Time Management In Chess

Time management sure is a tough thing; you can be swallowed in that deep position in a blitz game, and the last thing you find out is that you have 20 seconds on the clock. Of course, it happened to all of us at least once. So here I'm going to give you a couple of time management tips; not only can you use them for blitz, but also for rapid and even OTB games. So without further ado, let's get into it!

• Tip 1: The 15-second rule.

You may ask yourself sometimes, "How much should I spend on each move?" 

Well, I've got the answer for you!

Of course Hikaru is a speed demon, but you can learn a couple of things here:

• Hikaru is not that guy that premoves every single move and then blunders something
• He does think 10+ seconds, but only in critical positions.

Of course Hikaru is way too quick, so that's why there's this 15-second rule, where you should spend 15 seconds on a move that you think is critical and will change the outcome of the game. If it's not critical, then spend less than 15 seconds; preferably 3-9 seconds is best.

Tip 2: Eyes on the clock!

Don't get so wrapped up in the position that you FORGET how much time you have.

A basic solution for this is to check the clock after every move, and then you will try to figure out how much time you will spend on the next couple of moves.

Tip 3: Time Goals.

You should set up time goals for each phase of the game; for example, I'll use

• 15% of your time in the opening
• 45% in the middlegame
• 40% on the endgames

Of course, this is just an example; you can adjust this based on your likings. You can use less time in the opening if you know a lot of theory, then dedicate the rest to your middlegames and endgames.

Tip 4: Slowing down when winning or losing.

You should slow down when winning, whether you're winning on the clock, materialistically, or even a better position. Why? Because if you go too fast, you might throw the whole game away, like by blundering a piece or falling into a trap. So you should take it easy and try converting it.

Logical approach, but why slow down when losing? Shouldn't I try flagging my opponent?

This type of thinking is not completely wrong, but what if your opponent has a lot of time on their hands? Playing faster then will make you lose faster. So, when you're losing, you should try to find strong, active defensive moves rather than trying to flag your opponent.

If you don't follow this tip and play quickly, you will end up like Fabi in the 2017 Saint Louis rapid against Le Quang Liem.

Tip 5: Anticipation.

Although you can premove, you could get hit with an unexpected move, so you should anticipate. 

Anticipation is a crucial note in classical chess, anticipating your opponent's thought process and plans. Predicting your opponent's moves and understanding his patterns of thinking is an indispensable part of calculation. With that said, the real purpose of calculation in classical chess is to ensure the accuracy of your own moves and not to read your opponent's mind at every turn. If your opponent makes an unexpected move, you can take a few seconds to recover.

In blitz and rapid, the situation is reversed; the consequences of not calculating thoroughly and calculating 2 candidate moves instead of 6 are way less noticeable. But facing a surprising move that you didn't expect has much worse consequences.

Anticipation can be one of those things that will be improved by improving general chess knowledge; that's why GMs excel at this. Of course you can still have a fight with them, but they're naturally better. You can follow a couple of mental techniques that will get you great results in having a great anticipation skill.

Alright, that's all the time I've got for now. I hope I made your time management skills better.

And remember, the most important thing is to develop a consistent philosophy of time management and practice it 100% of the time. See you in the next one!
Oh, and if you like this one, here's another one on how to analyze your own games!
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/how-to-analyze-your-own-games-1?page=1#last_comment

Thanks... I like your proposition!

Very good advice and accurate analysis

Time is one effective way to pressure at opponent

This article very important and i hope you go on and always publish another one near❤️❤️

👍

Thanks for your opinion! And for your question, solving tactics and knowing tactical motives will increase your speed significantly and will make you calculate faster. And try practicing the tips I made in this forum, like the 15-second rule and the time goals technique. This will make you play faster. Of course you will have some problems abiding by these rules, but with practice you will subconsciously know that, for example, I should put 10% of my time in the opening, 50% in the middlegame, and 40% in the endgame. You will also know when the critical moments are more often. That's the advice I could give you, and I hope you find it useful!

what would you say the time rule is for the 10 minute time control?

For the 15-second rule, in a 10 minute game, 15 seconds is not enough to think in a critical moment, so you should think for 45 seconds in critical moments. Remember, ONLY critical moments.

sounds good, ill strive for that as a goal. right now im hella new so every move feels critical 
XD