Time Management?

Hey Guys,

I'm having a bit trouble playing on faster time controls like Rapid 10 minute or 15 minute. I'm the kind of player who likes to take his time before moving anything. Even If I find a "Good" move, I wait and see if there are better moves and play those instead.

I personally prefer playing on longer time controls (30 minutes minimum) but I have a tournament coming up that has faster time control so I gotta practice playing on that.

I can usually play faster in the Opening but take more time in the Middle Game. And sometimes I just get stuck on "finding the right move" and end up wasting a lot of time.

I always feel like I need more time and my time management is absolutely horrible. I've lost countless games in Winning Positions just because I ran out of time.

Is there any hope I could improve my Time Management?

.. You need to spend More time, on learning, {in a 'quicker' fashion of course} ; What constitutes, a 'good' or 'strong' move ; In All phases, of the game ; Where, at some, Not particularly, 'Near' time-frame, point ; Your 'pattern-recognition'; May, start to manifest !?

I found the following link, by 'googling'; "10,000 hours, to become a 'master' at Anything"{!} .. Of which, there are further links ; Both in support, of that premise ; And, even more opinions .. In opposition ; Though, without totally invalidating, that assertion. - Ergo - You're likely, to get 'better', as a result !

http://healthland.time.com/2013/05/20/10000-hours-may-not-make-a-master-after-all/

actually you must play longer games first to improve.

Give yourself a maximum thinking time. In complex positions, once you have found a good move, you can use more time to find a better one, but only go to the max time you are allowing yourself.

How much time you give will be based on the overall time control and the amount of time you have left. The position will play into it some too, especially if you think you might have a forced win, but you always need to give yourself enough time to finish the game too.

I'm also a person who plays MUCH better with more clock time. OTB I play at 1600 or better with an hour on the clock but it falls to around 1400 at 30 minutes.

Three things I'm trying to do to improve the time I need per move:

1. Recognize tactical patterns - you can play faster if you see "chunks" of the board at time instead of all individual pieces.  There are IM Danny Rensch's excellent "Patterns You Must Know" and IM David Pruess's "...Tactical Genius" and "Crucial Patterns" etc. videos here at chess.com.  Also very helpful is IM John Bartholomew's 9-Part "Chess Cognition" and 5-part "Chess Fundamentals" series on YouTube.  I haven't had time to go through it much, but Killegar's 31-part examination of Nimzowitsches My System on YouTube looks worthwhile, with advice like: look for the "evolutionary attack" before the "revolutionary attack" and, of course, The Blockade and Overprotection are discusses in great detail.

Additionally, these page have interactive tactics examples you should memorize:

https://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-tactics--definitions-and-examples

https://chesstempo.com/tactical-motifs.html

2. Get very familiar with a small set of openings. By "familiar" I don't mean memorize reams of openings: understand the ideas behind the openings, the typical middlegame attacks you can generate from them, and the traps you don't want to fall into or that you can play if your opponent makes a bad move (but don't think "Traps" unless your opponent sets himself up for it).  This allows you to make a lot of opening moves with little clock time - which often bothers your opponent.

3. Learn to plan quickly.  Two books I'm currently reading are Fred Wilson's excellent Simple Attacking Plans and GM Michael Stean's Simple Chess.

.. Then of course ; You have your 'electronic' chess-engines ; Which, if you can afford, a 'good' one .. Will show, endless patience, for your sometimes, 'feeble' play !

Below, is a link, {appearing, today !}.. To the latest, "'Komodo' 11"; 'Engine', review.

http://en.chessbase.com/post/komodo-11-review

How about pre-allocating how much time you want to spend on the first 10 moves?  Then the next 10.

If there's no zwischenzug, then do captures fast.  Also, predict your opponent's move on his time, and plan your response.

That is interesting. I was thinking about playing faster time controls so I can improve. But I never thought that playing on Longer Time Controls can actually improve time management.

Should I play a couple on 60 minutes?

"There's a difference between thinking and having doubts." -- GM Igor Smirnov

I used to take an eternity to move, checking and double-checking every variation.  When I heard the above quote, a lightbulb went off in my head.  I wasn't thinking.  I was doubting.  I was so obsessed with making sure my move was safe that I spent three or four times as much time as necessary.

I changed my thinking process then.  If I'm calculating new moves, or I'm in a swamp of tactics, sure, that's fine.  If I'm calculating a line for the third time, going over the exact same moves each time, wondering what if I missed something ... that's just doubts.  I could think for another hour and not get any closer, so I might as well move now and be over with it.

Besides, if it IS a mistake, you'll notice it within seconds of making your move anyway, right?

Anyway, the point: make sure your time spent thinking is actually spent thinking, of calculating new lines or exploring new options, not just obsessing over nothing.  There's a difference between thinking and having doubts.

Yeah, that's me. I have to double check or even triple check and make sure that I didn't make any mistakes. I also do obsess over my moves and after wasting time I make the same move anyway, because most of the time it's correct but I have to verify my opinion. 

I don't want to find out that I made a mistake after moving.

If you are playing fast time controls you must be prepared to play moves which you assess as good or reasonable rather than eating your clock searching for the absolute best move. There is no point achieving a great position with 10 seconds left vs 1 minute to your opponent if it will require another 40 moves to make a checkmate. You are losing on time. Better to have an equal position with equal time left.