Bullet Secrets I've Learned After 1000 Games

Bullet chess is a style of chess met with either heavy criticism or absolute adoration. A fierce match between not only two competitors, but also the clock, critics of the fast-paced style are quick to point out the game's lack of theory, concentration, and overall class. Despite it's flaws, bullet chess makes for a style of play that can cause a flurry of sometimes uncontrollable emotions that can either lead to you shouting with joy, or with anger while quickly tapping "Play Again" after your match.

But how do you play good bullet chess?

I don't just mean winning by flagging - which is simply beating your opponent by having more time on the clock then them at the end. While flagging is still a real way to win bullet chess, there's nothing quite as satisfying as getting a checkmate in a game restricted to less than a minute. To be able to execute precise enough moves, or expose your opponent's weaknesses or blunders, in mere seconds to win a game by checkmate is a rush of mental euphoria. To do this, we need to understand more in depth the advantages we can take in a bullet match that will allow you to win more games in the fast-paced, thrilling style of chess.

After over 1000 games of bullet chess, these are the secret's that I have learned.

I was not always a good chess player. In fact, saying that I am now is definitely a bit comical. With a current rating of just 1000+, I'd still find myself getting laughed out of any serious contention. However, if you take a look at my ELO graph, it's undeniable that I have made incredible improvement over the last few weeks. In Blitz, I've taken my pathetic, laughable rating of just 198 to almost 1000 in a matter of two weeks. In Bullet, I've taken my equally as pathetic and laughable rating of sub-500 to a peak of 1157, nearly gnawing at the bone of the golden 1200 rating I've so yearned for.

So what changed?

What changed is what I've learned, and this blog is about exposing those "secrets" that will help you not only win more games in bullet, but exceed against your opponents. You will enjoy a sky-rocketing ELO, and you will see how easy it is to implement these secrets in a bullet game to take a sizeable advantage that will leave your opponent not knowing what hit them. i will attempt to keep the secrets brief, as likely the readers of this piece are connoisseurs of bullet chess ... therefore should be considered high-strung, fast-paced individuals. So, I will respect your type-A personality by laying out these secrets for you like a recipe for a secretly delicious, award-winning four course dish.

SECRET #1 - THE o.

The o. as I call it simply stands for "The Opening". To be prepared in bullet chess is to be ahead. I can't stress enough how many players you'll play against that don't have a clear, theoretical opening. If you were playing a 10 minute rapid game and you're opponent played NO OPENING, and you played a proper opening ... that game is already over before it started, right? That's right. So, why is it any different in bullet chess? While we are racing against the clock, one of the biggest advantages we have playing on chess.com rather than in on a real life board is the ability to pre-move. Of course, while nobody reading this is likely to be Hikaru any time soon, there's no good excuse you can give me why you can't pre-move the London system, or a two-knights defense as black, or other beginner-intermediate defense openings and strategies. Of course, you'll run into the occasional opponent who knows this secret and will pre-move their opening, and now the fun begins. But, if you're sub-1200 ELO, at least 80% of your opponents are winging it on their openings. While they're wasting valuable time, you can have the entire board setup in your favor in a matter of one second. Let me tell you; with 59 seconds on the clock and every one of your pieces developed versus an opponent who is out of sorts and already at 40 seconds ... the game is already over.

SECRET #2 - THERE'S TAKER'S AND GIVER'S IN THIS WORLD. IN BULLET CHESS, ONLY ONE SURVIVES.

Have you ever been playing a game of bullet chess and your opponent offers a trade? Likely so, as not only are the amount of trades offered in bullet chess astronomical, but also the amount of blunders ... which leads us right to the answer of "Should I take, or should I not take?"

The answer is ...

DO NOT TAKE!

Now before you head to the comment section with pitchforks and torches, give me a second to explain.

Remember earlier how I said not only are you playing your opponent in bullet chess, but also the clock? So, when your opponent offers you a trade, what do you likely think their next pre-move is? 

That's right; they have already pre-moved on finishing the trade. Say they offer you a bishop for a bishop, but you know if you take that bishop their pawn takes your bishop. Perhaps in some situations, this could be seen as a strategically advantageous trade for you. However, in chess there's no time for determining whether or not something is strategically advantageous. The only thing that is truly strategically advantageous in the quick paced life of bullet chess is making moves your opponent doesn't expect, thus causing them to waste more time. Instead of accepting the trade and allowing your opponent's pre-move to instantly go through - leaving you with a ticking clock - simply move your bishop out of danger and watch with glee as both your opponents mind and clock melt's away because his pre-move didn't go through. Even better, your opponent may have even calculated 3-4 moves ahead after the trade. Now, with your bishop in an entirely new piece, that entire calculation goes out the window. If he's a strong player, he may be able to get himself back on track in a few seconds ... but those few seconds are like gold in a game restricted to just a minute.

