My Blitz Failure - Chess Forums

Ascleipus

Oct 15, 2010

0

#1

Today i lost about 10-15 blitz games and won 3-5 i did feel a bit off when i was playing but still, do you think it was due to this that i lost all these games or do i simply need another go at the tactics trainer, but the thing is i know all these basic mating patterns and forks etc but i still fell for them and hung my queen countless times.

DonnieDarko1980

Oct 15, 2010

0

#2

Blitz is very much a matter of "shape of the day", at least for me. There are days when I repeatedly win almost effortless against players rated 200 higher than me, and then there were days when I lost 8 times in a row against lower rated players. If I haven't slept well, had a bad day at work, drank alcohol, whatever, I know I should rather forget about blitz playing at this time (or play some unrated games first so that it doesn't ruin my rating :).

I'm sure almost everyone playing here with a rating over 500 knows the basic mates and tactics - in Blitz knowing them is not enough, you have to see them quickly too :)

BigAlex

Oct 15, 2010

0

#3

Pretty much what DonnieDarko1980 said.

There are times that you just play compulsively, mechanically, not even having fun with the game. When this happens usually you lose, become pissed and play again and lose again and then the descendent cycle ruins your rating.

Alcohol is dangerous because after starting drinking, you relax and maybe the "having fun with the game" thing happens, but ITOH after a few more drinks you lose the sense of danger, starts to see nothing on the board and lose games badly.

I have been a blitz patzer for a long time strugling with the ups and downs on my rating. I managed to enhance the rating a bit by reducing the number of Blitz games played and focusing more on standard games. I also, in 2010, returned to OTB tournaments which forced me to get a better undestanding of the position. I think this also helped me to improve my blitz playing.

Ascleipus

Oct 15, 2010

0

#4

thank you for the mood boost :) good to know i'm not the only one with ups and downs.

all the best.

Ascleipus

Oct 16, 2010

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#5

Estragon wrote:

Yes, a slight difference in your "feeling" or wellness can make a large difference in blitz results.

But when you speak of tactics trainer, it's an improvement tool, and if improvement is your goal you ought stay away from blitz except as an occasional treat. It's fun, it's exciting, but you won't improve as fast with it as by playing slower games.

Try a minimum of G/25 or longer for live games, and take on some turn-based games, too. Don't overload yourself with the latter, try 2-6 for starters but give them some real thought, and real database research (one of the better ways to learn openings). You will improve much faster this way, and - perhaps not coincidentally - your blitz skill will rise as well!

sounds reasonable was thinking of playing a long game today. the only problem with them is that it is 10x worse when you lose the slower ones since you put in so much time only to lose lol.