1750 Rapid now! Is swapping time controls good for increasing strength?

New all time high records boys and girls.

So backstory is that I earlier last month hit all time high in Blitz on 1700. After that I had a little bit hard time to go back to Rapid. Because I played to fast, did not really use my time. So what I did now is that I have had some break from live chess. The are other reason for that then only wanting to improve like getting a little more time away from the computer and spend some time with family outside now while we have summer. But during this time I did not stop to play chess. Instead I play daily chess. So in Daily chess I am a little bit lower rated and is 1600. But daily chess is really really hard. I was playing versus a 1400, a game of Smith Morra for me as white. But I struggle to find the winning moves. I had a an advantage early on but that disappear since I did not find the correct moves and this 1400 person was really good at defending. In the end I was lost, I only won because of luck that his time run out. What I am trying to say is that daily is really hard. Anyway I have played a lot of daily. And by doing that I learned or one would hope so to slow down to win the games. And that brings me here because today when I came back to Rapid it worked great. I won every single one today. Now I am gonna have a break and analyse the games etc.

TLDR is I changed timecontrol for a while to get better.

What I do think is really good and I believe is a good practice is to swap timecontrols or to play different timecontrols to increase the overall strength.

Because like daily you might need to deep calculate and make sure that you don´t miss your opponents moves etc because here time is not really a factor since you have at least 24 hours per move. So here tempo, position etc is really really important. Like in comparsion to Blitz where speed and be fast at spotting tactics might be more important.

And for example in Rapid you need both, speed, positonal understanding, be fast at spotting tactics, tempo.

I mean you kinda need them all in all time controls but my point is that different time controls might be better practice for some of these then others. That is at least my idea.

So my hope is this thread might give some ideas for newer players and opens up for some discussion. And I would really want to know what stronger player thinks of this idea. Swapping time controls to work on all chess strengths sides that is.

Might add that I did only play 3 Rapid games today so it might be more random factors then anything else. It felt like more games do. Anyway the fact that I hit a new rating record still stands.

Longer time controls are best for your game. Outside of trying out new openings and some general pattern recognition, blitz is next to worthless for improvement.

Makes sense. But I don't want to play to much daily because its way to hard. Then I would prefer Rapid instead, not as much thinking but at least the clock add some pressure which make the games easier on the mind in some way but more stressfull.

#1

"After that I had a little bit hard time to go back to Rapid." ++ 15|10 is good

"Instead I play daily chess." ++ Daily is not homogenous. Some play a few games and analyse for hours. Some play dozens of games at the same time and spend only seconds to move.

"I won every single one today. Now I am gonna have a break and analyse the games etc."
++ Play some more until you lose a game that you can analyse.

"swap timecontrols or to play different timecontrols"
++ skill transfers from the slower to the faster time control

Yes but I play to fast so adding time feels countraproductive. But I understand that 15+10 would be a very good practice time. But I really enjoy the game with no incramenet. So there I feel 10+0 is a decent compromise, getting both the fun but also more time to think then Blitz. I just need to allow me to slow down and be better at using my time. But time management is hard to learn. You dont want to lose on time but you dont want to lose a game with to much time either. Use the time when the situation ask for it but it is easy to miss if moving to fast.

#6
"15+10 would be a very good practice time." ++ Yes, indeed.

"I really eI just need to allow me to slow down and be better at using my time."
++ 15|10 is good for that. You can slow down without fear of flagging.

"time management is hard to learn"
++ Flagging or fear of flagging distracts from chess. 15|10 is better. Most chess games are essentially decided by move 30. So start at 40 s/move and finish on increment at 10 s/move.

"You dont want to lose on time but you dont want to lose a game with to much time either."
++ That is the dilemma. When two equal players play, the one who thinks longer can see deeper and thus get a won position, provided he can convert the win before his time runs out. Increment solves that.

"Use the time when the situation ask for it but it is easy to miss if moving to fast."
++ In 15|10 you can use the 15 as you see fit and you always have the 10 to win a won position or draw a drawn position.