How To Use Blitz Chess To Improve Your Game
One of the things that most chess coaches often tell their students is to “cut down on the amount of blitz chess you play.”
The reason for this is that most players do indeed play too much blitz. Overdosing on blitz chess can make you too impulsive. Chess under classical time controls requires cultivating the ability to think deeply. Not play the first move that comes to mind.
However, in moderation, blitz chess can be a very beneficial addition to your chess training! The key is to be intentional about how you use it.
In this article we cover:
- The aspects of chess that blitz can help you to improve.
- How to structure your blitz chess sessions for maximum results.
What Is Blitz Chess?
The word “blitz” comes from German. Translated into English, it means “lightning” or “flash”. The term has been borrowed by chess to describe games which feature fast time controls.
The FIDE regulations define “blitz chess” as games where each player has more than 3 minutes. But less than 10 minutes on their clocks at the start of the game. The two major online chess platforms (chess.com and lichess) apply this to games played on their sites too.
Blitz therefore occupies a place towards the faster end of the time control spectrum.
- Games where each player has less than 3 minutes on their clock are called “bullet”.
- Games where each player starts with 10 minutes or more are classed as “rapid” (up to a certain point - as the games even get longer, they eventually become categorized as “classical”).
The game has grown in popularity and there are now blitz tournaments, rapid and blitz championships, and a host of other exciting chess events.
Related: Playing blitz chess in real life requires a clock. Click here to check out our full range.
Blitz As A Tool For Chess Improvement
For the purpose of this article, we will assume that your goal is to get better at chess in the slower time controls (i.e. rapid and classical chess).
If this is the case, then playing blitz should be treated the same way as other chess training methods, such as solving tactics or working on your endgame technique.
- You identify an aspect of your game you want to improve, and then;
- You dedicate time and effort towards reaching your goal.
The chess improver with such an attitude will understand they aren’t primarily playing rapid blitz “for fun”. Blitz chess instead forms part of their strategy to improve their overall playing strength.
With this in mind, here are some benefits of adding blitz to your chess training regime:
Improving Performance Under Time Pressure
All experienced chess players whether hobbyists or an International Master can recall games where, after a tough struggle against their opponent. Their clock has gotten very low and they were forced to quicken their pace.
Some players crumble in such situations. They make oversights and blunders which they would never make if they were not under time pressure. Collapsing under time pressure is one of the most frustrating ways to lose a chess game.
It is worth emphasizing that performance under time control pressure is distinct from time management.
- Performance under time pressure refers to how well you play when the clock gets low.
- Time management is about trying to avoid getting into time trouble in the first place.
Related: Improve your time management skills with Time Management In Chess by Regina Pokorná, available from the USCF store.
Both of these aspects are important. You should always attempt to manage your clock in such a way to avoid getting into time trouble. But try as you might, there will always be some games which remain in the balance as your clock gets low. How you perform under time control pressure makes a massive difference to your overall results and rating progression.
Time is An Unavoidable Part of Chess
Even grandmasters like Magnus Carlsen find themselves needing to play with little time on their clocks when matched against opponents of their own level. Playing under time pressure is an unavoidable part of chess.
Ask yourself: how is your performance affected when you are forced to speed up?
- Can you still play nearly as well as when you have plenty of time?
- Or, do you become a much worse player?
Everyone in chess has strengths and weaknesses. If you are a blitz chess player who performs poorly under time control pressure. Then take solace in the fact that this is a skill which can be honed - just like any other. Playing more blitz chess may be extremely helpful for you, as it will get you used to playing more quickly.
By playing blitz chess more regularly, you train your ability to avoid blunders and spot winning moves - even with little time. It will help you to become a more intuitive player.
Related: Another way to improve your chess intuition is by training tactics with The Woodpecker Method - available from the USCF store.
Blitz chess is also a kind of “stress training”. Where you are forced to speed up even more than you will have to in classical chess games. Once you get used to playing blitz chess with a one second or two second increment (or no increment at all). Then the 30 second increment common in chess with classical time controls will come to seem like plenty of time - relatively speaking.
