What time control should YOU play?

Hi guys, This is @Phantom_Beast23 and today, I'm going talk about the pros and cons of each major time control and at the end, I'll talk about the time control I would recommend the most. Remember, these are PURELY my opinion, and its common to have disagreements on subjective topics, so don't think what im saying is right because it's not. It's just my opinion.

Anyways Let's begin

1. Daily!

Yes, the one that  just seems to be NEVER mentioned, the Daily rating. Daily is actually not considered as a REAL rating system, but is used in most general chess sites. Like all the other rating systems, it's unique in it's own way.

Pros

• Allows for a LOT of thinking time
• Transitioning from that, you can see the different variations and patterns of your choices
• Lastly, this is irrelevant, but if you dont feel like playing, you can set to vacation mode

 Cons

• Can get annoying due to "waiting for your opponent to move"
• Can also be nuisance to having to move everyday.

So for Daily, I would recommend 5 days as, it's not exactly short, where you'll find yourself down to 20 hours super quickly, but it's not super long to the point where it's just a nagging notification from Live.

And just a little note, do NOT play 1 Day games as a little procrastination can lead to a loss...just something from my experience

2. Rapid!

Yes, a LEGIT rating system, even though it's my least favorite. Most tournaments (at least USCF, IDK about Fide) are usually within the rapid time control. In my opinion, Rapid is just way too long for Live Chess, but that's probably just me. Rapid, in case you don't know is between 10 minutes through 60 minutes.

Pros

• Like Daily, allows you to think for a long time
• You don't have to worry about being down on time
• You can go through opening variations without worrying about being down on time quickly

Cons

• Your brain might get used to that speed if played too much, which might hurt your blitz and DEFINETELY will hurt your bullet,

For Rapid, I would recommend 10 minute as it's not as slow as the other major rapid time controls and is actually considered the most popular time control in the world! I would also recommend 30 minute games for USCF players as that's usually the time control that is played. I would also advise against 60 minutes but it's honestly up to you to decide.

3. Blitz!

Yes, my FAVORITE rating system. As far as I know, this is the most popular rating systems in the world! And not for bad reason too as Blitz is the perfect balance from playing speed chess and slow chess. It teaches you how to spend your time in the game and is considered the main rating system that people look at. Blitz is considered from 2 minutes to 9 minutes.

Pros

• Teaches you how to balance between speed chess and slow chess
• Adding on to bullet point 1, It forces you to spend a certain amount of time on a certain position

Cons

• There's literally no downsides of playing Blitz

So for Blitz, I would recommend either 3 l 2 ( 3 minutes plus 2 seconds increments ) or 5 minute.  5 minute games give you a bit more time to think these over while also helping with balance while 3 l 2 is the more "Traditional" style of playing blitz. It's more commonly played in FIDE tournaments as well.

4. Bullet!

In my opinion, Bullet is the most fun and even quite possibly the most addictive type of chess. While it's not recommended by coaches to play that much, it can still be fun to play and it has some good upsides. It also teaches how to be quicker in regular chess games but can also worsen your play. Note, Bullet is considered between 1 second to 1 minute.

Pros

• Teaches you to play quicker in general
• Requires precision and not moving randomly (at least in Ultra)

Cons

• can force your regular game to deteriorate due to your mind gradually becoming accustomed to playing random moves (this doesn't apply for Ultra as much as it does for Hyper)

Note: I forgot to mention this earlier, but Ultra is 30 second to 1 minute, while Hyper is 1 second to 29.

So lastly, while I wouldn't recommend playing bullet as your main source of chess, I WOULD recommend 30 second as, while it's quick, it's not AS quick as 10 second games, and also, not as long as 1 minute games, and also, requires "smart" moves as, unlike Hyper, you can't win if you just make random moves.

So Lastly, I would recommend to play 5 minute blitz the most as it forces you to be smart with your moves and, like I keep on saying, is the perfect balance between slow chess and speed chess.

Also, tell me in the comments either what you would recommend or what you play the most!

And as always, make sure to check my other Blogs, They're pretty good as I take my time and effort to do them! I also hope to get Top Blogger soon so your support would be much appreciated!

Thank you,

@Phantom_Beast23