Watch that Clock!

The clock is arguably one of the most integral parts of the game of chess. After all, if there was no clock, players could take forever to make their move!

Especially in the world of online chess, your time really matters. Hopefully, you know what happens when you waste 30 seconds thinking in a bullet game!

As a result, time management is a crucial part of the chess experience. In this blog, I'll talk about some strategies that I use to make sure I'm spending the right amount of time on each move, and how you can punish irregular usage of time. Let's get started!

Use Your Time Wisely!

Both too fast and too slow are bad. The question is - what is between too fast and slow?

This answer depends mainly on the time control. If it's a blitz game, you might want to spend 5-10 seconds per move. But in a classical game, you should probably take some more time.

1. Set a fixed time limit for each move

On first thought, some of you might disagree with this statement. But please read the rest of my explanation before skipping to the end of the blog . 

Think about it this way - on average there are 40 moves in a game (according to chess.com). Therefore, you should plan accordingly.

This doesn't mean that you should equally spend time on each move. However, I would make the argument that you probably shouldn't devote more than 1/5 of your total time to any given move. If the average game is 40 moves, 1/5 of your time would be like "using" 8 moves, which is a significant commitment.

Some of you might disagree and argue it's 1/4, or 1/6. Tell me what you think in the comments!

2. Think on your opponent's time.

You've seen people walking around in OTB tournaments to look at other people's boards. You might even do it yourself! (not pointing out any names...)

I'm not saying that this is always detrimental, but if you're worried about managing your time, it's not a good idea. 

Analyzing the position during your opponent's time is often very beneficial, especially if your opponent's a slow player. You can use his time to think about your response. In many cases, he might even be surprised by your lightning response once he plays!

This way, you can keep the pressure on your opponent and save minutes on your own clock. In the long run, it'll help you, even if looking at other games is more fun.

3. Don't rush if you've got time on the clock.

The last two guidelines are about preventing a deficiency of time, but an excess is also not good. If you've got half an hour or even a few minutes, take a small think before making your move! At the least, you should check for blunders (remember to look for forcing moves on your opponent's side, checks, captures, and threats).

As Jacob Aagaard said, "a quick blunder check is often worth it." Read more here.

4. Write down your times on your paper.

This is something that I do in OTB games. After the game, I review my sheet to see if I spent too much time on a move, etc. This way, you can improve your time management in the future.

If you recorded that you spent way too much time on a move, then you've got something to fix!

5. When your opponent is low on time, don't rush and play too fast.

I've found that it's quite tempting to play extremely fast even when you're not low on time but your opponent is. 

Since your opponent is playing so fast, you might be encouraged to play just as fast. But resist that, and think before making your move. 

According to Aagaard, a friend of his once blundered mate-in-one because his opponent was low on time, inspiring him to move just as fast. Don't fall for the same trick!

That's it for my guidelines! Tell me if you have any more below!

An Example of Poor Time Management

Time management has affected top players in many ways. Let's take a look at some ways that some of the best have messed up in this manner.

Vasyl Ivanchuk vs Leiner Dominguez (FIDE Grand Prix Thessalonki 2013)

Famously, Ivanchuk is known for getting into major time scrambles. Below, he ended up losing a game with a +10 position.

Conclusion

I hope that you learned a thing or two about time management from this blog!

I'd like to also thank BlogChamps for inspiring me to begin blogging. It's staffed by top bloggers, and I highly recommend checking it out!

Tell me if you use these guidelines in your own games!

That's it for this blog - serenesnowflake