Practicing Your Opening Repertoire
One of the inherent features of blitz chess is the ability to play lots of games very quickly.
If you are studying a new opening or want to deepen your understanding of an opening you already play, then playing blitz can be an excellent way to get in some valuable practice against real opposition.
Reading books on chess opening theory is one thing - but what human opponents at your level play can be quite another. As the saying goes: “In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.”
Let’s say you are an intermediate chess player rated around the 1500 mark. It is highly likely that some of the variations covered in great detail by the book are not going to be relevant for a player like you.
The book’s author (who is probably a master-level player) naturally writes about the variations needed to beat other masters. However, weaker players tend to deviate from the theory sooner - so you need to blend your book learning with practical experience to find out which parts of the chess opening deserve more of your attention.
By enabling you to play more chess games in a shorter time frame, blitz can provide you with experience in your desired opening far more quickly than chess under slower time controls.
How To Play Blitz Chess The Right Way
Now that you know the potential advantages of blitz chess, we will next cover how to optimally structure your blitz sessions to help you gain the maximum benefit from them.
Tip #1 - Set A Clear Intention
Before sitting down to play blitz, you must know what you are trying to achieve from the time you are investing in the playing session.
After all, there are many other ways to train your chess. If chess improvement is your priority, then there must be a reason why you are spending time playing blitz rather than elsewhere.
Ask yourself: what is your goal for playing blitz today?
- Is it to improve your performance under time control pressure?
- Are you trying to practice a certain opening?
- Or, are you playing for fun? (Nothing wrong with this - but remember that if chess improvement is your primary goal, then there might be better uses of your time)
Tip #2 - Take It Seriously
You should set everything up to play to the best of your ability. As Josh Waitzkin (the subject of the film Searching For Bobby Fischer) once wrote: “...there will be nothing learned from any challenge in which we don't try our hardest.”
To make your blitz chess sessions as effective as possible:
- Remove distractions. This includes background music, which many players are guilty of listening to while playing blitz!
- Use a large monitor. Playing blitz chess on a phone screen does not give you the ability to view the position properly. Phone notifications can also pop up, ruining your ability to concentrate. Avoid these pitfalls by playing blitz on a desktop computer with a large, well-lit monitor.
- Play your best. Because the stakes are lower, it can be tempting to use blitz chess as a chance to play moves which you would not play otherwise. For example, a sacrifice which looks “interesting”, but which your better judgment advises against. Naturally, you have less time to calculate everything in blitz, but if you wouldn’t play the move in an important classical game, then you shouldn’t play it in your blitz chess games either.
Tip #3 - Set A Time Limit
Most chess players have, at times, found themselves continually playing “just one more game” of online blitz - for hours on end. This isn’t good for your chess and nor is it good for your health!
Use a countdown timer to track the time of your blitz chess session. When it hits zero, finish your last game and stop playing. Be disciplined!
Tip #4 - Review Your Games Afterwards
Much of the benefit of playing a chess game comes via what you are able to learn from it in the post-game analysis.
Just because you are playing speed chess does not absolve you of the need to review your games once the playing session is over!
The focus of your review should be in keeping with the goal of the session.
- If the goal was to improve your opening study - concentrate there.
- If your session was aimed at improving your performance under time pressure - look at how you handled the latter phase of the game and how you made decisions when time was low.
Final Thoughts On Blitz Chess
When it comes to blitz chess, moderation is key. Too much blitz can ruin your ability to concentrate. But just the right amount of blitz can help quicken your pace and improve your performance under time pressure.
If you find yourself wanting to improve at blitz, we have a book recommendation for you: Winning At Blitz by Genrikh Chepukaitis.
The author of this short, fun guide was the champion of the St. Petersburg and Moscow blitz championships - defeating legendary names such as Mikhail Tal, Viktor Korchnoi and Tigran Petrosian along the way.
This book will help you to improve your performance at speed chess - which can then carry over to your ability to deal with time pressure in your classical games.