Blitz Chess; The Need For Speed

I am definitely going to take a course on time management .... just as soon as I can work it into my schedule !

- Louis E. Boone

Let's face it. Almost every player struggles with time management - especially in blitz games. The ability to manage one's time is often the difference between a patzer and a strong blitz player.In this blog, I will be covering some strategies and tips that can help YOU improve your blitz chess.

Principle #1 - Play openings that you are familiar with

Time is of the essence in blitz chess. This is why you should play openings that you are familiar with, or let you build up an attack. If you play openings that your opponent is unfamiliar with, chances are, he'll spend a lot more time than you trying not to fall for any traps. This strategy works especially well for Hikaru Nakamura. (@Hikaru) Often, you will see Naka play openings in blitz such as 1. b3 (Larsen Opening), which is almost never seen at the top level in classical chess. However, Naka uses this opening to great effect in blitz scoring a hefty 70% (wins) with it ! The main reason he does so well with this is that, even though this opening isn't the best, he knows the positions and plans a lot better than his opponent. Because his opponents aren't as familiar with the position, they are forced to spend a lot of time trying to not fall into traps, and end up almost a minute behind on the clock ! Here's an example of a game where Magnus Carlsen out-prepared Fabiano Caruana (who is known for his opening prep) in a nice miniature - 

Principle #2 - Don't spend too much time making moves

In general, you should never spend more than 30 second on one move. Ultimately, how well you manage your time all boils down to how much time you spend per move. Here is a graph of how Nakamura manages his time in blitz (this graph covers three of his blitz games. Credit - @DanielNaroditsky)

Credit - @DanielNaroditsky | https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-art-of-time-management 

Obviously, we are not all blitz geniuses like Nakamura, so we will probably take more time on a move, but the purpose of this graph is clear; you shouldn't spend so much time on a move. Since Naka rarely spends 10 seconds on a move, I think that we should spend at most twice that (20 seconds) when making a move. As a general rule, you should only be spending more than 20 seconds, once you have reached a critical position. Here are some general indications of a critical position -

• A lot of forcing moves exist, which lead to complications, and potentially a decisive advantage
• When you have the option to release the tension between pawns
• When you have the option of deciding to trade pieces or not 
• When your opponent has a serious threat
• When a very committal move is played 
• Deciding whether or not to change the pawn structure

Of course, this is just a short list, but if you identify these traits in a position, you should probably spend a few extra seconds looking for a move.

Principle #3 - Master Pre-Moving 

In my opinion, pre-moving isn't as nearly as important as identifying critical positions and follow the 20-second rule, but it nevertheless remains an important aspect of blitz - and bullet - chess. However, pre-moving often comes with its own share of unpredictability. Generally, you should never make a pre-move unless you are 99.99% sure that they will make that move. You can refer to this checklist to see what sorts of moves are safe to pre-move.

1. The move is a recapture, in which case you can safely pre-move, since that move wouldn't be playable, should your opponent not capture. (because a piece already occupies that square) 

2. If none of your pieces are hanging. There was a funny game that went like this 

(In this game I pre-moved Bg2, without realizing that my opponent could have taken a chance and play Bh3! Moral of the story - always leave your pieces defended !)

3. If none of your pieces can be immediately attacked on the next move (this includes attacks from pawns to pieces, and minor pieces to pieces)

4. If playing that move will not harm your position in any way. 

If the move doesn't follow the above guidelines, I prefer to hover the piece over the square instead, as opposed to pre-moving, since it is much safer. The move will not, obviously, come in as fast as a pre-move, but is wa-a-a-ay less risky than pre-moving.

Principle #4 - Tactics, Tactics, Tactics !

Being able to spot tactics quickly is crucial in blitz chess. A great way to practice your tactics is too practice puzzles everyday for at least 20 minutes. Alternatively, you could try the Woodpecker Method (by Hans Tikkanen) to help you improve. For this method, you have to get a tactics book and a solve certain amount of puzzles (Preferably 50 or more). Record your solutions for each puzzle, the amount of time it takes to get through that many puzzles, and how many you got correct (check the solutions). Then, you take a break from solving puzzles for a few days, and then repeat the process over and over with the same puzzles. I have just started this method (a few days ago) and find my times and accuracy improving. I highly recommend this method to anyone who wants to improve their tactics (For a quick refresher on the types of tactics, visit my tactics blog here)

Principle #5 - Master the Endgames

The endgame is when there is the most time trouble, therefore making the mastery of basic endgames of utmost importance. This includes learning the fastest way to mate with a queen and king vs. a king, and a rook and king vs. a king. This will save you valuable time, and help you limit the number of times you timeout in a won position. One tricky mate worth knowing is the B+N+K vs K. In addition to these simple endgames, you should learn the general endgame principles of King and Pawn endgames as well as Rook and Pawn Endgames (eg. the Lucena position, the Philidor Position, "Passive Defense" etc.) If you are on the defending side ("losing side") you should learn some basic stalemate and drawing technique - you want to try and make things as difficult as possible for your opponent to win. If you are on the attacking side, you should try to limit your opponent's resources and simplify the position. You do not want to allow any potential counter-play from your opponent.

Thanks so much for reading my blog on time management ! Don't forget to check out some of my other blogs on the Evans Gambit, the Openings (Part 1), the Openings (Part 2), Tactics, Psychology in Chess, Chess960, Funny Ways To Lose a Chess Game, Alpha Zero, and Blindfold Chess. Thanks again for reading !