Is it okay to suck at blitz chess?

You have a t shirt for every occasion?

 Almost every occasion...

lol

To answer all your questions...

CC/OTB rating distribution is limited to the select few (a smaller population), that is why CC/OTB ratings are inflated compared to blitz. In contrast, in blitz, you have people lose on simple mistakes due to time pressure (or loss on time), and so the ratings are more evenly distributed amongst the population (hence why lower ratings, minus anomolies like ChessNetwork :P)

To answer your other question, well is it ok to suck at blitz/quick chess? NO.

That means you rely on calculation, you play out each position separately from the rest. Like early chess programs, you calculate each variation based on a set of probable moves. You're training yourself to be a human calculator. It's quite useful, don't get me wrong, because I play blitz a lot, perhaps my calculation sucks!

Blitz, is more about patterns, tactics, and general position. And you cannot always be sure of every calculation. However, that is what GMs do. GMs are GMs because they know so many patterns, variations, continuations, plus they have pretty good calculation to top it off. However, what makes the difference between a 2600 GM and a 2700 GM? My guess would be: More variations/patterns known.

If you were to learn more patterns and positions, and increase your tactics training so that you don't have to make the same calculations over and over, then you will be better at blitz chess.

Maybe an NM can clarify this and confirm/reject.

Lol, executor I agree with most of what you say except the "no" part, but I agree with the follow ups.

I agree patterns are important and that's why GM's can still play good blitz chess, but for the amateurs I think it's too much to ask to come up with good plans and make good decisions (these are often where I get my wins in standard!) in a short amount of time. GM's could probably do it, but that's why they're GM's. I personally don't like the emphasis being on only a few things, which it is in blitz, I think calculation is a really important part of the game. Compared to standard chess, I suck at blitz chess. Do I actually suck at blitz chess? I don't know, I just know that I outplay my opponents much more often in standard and thus have a higher rating.

I guess you think calculation in chess is like making a math calculation, like 2 + 2. Nothing could be further from the truth. You're actually more involved than you ever would be with intuition (which is important too) as you have to take into account both positional and tactical considerations, plus you have to evaluate the end position.

"GMs are GMs because they know so many patterns, variations, continuations, plus they have pretty good calculation to top it off."

Well, to simplify I would say they're basically good at everything, each part being roughly equally important if it's a long game.

"However, what makes the difference between a 2600 GM and a 2700 GM? My guess would be: More variations/patterns known."

Well, that's just a guess. It's most likely a combination of reasons butin fact to be really really good, you have to start to come up with strategies on your own, which you couldn't even get with patterns.

I agree with you elubas.

I didn't mean it's a 2+2 calculation. But more of a depth calculation of if I take this, then he will take this, and i will take that etc. Pretty much the idea is to be able to visualize the ending after 3-5 best moves (predicting your opponents best).

It's the same way a computer analyzes a game. Using the minimax tree, it calculates the best move, based on a depth number.

With standard long games, you have time to calculate and visualize many more moves ahead and consider many more options that you probably would not have considered in a blitz game.

I believe you can play lots and lots of standard games, and if you use your mental powers correctly, you can become extremely good, and eventually slowly but surely you will get faster.

However, you can do the same with lots and lots of blitz games, and instead of strengthening your calculation first, you strengthen your patterns and memory.

In the long run, I suppose standard games might be better for you, since you might learn more about each move; on the other hand, with blitz games, you will have played more games, and had more experience--so it can depend.

Thank you tonydal for confirm/reject :).

I think I'm more of a perfectionist who wants to find the correct idea and calculate to make sure things work, and avoid rushed decisions. In blitz you probably have to let those habits go. I prefer "pseudo blitz" if I'm going to play blitz, with about 10 minutes and with increment. That way you are at least thinking for your moves, even if only for a short time.

Chess is not a thinking game.  It is an eye exercise.  You only need to have a strong memory to remember and recognise a lot of patterns.  We lose to better players because they recognise more patterns than us and can sense a possible combination from miles away; the Master loses to the Grandmaster for the same reason.  So keep studying the middle games and solving chess problems.

But having played here for several days, I notice that some blitz players "improve" their ratings by knowing how to disconnect when they have a losing position, rearrange a move and reconnect to continue the game.  Of course they are only cheating themselves, but in their culture, that's improvement.

Outside of blitz, chess is very much a thinking game. No doubt patterns are extremely useful, but most of the time although you use them you don't just look at a position and the first pattern (and this could be any pattern that jumps out at you) that comes to your mind you play, unless it's blitz.

"the Master loses to the Grandmaster for the same reason.  So keep studying the middle games and solving chess problems."

This is just a guess being claimed as fact! It's probably much more than one reason, patterns not necessarily but possibly being the main one.

In my opinion I think that your mind is in a "rushed" mode when you think through moves, knowing that you don't have a lot of time to think.  I think that when you play blitz your mind is concentrating with the time factor, and it may hamper your decision making. So I think it's ok.

hmm have u ever been playing friendly but serious games and then ur opponent makes a move and your "WTF how did i miss that!?!?!?! im so @#%$@", then go back and analyze and see the move they made was illegal??? is it just me???

