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Why I'm Better at Blitz

Submitted by erik on Mon, 04/21/2008 at 10:03pm.

I'll be honest - my ability to focus on a chess game goes down hill after a few minutes. It's sad. I've won a few OTB regular tournaments in the lower classes, but I'm not a great tournament player. And I'm not a good turn-based player either because I play so many games and once and rarely take more than a few seconds on each move. So I end up making a lot of stupid moves. But at blitz I can sometimes be a monster.

Now I think I know why - I stay aware of the game the entire time. I play turn-based chess with the same pace as blitz, but I don't maintain the positional awareness from all of my mental processes before. I am essentially starting over with each move, not holding onto the plans and calculations from before. But with blitz, it is all there. Example games:

Here is a recent turn-based game. Look how some of my moves are purposeless and repetitive, and then I ultimately make the worst possible blunder:

 

And here is a recent blitz game:

 
 
One day maybe I'll learn to focus my play with a bit more patience and become a better player! :)
 

» posted in erik's Blog
 

Comments:

by ParadiseDestroyed - 44 days ago
San Diego United States
Member Since: Dec 2007
Member Points: 20
I'm the opposite. I do fine in turn based Chess but I do quite horribly in Blitz Chess. I have the time to think about the possible consequences of my moves whereas Blitz just doesn't give me that opportunity.
by albin1e4 - 49 days ago
Spring Grove, PA United States
Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 9

Put me on the "prefers slow" list. I sort of panic at blitz and try and make my first 10 moves in the blink of an eye. I'm rarely in time trouble as I usually blunder the game with plenty of time to spare. Turn-based chess is right up my alley. I love to ponder variations without the tick of a clock.

Brian 


by GatoNegro - 55 days ago
Utrecht Netherlands
Member Since: Aug 2007
Member Points: 156

People who are good at blitz have often good pattern recognition ability. In blitz we mainly use long term memory. In longer games and also in turn based chess we use our beside long term memory also a lot of our working memory.

I have the same problem when I play many games at the same time. At a certain point it's really needed to use the Notes Tab. Otherwise I forget my thoughts, plans and calculations in the game.

 


by Creg - 3 months ago
Belle Mead, NJ United States
Member Since: Aug 2007
Member Points: 201

There is good reason for this and it is all psychological. Standard chess gives you more time to think, but it also allows more time for self doubt to creep into our consciousness. I'm not a psychologist but put simply as we age we learn that failure is linked to negativity. When you have time to think you slowly begin to worry about failure which in turn clouds your positive thought process.

 

Another excellent example besides chess is speed golf. Yes, there is such a thing. (http://www.speedgolfinternational.com/home.htm). It has been noticed that the over all average of speed golf scores are lower than the same players over all average during standard golf play.

 

What basically is happening in both speed chess and speed golf is that ones instincts take over, and even more importantly, there is no time to achieve self doubt. It may actually be better to focus on the part of self doubt then instincts as it is this area that requires more control. Once you realize it is the fear of losing that is entering your mind, and you begin to learn to control it you should find yourself achieving better results in standard OTB play.  


by Maximus_Minimus - 3 months ago
Cambridge, UK Australia
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 39
I to make quick moves in turn based and seem to be better in blitz. I am currently trying to cut down the concurrent games so when I have 20mins spare I can look at only a few moves. Hopefully the rating improvement will follow. I also can get a bit tangled in the middle game which seems less of an issue in blitz.
by NM GreenLaser - 3 months ago
Chester, NY United States
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 514
Reducing the number of "the worst possible blunder" mistakes would go a long way. Reducing opening problems also makes for an easier time. In game one, 6...e5 is one alternative. Then Black can decide to place the knight on c6, d7, or a6 according to White's response. At move 7...Nb8 is better than Ne5 because the exchange of knights on e5 thematically favors White. Notice if the bishop on e2 were on g2, Na4 would be possible. In game two, 34...f3+ is correct. Often, after a blitz game the loser wants to find improvements, but if they look good, the winner says, "You analyze blitz?"
by taxman22420 - 3 months ago
brawley, ca United States
Member Since: Mar 2008
Member Points: 53
yeah zug i tried taking notes but that's kind of a hassle especially when i forget which games i wrote the notes for, basically i've found a way around it, i just sit and look at the game for a minute and i repeat the name of my opponent a good couple times in my head and that seems to be working out pretty well....so far
by Lizard87 - 3 months ago
Holland Netherlands
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 60

