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What about Blitz Chess?

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SilverCrown

Just wondering if Blitz chess is still usefull for bringing up one's game. I heard it helps pattern recognintion, although I often see people with 1k+ games, yet they have a really low rating. I also heard that longer games, like 90 0, are the best for improving. I really like playing Blitz as my schedule allows for it; however, I would also like to improve. Puzzles, analysis and turn-based games are some of the things I do, but I'd much rather play Blitz. What do you guys think? Do you find it helps or do you find it's more of a leisurely activity rather than a training method?

Samurai-X

I used to play slow chess (20/30/40+ min per game) back when I was a beginner and then I started playing blitz, finding that it added something useful to my game: knowing how to play fast (and avoid making blunders). In the same manner that it is useful it is also not useful. While it teaches you to play fast, it gets you in the habit of making moves fast which is a problem because there are a ton of things to consider when making a move. I got into the mode where I made moves instantly and I don't think that it was healthy for me as a chess player. So I'd say slow chess is most ideal for making serious progress, a combination of blitz and slow is also defintely better than all blitz.

SilverCrown

Good point! I'll definitely look more into slow games.