Time Management in Chess

Every time I play 15|10, I take way too long when it comes to thinking about my next move. What is a good rule of thumb for how long each move should take for 15|10?

I have trouble with 10|2

30 sec or more I think

but what if all the moves are not so obvious

I play 10|2

Everyone has their own sweet spot.  Why are you playing? Fun, practice, taking a break, preparing for a tournament?  There probably should be a time control for each. lol  There has and will never be a, "good rule" about how long a move should take!  Look at Chess your chess IQ book 2 and they actually give you deadlines for solving the problems.  The Kasparov vs Karpov V match by keen and Dlugy actually has the clock times for each move.  Those 2 books changed the way I look at using time.  Good luck!

but that does not solve the problem because I have already lost to time in a winning position three times!

I have problems with 30 seconds

-

play blitz and classical games

Try to keep more time that your opponent

I can't, thats the problem

I’m think I’m actually super good at 15|10 time management. What I do is about like this

• 5 minutes for the first 10-15 moves. Make sure you get a good position right out of the opening. It’ll make the middle game a LOT easier and faster
• 8 minutes for moves 15-35. With increment, this averages out to 34 seconds per move. Some moves are obvious captures, and this means that suddenly you get plenty of time to calculate complicated moves
• A couple minutes on the last few moves 35+. By this time you’ll be in an endgame and won’t require as much time

Another tip. If you get into a complicated position where you are thinking about sacrificing material or something. Don’t be afraid to spend 5-10 minutes thinking of your move. Your opponent will have to spend just as long thinking about how to defend, or else risk losing. I don’t think I’ve ever lost a 15|10 game on time, or lost because I made a bad move under extreme time pressure. You can get by with 10 seconds per move in the endgame

Vast majority of games that I play are 3|0. What I do is almost move automatically in bland positions using my intuition and chess knowledge. In more complex positions, I spend however much time I need to come up with a plan, look at counter-moves and ideas, and then play very quickly the next few moves. If my opponent plays a curveball, I'll adapt (which usually involves spending some time to think). Will also prioritize thought process to immediacy, in that I won't spend time going down a long, drawn out, 15 move bleugh unless it's absolutely necessary or the best sequence and instead look at other options (wide to narrow).

you should think so 15 seconds is a good time

your opponent can think on your time

Great advice from Rodilihp and Penguin.

If you take too long. Play 30 min or 60 min 

When you first get out of the opening, don't just pick a move; take some extra time to assess the whole board, identifying long-term strategic things like pawn structures, weak points, imbalances in minor pieces, etc, then formulate a general plan of attack for yourself and your opponent. Spend time on this, and then for the next many moves trust your plan so long as nothing major changes in the long term strategic elements on the board. That way you don't have to work out each move in detail every single time, but instead can move a little quicker while following your long-term plan.

tl;dr: spend a little extra time up front on strategy so you can make the next ten to twenty tactical moves a lot quicker.

Very good points mcfrazier.