SECRET #3 - CHEAT THE CLOCK

I actually learned this secret from studying a grandmaster's bullet game. I happened to randomly stumble upon a grandmaster here in the forums of chess.com, and decided to gander at their profile. I was particularly interested in this player's bullet games. While no Magnus Carlsen, this player was strong and established with a hefty rating of over 2500. I thought I was in for a real treat of skill, amazing ability, and quick maneuvers that would leave me speechless and flabbergasted.

You know what I saw?

I saw this grandmaster cheat the clock.

In a position where there were no necessarily "good" moves, this grandmaster took his king and moved it back and forth between two squares for a 7 moves. He was not in check, or even stuck. In fact, only 3 or 4 pieces had been taken in the entire game. 

Rather than move random pieces, or try to muster a hopeless attack, this grandmaster cheated the clock by spamming pre-moves with his king back and forth.

I could not believe a grandmaster would play like that. Yet, here it was right in front of my eyes.

Even better; his opponent could do nothing about it. All he could do was move his pieces to try to attack the king, of course. However, once he got into a favorable position, time had already desperately ran out for him to less than 10 seconds, while our grandmaster had over 35 seconds still on the clock. While this is not necessarily a guaranteed win at levels of such heights these two amazing players play at, I don't think I need to tell you how likely you are to win a sub-1200 ELO bullet game when you have 35 seconds and your opponent has just 10 seconds left.

Next time you find yourself in a game with no good moves, spam some pre-moves with your king to cheat that clock!

SECRET #4 - The Secret To A Check is to ... not check at all?

Surely this secret already sounds confusing, but once you understand what I mean you'll walk away from this post with what feels like a silver bullet in the chamber of a Colt .45 pistol.

If you play well enough to get to an end-game in a bullet match, you may find your opponent beginning to spam pre-moves to try to cheat the clock just as we discussed in secret number 3. This can be immensely frustrating, as delivering checks is definitely more time consuming than simply spamming pieces. Often times in this situation, you'll end up losing a very favorable and winning position simply because your opponent is better at pre-moving than you.

But it need not be!

Next time you find yourself attacking a player's king with a queen in the end-game of a bullet match, rather than deliver a check, move your queen (or other pieces) to a position on the board that will CHECK the king on the next move. This will likely stop your opponent's pre-move selection, as he likely anticipated you to check him that move, thus moving his king out of danger. Rather now, he must quickly select the only squares left he can safely go to. Now, rather than having an endless array to pick from, he quickly had half his options taken from him. At the very least, he's going to waste a few seconds to recover from this!

SECRET #5 - Push that pawn!

Pawn's are generally considered powerless in chess, but in bullet chess they might just be your most powerful weapons. While not long-range weapons like a queen or bishop, pawns can reek absolute havoc during a bullet game. Not only can you use pawns to break up your opponent's strategies, but in an end-game, pushing a pawn to the end of the board will take all of your opponent's attention to stop it.

It doesn't matter the situation you find yourself in; push your pawns to make your opponent sweat!

(And waste time.)

SECRET #6 - TRADE QUEENS

Queens are not as valuable in bullet chess like they are in regular chess due to the fact of how much calculation they require. While blundering a queen in a bullet chess is definitely setting you up for a quick loss, it's not a guaranteed loss because of all the other variables that go in bullet chess.

Not only are queens complicated for them to be on your side of the board, but it's even more complicated for your opponent to have one. A queen can go right, left, up, down, that way, this way ... it's all too much. You need to get rid of them, and quick. But how?

I've included some way's I've been able to trade queens, while gaining a sizeable advantage by preventing my opponent from being unable to castle after taking my queen with his King. With this trick, you can get the queen's off the table which allows you to set the pace and maintain control of what happens next, while also forcing your opponent's king in the middle of the board.

I don't claim to be that good of a player. In fact, I'm still learning myself. But these secrets are what allowed me to improve my ELO by over 1000 points in just a week.

If you enjoyed reading my post, let me know by leaving a comment below! I look forward to hearing from everybody, and would love it if you shared your own secrets!