Our do YOU slow down

I've been playing 30 minute games with the intention of slowing down and really analyzing my positions...but it's having the opposite effect. When my opponent takes up to ten minutes, it totally throws off my game. My anxiety starts and I actually start to get inpatient. I've blundered my Queen several times lately because I get so antsy waiting for my opponent to move. Even with 30 minute games, I don't think I've gotten below 20 minutes left on the clock...win or lose.

Anything special you do to relax during games?

Guinness and cigarettes work for me 👍

haha...See I was in such a hurry I even f'd up the title.

More seriously, you have to immerse yourself in the game. Of course, it helps if you have a free 1hr without any potential distractions. I play 30 mins often, most of my games it is me who is slower. I tend to play opening moves quickly where I'm familiar, then in the middle game I slow right down. Many times I'm blitzing the ending but that doesn't matter if I have a winning position. I take great satisfaction from winning with 1 or 2 minutes left vs players who have moved too fast and still have 20 minutes left. 

The old adage is to sit on your hands. 

If 30 min is counterproductive for you, try playing 20 min or even 15 min, until you feel comfortable slowing yourself down to fit the time control. When you consistently have only 10-25% 9f you time left on a loss, you're using your time effectively. If you can push it to less than that comfortable and still feel your time is spent meaningfully, increase the time control and continue. Possibly mix it up with some matches at 10 min or lw

10 min or less to clear your head.

Thanks, I didn't know if many people played 20 minute games since it's a custom option.

I never thought about that. That's good advice, thanks!

Oh man! If the other player sits there for ten minutes, that’s a huge gift! They’re running down their clock while I get free thinking time with my clock stopped.

That's what one would think, but anxiety screws me every time because I think I know my next move and I'll be so set on it for so long...I'll make it without much attention to what they played...then blunder. Blundering is my biggest issue right now. 

Blundering is a huge problem for all of us below the mid-1000s. If there’s time and you have a move picked out, go check threats from your opponent’s long-range pieces, because it can be easiest to miss a threat from a queen, bishop, or rook on the other side of the board. You can also use the time to look for things like whether your opponent is trying to set up a clever tactic like a fork, pin, or skewer, or going for a sneaky checkmate where a couple of those long range pieces swoop in from across the board. If your opponent takes a ten minute turn, they either think they’re on the verge of something really clever, or they are trying to make something clever work and they can’t, or maybe you’ve put them in such a rough position that they just want to get out. Or maybe their two year old spilled chocolate milk on the keyboard.

haha, I often play 30 minute games bc my dogs or kids need something.

my opponent was a pawn up and spent almost 2 minutes calculating his next move. he blundered his king and i got an easy mate in 1.

I think it is much better to tie them behind your back when it is not your move.

The thing with wanting to give yourself more time to think is that your opponent will have the same benefits.

Usually I can get sucked up in a game and then, even when my opponent uses more than 5 minutes of our 10+5 game, I am still focused on the game, trying to come up with moves by my opponents and identifying the best ways to start an attack (because I always want to win). I know that I never really blitz out moves, and I panic quickly when I don't have increments in my game, but I'm perfectly fine with my opponent also having more time - also because it leads to better games, and I love a good game.

Once you get sucked up in a game you can understand the feeling of not worrying about your opponent taking a long time.

I think it is more difficult to focus for long time when playing online (OTB I've been playing a game for more than 5 hours and I feel like time flies), but it's a lot about practice.

It's a discipline, but one well worth adopting, because of so many of the things mentioned above! 

 

Chocolate milk in the keyboard, got it.

I think you're right.