Use the "One-Two Punch" to DESTROY your opponents in time trouble!
Welcome back, readers! It's Blake from ChessPathways.com, and I don't have any chess boards to show you today - just a simple philosophy for handling your opponent's "time trouble" that I wish I had learned long, long ago!
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When you're playing a longer-time-control game, and your opponent is in time trouble, you get excited. You want to flag him and win the game! So your instinct is to speed up, keep his clock running, and hope that he flags or blunders.
...But this strategy is 100% WRONG!
There are two main reasons why:
1. Your opponent just isn't going to lose on time. Seriously - they just aren't. I can count on one hand the number of tournament opponents I've had who have actually lost on time. Everyone plays blitz nowadays. Everyone can play 20 moves in 5 minutes to reach the next time control if they really have to. I've gotten so excited many, many times in my career, thinking "Wow, they have to make 17 moves in 10 minutes, they'll flag or blunder for sure!" Much more often than not, it doesn't happen.
Of course, time pressure DOES increase the chance of a blunder, but...
2. If you speed up, you're just as likely to blunder as they are. I've blundered MANY times in my opponent's "time trouble" because I spent more energy getting excited about their clock situation than I spent calculating the position on the board. If you're playing as fast as they are, then what advantage does your extra time give you? None!
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It took me YEARS of tournament experience to stop making this stupid mental mistake, so I'm hoping to save you from the same fate!
Now, does that mean you should ignore your opponent's time situation and just "play normally?" This would be preferable to the horrible strategy described above, but I think we can do better than this! There is a more optimal way to handle the opponent's time pressure...
Introducing...the ONE-TWO PUNCH
Here's how it works. If your opponent is in time trouble, and you have much more time than they do, then:
1. Calculate like you usually would. Take your time, analyze all the possibilities, and select the move you want to play.
2. Now, DON'T play the move yet! Pretend you've made the move on the board, and start calculating as if you were your opponent. Look at all their possible moves, and select the one or two moves that you think they are most likely to play.
3. Analyze the resulting positions. Take your time, calculate deeply, and make sure you've chosen a reply for the 1-2 most likely moves your opponent could play.
4. NOW, play your initial move. If your opponent plays one of the replies you considered, you'll be ready to instantly bang out a reply and put them in a tough spot!
This works because YOU still get to take your time and calculate everything deeply, but your opponent doesn't get the luxury of "thinking on your time" as easily, because you delay playing your first move until you have your second move figured out! I believe this strategy to be the best way to capitalize on a large clock advantage.
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Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article, then please visit ChessPathways.com and get signed up - it's totally free, only takes 5 seconds, and I'll send you a free "Move-by-Move Guide to Chess Thinking" when you do! You'll also get to join our exclusive contests, access exclusive content, and more!
It took me way too long to become a Chess Master, so I'm hoping to help YOU do so in a fraction of the time. If you're serious about chess improvement, I look forward to seeing you in our community!
Blake
