3 Ways To Avoid Time Trouble

Time trouble can plague even the best players in the world, and often leads to painful blunders and losses on time in winning positions. In order to improve your time management skills, follow these three steps below:

• Try not to use more than 20 percent of your total time in the opening. Your goal in the beginning phase of the game is to fight for the center, develop your pieces, and castle, so keep it simple. Spending too much time in the opening will mean less time for critical moments in the middlegame/endgame.
• If a move is forced, make it quickly. When you're in check and only have one legal response, there's no reason not to make that move immediately. If the opponent has captured a piece or pawn, in most cases recapturing will be the only reasonable move. Exception: strong players can and should look for additional possibilities (such as in-between moves).
• Develop your awareness. If you know you have an issue with managing your time, set a conscious goal for yourself to stay ahead or equal on the clock with your opponent, no matter what. The quality of your play may diminish, but eventually you'll be able to use your time more effectively.

You can practice these tips every time you play a live chess game.