Why do high level players play only blitz?!

Why do 2000+ players constantly play blitz games (maybe 3-5 minutes max). I never see them playing 10/30 minute games! 

I imagine once you've played enough to get to 2000+, you don't need 10 minutes to think through your average internet chess game.

Doesn't this make your brain kind of "unused" of deeply analyzing ?

I mean, it's not a good habit to play quickly every game in your day, IMO. When I was a 800 player here, I found a very good chess.com coach who gave me this advice at the time: Don't play too much quick games, go more for Online Games that last at least 3 days/move. Think every move carefully and analyze your opponents.

So I sticked with that plus some other study plans and now im at 1500, and all I see is the very high rated ppl go against this advice that made me improve a lot.

That question bothers me too: Why do high level players play only blitz ?

Just a guess, but most of these players will have put in many long hours of analysis in order to get as good as they are.  Internet chess is just for fun.  Their long games happen at OTB tournaments or otherwise in some sort of long analysis sessions.  Maybe they play CC without an analysis board for example, or do other similar training.

There are several reasons that strong players play 5 minute blitz chess:

1.  To reinforce their opening repertoire visualization pattern memory bank

2.  To sharpen their quick sight of their tactics visualization pattern memory bank

3.  To sharpen their handling of the clock when in time pressure under standard time control rated tournament games.

4. To reinforce their middle game visualization pattern memory bank

5. To reinforce their endgame technique visualization pattern memory bank

At your rating you have not built any of those memory banks mentioned above and should be playing slower time controls.  Quick sight of the board is for after you have built those memory banks.

The reason is really simple, it is cheating. No Gm wants to loose against a weaker player with an engine. In bullet en blitz using a engine is kinda useless because of the low time limit.

detorennl wrote:

The reason is really simple, it is cheating. No Gm wants to loose against a weaker player with an engine. In bullet en blitz using a engine is kinda useless because of the low time limit.

So this conclusively proves they never play any other TL? Are you monitoring this site on a 24/7 basis?

Except they never score more than 50% among themselves, so there is plenty left to think about

Beckyschess is so damn good that it frustrates me. I mean I thought she was good last time I checked her profile but, she's even raked up a few more hundred of rating points

A lot of blitz players have come to learn chess by playing mostly blitz chess. That's all they will play else the fundamental weaknesses to their slow game would be exposed. So, they take what glorry they can get to make them look better than they really are.

Still, some just do it for fun, rather hard to get slow games against top-quality opponents as they can get in real events.

Because they can. I couldn't play blitz even if I got to 2800 at long time controls. Curiously I am good in time scrambles withy an inc in long games. Anyone who can reconcile that contradiction is brighter than I am.

Also as a counterpt to someone's comment on patterning. I am much better at fischer random at 4 mins no inc when there is patterning removed!!

linuxblue1 wrote:

Because they can. I couldn't play blitz even if I got to 2800 at long time controls. Curiously I am good in time scrambles withy an inc in long games. Anyone who can reconcile that contradiction is brighter than I am.

Also as a counterpt to someone's comment on patterning. I am much better at fischer random at 4 mins no inc when there is patterning removed!!

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There are no absolutes, and the exception proves the rule!!!

I used to be shocking at time scrambles at a long time limit. I would leave pieces en prise. Then I asked a FM coach about it. He told me 3 things:

[1.] THink of your time control as a budget: some moves are worth 10 minutes and some no time time at all such as a leaglly forced and only move.

[2.] In a time scramble use your opponent's time to do a blunder check of your moves such as avoiding walking into a fork etc

[3.] In a time scrambl;e stop trying to find the best move: just play a good or OK move.

I have never blundered in a time scramble ever since by following 1 - 3. Of course following [1.] has led to fewer time scrambles in the first place!!

Not true, much more people cheat in blitz than in rapid. Cheaters just dont have the patience to wait for a 10 minute game to end since they arent even playing but doing some stupid chore.

Bullet is also full of cheaters, if you dont believe me check out Eric Hansens video where he looses to a cheater in buller several times

Where are you getting your data?

I've played a few thousand blitz games on this site and run into a handful of cheaters. Since switching most of my play to game 10, one opponent in 40 gets banned for cheating. 

Hence, I think you are wrong.

That isn't true they play bullet as well 😂

Internet chess is for fun, I guess. OTB is where they play seriously.

Chess is taxing on the mind. You really think top players are going to sweat over long time controls if they dont have to? 🙃 

Just out of experience and the logic that cheaters are not patient enough to play rapid. If a lot of your opponents are getting banned for cheating it might be that they cheat in other time controls than in the one that you played them in. For example a cheater plays you legit in rapid and then goes out to cheat in bullet and gets banned