Tips for OTB slow time controls?

my feeling is that even though you've played mostly quicker games that it really doesn't say much about the time controls you would be most comfortable with.  As such, I would definitely back Reb's advice of not falling too far behind on the clock, but the way I would go about it is to write your time down after your move for each move and then see how much time you used and where the major parts of it were used.  It may take 1 or 2 rounds to really get a feel for the new time control, but in this way, you will quickly see how your style should be fit to game length.  For example, the first round you go in and face a positional opening, say the caro-kann, right then and there you must recognize that the game will go a bit longer so you try to speed up a little more as to not risk severe time trouble.  On the other hand, you will probably get to know some of your competitors as well, and just by glancing at their clocks and the scoresheet, you should have an idea of how fast/slow they tend to play.  Make use of it, and you will come to definite conclusions as to how fast to play given the when (position-wise) and where (time necessary relative to the opponent).

Reb, I don't know anyone in-person both strong enough and willing to play such a long game during the work week. I will play a training game on Thursday against Chessmaster, "Josh, Age 12, 2100" to get a feel for the pacing.

Loomis, you are right, playing fast enough shouldn't be a big concern since I can play faster time controls. More endgames! That would be sweet. ;)

trentthechessnut, thanks for the note on pacing.

erad1288, that's true--more time could work for me, hard to tell. I plan to play a practice game so I'm not learning so much on the job.

Mostly, I'm focusing on solving difficult (1700-2000) tactical positions and getting on a good sleeping schedule so I'm well-rested for the event. I think my repertoire is solid enough but will do a quick run-through on Friday so I don't forget key lines.

Have a good time at the tournament all the best from KC.

p.s. don't forget to post the games when you finish and let us know how it goes.

farbror, those Heisman time management links are:

2. Time Management:  
Real Chess, Time Management, and Care: Putting it All Together; Time Management During a Chess Game^T; The Case for Time Management^T; Time Management Tales; The Two Triggers^T (also thinking process); Slowing Down; Criticality Quiz; Getting the Edge (Primarily the reader question at the end); Acquiescing^T; The Room Full of Grandmasters

I'm up to "The Two Triggers", which so far is my favorite of the bunch... it goes move-by-move through a game between intermediate players and discusses how long each player should've spent on each move. Very useful!

For the opening Botvinnik's rule works well for me - 20% of the time for the first 15 moves, in your case it will be ~30 minutes. If you have pre-registered list, try to find them in online DBs, here we have Canadian DB, in US you should have state DBs, whatever. It could be beneficial to know what your opponents are playing. As for the food, piece of chocolate usually helps.

Good sleep and a walk in the park before an important game ! -

So in critical moments and under pressure you can remain better calm and patient and wait for your chance!-

Good luck!

BishopJoe, sure... I have upto 90 minutes to play my first 30 moves. If I make 30 moves in time, 60 more minutes are added to my clock. As is typical in US tournaments, the clocks will be programmed with a 5-second delay.

mauerblume> Good luck!

Thanks. I am getting 8 hours sleep every night this week. :)

rollingpawns> For the opening Botvinnik's rule works well for me - 20% of the time for the first 15 moves, in your case it will be ~30 minutes.

I've been reading alot about time management. I guess I should be aiming for 3 min/move on average, but maybe only 1 min/move in less critical positions and 9 min/move in more critical positions. The tricky part is knowing which is which.

This tournament doesn't post its attendees in advance.

My 2cts on time management rules : they are really useful only if you happen to be in time-trouble more often than you would like. If you don't, just go on with your current time management whatever it is : it works !

What I find really important is to have a clear mind and enough time to think at the critical moments of the game. There are often a couple of moves in the game that are worth much more than any other. That's when you must be at 100% of your ability. Good sleep, time management and a good state of mind are aimed at playing better those few critical moves.

That's where you can have score points beyond your current level...

Not quite.  Ending the game with any form of significant time left on the clock is just as bad as timing out (or losing due to needed to play in seconds)

Be patient. Stick to your most successful opening as white and black. Dont ignore any moves that are made. Tactics are good, but know the strategy. Even the advanced beginner range 1200-1400 USCF have a good handle on tactics and strategy.

NM Reb> One thing that would help immensely is to play a few training games using the same time control.

Lessons learned from the training game:

• 5 hours is a really long time. Bring a CD player for slow opponents. ;)

 I dont think you are allowed to wear any headphones during a game, so you cant listen to your CD during the game. 

They allow it here... saw lots of headphones at the World Open. The TDs may inspect them if you seem to be doing a little too good.

Another thing to consider is when is a good time to take a mental break during the game?  There may very well be a great time to get up and stretch your legs and get a breath of fresh air.  (I'm assuming you can still move away from the board during a game...been a long time since I played in an OTB tourney.)

In many games there is a point where your opponent has many candidate moves to consider.  Should this happen in a game, consider leaving the table for a bit.  You don't have to go down every path to figure out how you may counter if there are several viable options for the game to move in.  In short, it is his problem and let him "solve" it.  If you estimate he may need 30 mins to really work through his thought process then step out for ten before you return to the board.  And even then, you can think in broader objectives of the game.

Longer time controls allow for some really amazing blunders in large part due to mental fatigue.  (Logically, many non-standard openings are used in this sort of format so as to have one player think more than another.)  One of your goals is to be aware of when you become fatigued.  Don't be afraid to use the extra time on the clock even if you spend some of it jumping up and down outside to get your blood flowing.

I would focus mostly on endings and transitioning from the middle game to the ending, with long time controls it's not hard even for a class C player to avoid any major material lost early in the game. But playing endings accurately under time pressurre after playing for 2+ hours is really hard.

hear is an example from one of my own games. The moral of the story is know your endings because under pressure even the simplest ending may seem unclear.

I very poignant example of the mental fatigue LucenaTDB was talking about. A 1550 blundering K+P vs K! Boy, I hope that won't be me!! I'll do a quick skim through Pandolfini's Endgame Course in the 45 minutes before I go to bed.

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'm off now... will let you know how it goes. :)

I posted my first couple games. Surprisingly, my opponents have made tactical errors... and I've actually been alert enough to catch all of them. :)

http://blog.chess.com/view/my-quotslowestquot-tourney-day-1

Actually, you are lucky your opponent didn't claim a draw. He can pause the clock and tell the arbiter that the game is drawn. The arbiter will most likely check if he knows how to play opposition. This rule is there to make sure that this doesn't happen:

1st player has 30 seconds.

2nd player has 10 minutes.

The game is drawn (like your position). The 1st player knows opposition. The 2nd player declines the draw and starts hunting the 1st player through his time. 

This is something that they want to prevent. The worst penalty for claiming a draw is I believe 2more minutes added to the clock of your opponent. In my example this would not have mattered at all since he allready had 10 more minutes.

sebas4life> Actually, you are lucky your opponent didn't claim a draw. He can pause the clock and tell the arbiter that the game is drawn.

That's not how it works in the United States... it's not enough to know it's a drawn K+P vs K position, you have to actually prove you can draw it. At least, given non-blitz time controls and digital delay clocks, which are what I always play with.

pvmike was attempting to make progress, and he was successful! I actually just watched a player bungle Philidor and lose a drawn R+P vs R ending.