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"BLUNDERS"- Dec 1 - TOPIC # 2: Blitz by the Best?!?

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dpruess

Pardon Our Blunders Show Review: Dec. 1, 2010

   Written by: ChessMarkstheSpot

   Welcome to the weekly review of Pardon Our Blunders. Every week our Hosts cover varied topics—all chess-related. As regular viewers know, their coverage normally leads to some very interesting and entertaining banter. Here’s a rundown of this week’s Topic #2:

“Blitz by the Best” OR “Standard Games from the Rest”

   This topic came to light after the recent World Blitz Championship event that was won by Levon Aronian in a grueling 38 round tournament.

   Danny said that during this tournament the players weren’t playing their main weapons, the “meat” of their arsenals (comment mine), but they are still by far the best players in the world. In his opinion, these Blitz games played by the top players in the tournament, are better to analyze and study, than some games by the more “average” GMs. Would you agree on that? 


   David felt he was not qualified to answer this question; he said their games were so much above his level. Even so, he pays attention to these types of Blitz games and takes seriously the openings used in them.

   Danny, when downloading the TWIC updates into his database would see if any games were played in the openings that he uses, like the Najdorf. He puts just as much stock in these games due to who the players are.

   Personally, I hear a lot of chatter on how blitz games are bad for players that play longer time control games, but then I also hear how Blitz helps longer games and the strategy involved with them.

   What is your opinion on this subject? Are blitz games better to study than longer games or just study the blitz games from top GMs?? Let us know what you think?

ChessMarkstheSpot

  BQ - Here is the link for TWIC.  The World Blitz Championship PGN is available about 1/3 down the page.  I hope that is what you're looking for.  Cool  OR you can always go to Downloads/Database of Games and my upload is there along with the Tal Memorial  Smile

   -Mark

ChessMarkstheSpot

   No problemovitch   Cool

Narz

Personally I think blitz is bad for my game.  If you're a Master or higher & have a good memory perhaps blitz can be good.  For me it just feels lilke a waste of time.  The best tactics (attacks, defenses) I am not going to be able to fully analzye in a blitz game, so if you're playing game after game not analyzing tactics how can that be good for your game?  And of course my opponents are not going to be playing the best moves either.  In blitz player's under-2000) attacks are so crude, saccing pieces, thrusting pawns forward, how is this going to help them in a real game where the opponent actually has time to think about the best defensive plan?

dpruess

playing blitz is generally bad for your game, but playing through the blitz games of aronian and carlsen and radjabov... good for your game :)

dpruess

people play blitz because it's fun. which is fine.

but i don't think that it improves many people's slow games much. and it even has the capacity to hurt your slow game.

nevertheless, having fun is important!

ChessMarkstheSpot

   I've only recently starting getting involved in blitz on my CM 10 game, even started a separate league for it. It's great to watch and analyze at the end, but my problem is I can't think that quickly that far ahead at that kind of pace. It turns into me just moving pieces around. Although I am +0/=3/-1 at it so far  Undecided

   -Mark

Narz
dpruess wrote:

playing blitz is generally bad for your game, but playing through the blitz games of aronian and carlsen and radjabov... good for your game :)


but playing thru the blitz games of aronian and carlsen and radjabov in less than 5 minutes... not so useful for your game Wink

Fezzik wrote:
David,

If you take a look at your own live chess history, you will find loads of blitz games. And in those games, you've played loads of titled players. If we go over to ICC, we'll see loads of top-flight GMs playing blitz every day.

Yes, blitz can be bad for chess, but mostly because it's so addictive. But generally, it's great for our game because we enjoy it and it helps to keep our interest in the game alive! Of course, too much of anything isn't good. But the old saw that blitz is bad for our game has been debunked by the fact that just about every top player has played 1000s of hours of blitz!


In my own live chess history (here & on FICS) I've played lots of blitz & lightning but that hasn't helped me improve much, it's just fun.  I don't think anyone at the top got good by playing blitz, they got good via other avenues & just play blitz for fun.  Maybe they get something out of it now because they're understanding is already so deep.  I see lots of players in parks & coffehouses who've played blitz for decades & not improved.

Fezzik wrote:
Anand used to play blitz in his standard games!

Maybe this one? : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSQRK-HsbfA Wink