Never had that.

If one is an anxiety sufferer like I am, then blitz and bullet chess can very difficult. I indeed start to panic and blunder watching the clock and not the game. Lost many games on time even though the game was won materially. Age is also a factor and some people are deep thinkers and the brain works differently for them solving deeper problems than most could fast or slow. Oh don't play chess after a night out, completely fell apart on one live game, drunk as a newt.

I believe much more in pattern recognition than I did back then; in fact now I think it's the most important part. The patterns that you understand allow you to get a feel for when things work and when they don't, which means you can reject certain ideas early on without looking much -- it's clear they aren't going anywhere. Blitz in some ways tests you on that.

In any event, it just depends on who you are, if you value blitz or not. Personally, I'm more of a perfectionist, and despite the action I get from blitz, an even greater pleasure for me is really mastering a position, and in long games, I have the best chance of doing that. Really understanding the soul of it, in and out. It's really satisfying. But staring at one position for hours isn't for everyone.

Most people consider official rating the most prestigious one, and I do as well. If I'm bad at blitz, I won't care if I'm 2100 FIDE. People ask if blitz indicates strength, but the best way to know how good you are is to go out there and get and nurture your real rating!

I never been to a chess club or live tournament, but when I was deployed with the army I got to play a lot of live chess, most players were simply moving pieces, but there were exceptions one dude said he had an 1800 uscf rating, I was lucky to draw him once when he was trying some weird opening.  The tournaments that were played there were 15 minutes, after we came back I stopped playing, and just now decided to resume, I been playing exclusively 10 minute blitz games, it seems most of you feel its not long enough, though my rating been climbing there, and I begin noticing how 1200 players are better than 1100, and though I been lucky to get wins against 1300 players, I usually get my ass handed by them.  What time controls should I play?  If I play an hour long game and lose it probably be the only game I play that day, how will I accomplish higher ranking?

It's a very good question, gist! It's not so easy to answer because there are so many different methods. I think it can depend a little based on your needs, goals, and available time, of course.

As instructive purposes go, I look at blitz games as a diagnosis for your weaknesses. In chess, you always lose because of your weaknesses, and with a small amount of time, those weaknesses will be obnoxiously exaggerated. For example, if you're bad at endgames, you'll do even worse at them in blitz. It's a good way of seeing what you need improvement on. However, it's extremely rare that a blitz game will show you something new, because you didn't have enough time to figure out what was going on anyway.

That's the positive aspect of longer games: You have more time to plan and understand the position on a deeper level. These are the kinds of games where you really get in touch with your thinking process and its flaws, because you will be thinking a lot more in long time controls than in blitz games. When you have to spend an hour with a position, you tend to break it down a lot more, whereas with blitz, you just take a superficial look at it, which doesn't necessarily lead to increased understanding. You'll probably forget a lot of the positions you encounter in blitz, but have positions from the longer games embedded in your head.

With this said, it would be very time consuming to play 2 hour, classical time control games all the time. So it's practical to play less than that. However, I would say 30 minutes is about the point where you start to make long term plans and think abstractly, so I think trying to get in a lot of games 30 minutes or higher is ideal.

I'm frustrated a lot with my blitz performance too. I'm rated in the upper 1300s OTB, close to 1400, so I am here on standard time controls (15-30 min.), but in blitz I can't get out of the 1100s. If you look at my recent games, there are lots of "won" games, even a queen up, and then I'll either be too slow and time out, or I'll blunder away my whole advantage. There also doesn't seem to be any improvement. I had this same blitz rating years ago when I wasn't even an OTB club player. Some people will tell me I have to play lots of blitz when I want to improve in blitz. Other people will tell me to play lots of long games to improve my overall chess ability and then my blitz ability will improve itself. So far neither has been true, except that after a OTB tournament of slow games and a week-long break from blitzing I seem to have lost that little bit of blitz ability I have completely and even lose to 1000s.

I think I just don't have the right brain for blitz. I'm JUST ... TOO ... SLOW. I'm beginning to believe this isn't something you can get over. Just as my legs aren't made to run 100 metres in 10 seconds, my brain isn't made to play a game of chess in 3-5 minutes. Point.

This is what I'm talking about: http://www.chess.com/livechess/game.html?id=220997767

I'm just too stupid for blitz. I can play decent if I have the time to write a scientific paper about every move I'm about to make, but I'll blunder all my pieces if I have to do it in a few seconds.

BTW, how long will I stay kicked for swearing at myself?

Here's some ideas that may help. (First, I'm lousy at Blitz too so take it for what it's worth).

1. Before playing do 5 - 10 tactic trainer problems (get the mind working)

2. If you're interested in improving your 5 min rating play 2-3 games at 3 minutes in order to "slow the game down" at your interested time.

3. Learn the first 5 moves of 2  or 3 openings that are commonly played in Blitz so you're not wasting any time there.

4. Learn to do the "hanging piece" quick check before you move

5. Watch good blitz players (eg kingcrusher on YouTube) to get some ideas.

I'd be intereted in others' feedback on these ideas - or others.

Jack