yahoo chess and thought it would be great to one day be a purple rating (I think it was 1500+) back then but that the orange or red ratings were beyond me. It was very exciting when I first got to 1500, and then I eventually clawed my way to 1800 - now I tend to be around 2000, in fact my rating is roughly the same in all forms of chess - apart from 2/0 I think I am a little bit better at that then any other chess.

Originally posted by Ramiri15
Have you tried quicker time settings than you are used to? You have to train yourself to think quickly.

nope, but I see that as another 'trick' like playing trappy openings I wouldn't play otherwise. tricks that would give me some points, but wouldn't really make my chess better. 5 0 will have to do.

got to a new record of 1339 on ICC 5-minute, weeee! 🙂

Originally posted by rijnsburger
Does anyone share the pain of finding blitz chess very very disheartening? Personally I find it very difficult to even keep up with my adversaries at all... is this a factor of playing skill/rating? I find that I just about always lose quite badly even to ppl with a similar to slightly worse rating than me... what's the secret?!

Before i started playing on RHP i played blitz on yahoo chess. My rating back then was about 15-1600. After 4 years of CC my blitz rating has slumped, i'm lucky to get into the 1400's these days. I have a theory that since i've played CC i've realised just how important each move is. Blitz is about being pragmatic and making reasonable moves quickly rather than finding deep combinations. My style has swung towards the later in CC and switching styles is not easy once you've developed one. Also i find i generally pick time controls which are far too quick. 90% of my blitz games are 1minute games, of which i must lose about 80% on time. 😉

Originally posted by Mark Adkins
However, the comparison is misleading and says nothing about RHP novices relative to established FICS blitz players -- as your own FICS ratings for standard vs. blitz chess show.

Typically, a player's blitz ratings are considerably lower than his standard or cc chess ratings; if your standard FICS rating was 1650 and 1200 blitz (before it fell), the ...[text shortened]... a competent blitz player depends much more strongly on memorized lines than a chess newbie.

I've noticed that most USCF rated players tend to have a quick rating that is usually 70-100 points below their regular- mine is about equal, and occasionally you do see a person who has a higher blitz rating

Originally posted by Marinkatomb
Before i started playing on RHP i played blitz on yahoo chess. My rating back then was about 15-1600. After 4 years of CC my blitz rating has slumped, i'm lucky to get into the 1400's these days. I have a theory that since i've played CC i've realised just how important each move is. Blitz is about being pragmatic and making reasonable moves quickly rath ...[text shortened]... quick. 90% of my blitz games are 1minute games, of which i must lose about 80% on time. 😉

One minute games are easy- always play white (absolutely every time)- play gambits- they'll use 5 seconds extra just to stop cheap threats and then win on time.

I just broke 1100 on FICS, after one year without 5 min games ! I am the King of blitz ! ! !

I lost two times now on blitz, slaughtering my two opponents (1090 and 1210) only to give checkmate 0.1 seconds too late. I hate it.

I admit I 'm not very good at blitz game (1040 ELO actually) but in correspondance chess and normal tournment time control I am much stronger (1900 ELO). I'm learning to play blitz and I guess the secret is good opening knowledge (6-7 moves or deeper including also the normal mistakes your opponent can do ad how you can take advantage of it), of course small tactics (3-4 moves)and great endgame skills (I've lost games beacause I was not able to play a correct king and pawns endgame and I also drew owing to stalemate which is very embarassing...)

Originally posted by wormwood
nope, but I see that as another 'trick' like playing trappy openings I wouldn't play otherwise. tricks that would give me some points, but wouldn't really make my chess better. 5 0 will have to do.

got to a new record of 1339 on ICC 5-minute, weeee! 🙂

I too suck at blitz despite playing around 1700 on FICS standard...

If time trouble is a problem for you i'd suggest playing say 5 x 3min games quickly in a row. Then when you go back to 5 min it feels like luxury. That's what i find anyway.


P.S. Your avatar gives me nightmares.

Originally posted by rijnsburger
Does anyone share the pain of finding blitz chess very very disheartening? Personally I find it very difficult to even keep up with my adversaries at all... is this a factor of playing skill/rating? I find that I just about always lose quite badly even to ppl with a similar to slightly worse rating than me... what's the secret?!

About the only thing blitz is good for is recreation or playing a lot of games quickly to learn a particular opening. If you're serious about improving your game, spend more time studying classic games with annotations and playing over the board or correspondence.

Originally posted by Sam The Sham
First time i played a 10 minute game i sucked, it takes a bit of practice. Now 10 minutes is almost a luxurious amount of time to think, 5 is seems comfy. Yes, ability to play well at fast time settings is a good indicator of playing skill and your general aptititude for the game.

Wait till you start playing 1 minute games.

Originally posted by chesskid001
...I can give some tips which I hope will help. Blitz is all about seeing small tactics- 8 move combos don't matter in Blitz- two move combos do. Blitz is also more about what is the most difficult move in the position vs. what is the best. For example, let's say I have two possible moves, one that is the best or one that is the most dangerous looking...

I'm happy to hear that such good players suck at blitz! I keep losing badly to ~1100 rated people when I feel like I should be slaughtering them! I'm going to take chesskid's advice, but I don't know how I feel about it. I love long beautiful combinations! I also love punishing people who try to bluff on the chessboard. Maybe blitz isn't for me...