Factors To Consider Playing Blitz Chess
In this article, we look at how chess players can use blitz chess as a valuable tool - both for improvement, and for enjoyment!
Speed Chess vs. Slow Chess
If you ask most chess coaches about the best ways to get better at chess, then the near-unanimous answer is: play slow chess games, where you have plenty of time to think.
Classical chess (and to a lesser extent, rapid chess) gives players enough time to use their chess skills.
- How they understand the position.
- Thinking carefully about their plans and their opponent’s plans.
- Calculating tactics to the best of their ability.
Then, once the game is done, the student should review the game with as much care and seriousness as they played it. It is important to scour each game for improvements in all aspects: how the opening went, thought process in the most important moments, missed tactical opportunities… everything that can be used to play more strongly next time.
Related: How To Reassess Your Chess, available from the USCF store.
By contrast, in blitz chess the entire game takes place over just a few minutes. There is simply not enough time to perform these higher-level tasks. Instead, blitz is played mostly on instinct. Consequently, it is also hard to get as much value from the post-game analysis. Your thought process is hard to pick apart and improve following a blitz game where you were simply making snap decisions in mere seconds every move.
Mikael Botvinnik, the Soviet world champion from the mid-20th century famously shunned fast chess matches. When asked whether he had ever played blitz chess, he reportedly admitted to having played it just once in his entire lifetime!
However, there is definitely some value to speed chess. There are even some benefits from blitz that cannot be gained from slow chess games. In this article, we cover three ways to use blitz chess - whether your goal is improvement, or for pleasure.
1. For Learning A New Opening
One of the best uses of blitz chess is to help learn a new opening.
Once you have studied the theory through the aid of a chess opening book or chess opening online course. Then the next step is to put your understanding to the test through practical experience. The best way to do this at first is in games where there is not too much at stake. You probably don’t want to risk your hard-earned rating in an opening which you are still new to! For this, blitz chess fits the bill perfectly.
Playing fast chess games will also mean you can play a lot of games very quickly. This gives you plenty of exposure to the new opening you are learning. It won’t be long before you have several games of your own, which you can then go back and review.
Through these blitz chess matches, you will quickly discover which lines your opponents play most frequently, and therefore deserve most of your attention.
You will also discover the gaps in your knowledge. Inevitably, some of your opponents will play moves in the opening which the material you studied did not cover. You will also probably forget some of what you studied - but when it comes up in a game, you can go back and give yourself a quick refresher.
If you need some ideas for new openings to try, check out our articles on:
2. Improve Your Performance Under Time Pressure
An underappreciated skill among chess trainers is the ability to play well in time trouble.
To be clear, performance under time pressure is distinct from time management.
- Time management relates to making good decisions about how to allocate the time on your clock throughout the course of a game. It is wise to invest plenty of time during critical moments, where finding exactly the right moves has a large effect on the evaluation. Conversely, it is good practice to play more quickly in situations where the position is balanced and there isn’t much difference between several possible moves, any of which are fine. Good time management is about knowing when to speed up, and when to slow down.
- Performance under time pressure is the ability to continue playing well even when the clock gets low. Naturally, everyone’s performance drops when they have less time to think - but some players still hold up reasonably well under time pressure, while others completely fall apart when forced to speed up.
Learn to Manage Time Pressure
Improving the ability to perform strongly under time pressure is an extremely important skill! While it would be ideal if our games never came down to a time crunch - as we all know, in practice it happens all the time. Even elite grandmasters find themselves having to play under time pressure when playing against opponents of their own level. It’s an unavoidable part of the game.
Difficult games against tough opponents very often reach a situation where the time on your clock is almost exhausted. Maybe you are winning, but the game is still complicated - and your desperate opponent shows no signs of resigning. In such situations, you have no choice but to conduct the game as best you can without the luxury of taking your time on each move. We have all had games like this - and we can all recall instances where time pressure negatively influenced the outcome.
It is never nice to lose at chess. However losing due to a simple blunder under time pressure is among the very worst ways.
Can you still find winning tactics in low time? Just as importantly, can you avoid making egregious mistakes in time trouble?
Related: Check out our wide range of chess clocks.
If performance in time pressure is a problem for you, then playing blitz chess can help.
- It gets you accustomed to playing quickly, building your ability to play intuitively without double-checking every calculation.
- It will make “low time” situations you face in tournaments feel less difficult. Playing with a 30 second increment in an over-the-board tournament game will seem like nothing compared to playing an entire game of chess in just 3 minutes!
3. Fast Chess For Fun
Another reason to play blitz is because it’s fun!
Not everyone’s main goal in chess is to improve their rating. Chess is a game, after all. If you aren’t currently motivated by increasing your rating. Then playing blitz chess represents an enjoyable use of your leisure time, then that is enough reason to play it.
Everyone gets to choose their own path in chess! Some prefer to play super-solid openings such as the French Defense or the Reti Opening. Others favor wild, exciting, offbeat options such as the Tennison Gambit or Alekhine’s Defense. The same goes for the type of chess you prefer to play. Whether it’s bullet, blitz, rapid, classical or correspondence - it’s up to you.
It is important to be honest with yourself regarding what you want to achieve in chess.
- Is improvement your main goal? As we have seen, blitz chess can be a useful addition to your training. But don’t neglect the harder work which may be a better use of your time. Especially if you are looking to achieve meaningful increases in your rating.
- Or, is fun your main goal? Then don’t overcomplicate things. Just play chess under whichever time control you enjoy the most.
Even for those looking to improve - another way to use blitz chess is as a reward. For example, you could grant yourself a blitz game or two to relax and unwind after an hour of difficult chess study. Having the prospect of playing a fast chess game for fun can help you get through the tough (but necessary!) lessons as you strive to improve.
Final Thoughts: Playing Blitz Chess
When playing blitz chess the most important thing is to set an intention.
Are you playing to learn a new opening? If so, don’t worry so much about the result. But spend more time analyzing the opening moves after the game is done.
Is your objective to develop your ability to play better under time pressure? Then focus your review on the high-pressure situations where the game was in the balance, and how you handled it.
Are you playing blitz for fun? Then relax and enjoy!