I guess I'm like Erik then. I think I am a good blitz player. I think quickly, sometimes to quickly for myself :P I've played most variations a lot of times, and am pretty familiar with most lines. Solid positions in blitz help me build on my attacks. I don't think too much.

Then, turn-based.... My main mistake there is that I try to make it too complicated for myself :P I'll have to learn to keep myself focussed all the time. But especially the last month I've been really busy, so when you have 20 minutes to play moves in 10 games, I pretty much have to rush.


by chessfanforlife - 3 months ago
Toronto Canada
Member Since: Jan 2008
Member Points: 684
well...since i am a slow mover..i perfer turn based..but its too slow for me sometimes.
by petershaby - 3 months ago
Exeter England England
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 435
I'm the exact opposite! Solid and consistent at turn based OTB and correspondance. As soon as the clock is wound up on blitz I spend so much time in the middle game calculating and double checking that I always end up in time trouble trying to force something to happen before I lose on time! I think I'm just a chess purist!
by lecycliste - 3 months ago
Geneva Switzerland
Member Since: Feb 2008
Member Points: 132

I have only recently started trying to improve a little bit at chess. 

I really enjoy blitz but don't find it very useful as a learning tool.  Whereas studying turned based games is really helping me learn.  

PS - My turned base rating has improved a little recently now that I have stopped treating Turned based like blitz.   

 

 


by PerfectGent - 3 months ago
International
Member Since: Feb 2008
Member Points: 617

erik are you sure you dont also run my previous site, the webmaster there was also the same??

or is this a webmasters disease?? Smile


by beanz - 3 months ago
Adelaide Australia
Member Since: Feb 2008
Member Points: 91

yes, it`s so easy to make blunders, I think I carry over between games sometimes, kinda playing the wrong game !

notes can be helpful, but I agree with taxman22420 that mood, focus and aggression vary a lot between sessions.

still onward and upward. (well somewhat downward at the moment haha) 


by NM Zug - 3 months ago
Longwood, Florida United States
Member Since: Feb 2008
Member Points: 232

taxman22420, you might try making notes to yourself during the game in the private notes area (created just for that purpose).  A couple of words will do the trick nicely...no more forgetting of plans.

Regards, Zug


by JTB - 3 months ago
Bogotá Colombia
Member Since: Jul 2007
Member Points: 15
It happens when the hand is faster than brain. You have a plan but you forget your opponent has his own plan., is an emotional problem.
by jay - 3 months ago
San Jose, CA United States
Member Since: May 2007
Member Points: 999
Both very nice games indeed though, minus the blunder.
by Jasn - 3 months ago
Sausalito, CA United States
Member Since: Feb 2008
Member Points: 151
It's the opposite for me--I'm pathetic at blitz, for two reasons. One is simple time pressure: I see that red clock ticking away and massive portions of my forebrain freeze up. The second reason is, ironically, the exact opposite condition: when I relax and focus, I get lost in thought. I'll get so fascinated by the possibilities that I'll literally zone out, snapping to only after minutes have mysteriously disappeared. Perhaps this will change with more games under my belt, but I'll admit it's frustrating. 
by taxman22420 - 3 months ago
brawley, ca United States
Member Since: Mar 2008
Member Points: 53
i have the same problem with turn based chess...and my strategic mood changes from day to day or sometimes hour to hour...from passive to aggressive, and back and forth,, i forget what my plans were for the game  and make dumb moves at critical points in games that i had going for me
 

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