Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Review of chess analysis::Where Did the Soldiers Sleep in the Trenches







Review of chess analysis::Where Did the Soldiers Sleep in the Trenches








For               thousands               of               people,               the               real               test               of               chess               skill               lies               not               in               the               tournament               hall,               where               single               games               routinely               last               five,               six,               and               even               seven               or               eight               hours               each.

Instead,               these               people,               primarily               made               up               of               the               hardcore               veterans               of               Internet               Chess               Servers,               feel               that               blitz               chess               with               games               lasting               only               a               few               minutes               are               the               real               test               of               chess               prowess.

While               this               is               much               a               matter               of               opinion               and               personal               taste,               the               differences               between               blitz               chess               and               chess               classical               time               controls               are               worth               noting               and               studying               because               they               can               help               you               play               better               in               both               your               fast               and               slow               time               control               games.

As               chess               is               a               mental               game,               the               majority               of               changes               you               have               to               make               in               your               play               when               going               from               fast               time               controls               to               slow               time               controls               (or               the               other               way               around)               are               mental               ones.

However,               there               are               a               few               physical               things               to               keep               in               mind,               and               I               think               exploring               these               are               a               good               way               to               start               thinking               about               how               we               should               change               our               play.
               First,               it's               obvious               that               your               frequency               of               moving               is               going               to               be               increased.

In               fact,               you're               often               going               from               making               two               or               three               moves               every               ten               minutes               to               making               hundreds               of               moves               in               ten               minutes               time.

Being               physically               alert               is               a               top               priority               for               this               very               reason:               you               don't               want               to               outplay               your               opponent,               but               lose               on               time               just               because               you               took               your               time               to               make               your               moves               slowly.

That               is,               once               you               decide               on               your               move,               which               will               usually               just               take               seconds,               you               should               move               it               quickly               and               also               quickly               hit               the               clock.

I've               seen               hundreds               of               people               in               my               lifetime               who               could               have               improved               their               blitz               results               dramatically               by               just               moving               their               hands               faster               when               they               were               playing.
               Second,               and               almost               important               as               moving               quickly,               is               to               know               what               your               hand               movements               will               be               for               capturing               pieces,               castling,               and               promoting               a               pawn,               BEFORE               the               move               happens.

If               you're               about               to               promote               a               pawn,               go               ahead               and               make               sure               you               have               the               piece               you're               going               to               promote               to               in               your               other               hand               on               your               opponent's               time,               so               that               you               won't               waste               valuable               seconds               on               the               clock               looking               for               the               piece.

Also,               when               capturing               a               piece,               learn               to               move               your               own               piece               and               pick               up               the               opponent's               piece               at               the               same               time               with               one               hand               in               a               single               fluid               motion.

Then,               hit               the               clock               with               the               bottom               of               the               piece               you               just               captured,               so               you               don't               waste               time               putting               the               piece               down               and               then               hitting               the               clock.

While               these               may               seem               like               minor               issues               that               will               save               you               a               second               here               and               a               second               there,               if               you               only               have               three               minutes               on               the               clock,               then               you               only               have               180               seconds               to               burn,               which               isn't               a               lot.

Doing               anything               you               can               to               save               a               few               seconds               here               and               there               is               the               easiest               way               to               boost               your               win               rate.
               The               mental               aspect               of               blitz               chess               is               probably               the               hardest               to               adjust               to,               but               there               are               a               few               major               things               that               you               can               do               to               help.

The               first               is               to               simply               remind               yourself               that               you're               not               playing               classical               time               controls,               and               that               you               have               to               move               based               off               your               knowledge               of               chess,               not               your               deep               calculations               at               the               board.

Blitz               chess               is               more               about               intuition               and               quick               decision               making               than               long               detailed               analysis,               and               realizing               this               and               acting               on               it               isn't               very               hard               once               you               get               used               to               the               idea.
               Another               major               problem               a               lot               of               players               have               is               that               they               are               scared               of               making               mistakes,               so               they               take               too               much               time               on               their               moves.

This               is               the               major               psychological               block               most               people               have               with               blitz               chess,               because               in               long               time               control               games               they               are               used               to               being               able               to               look               at               all               variations.

When               you               know               what's               to               come               ahead               of               time,               it's               easier               to               be               comfortable               in               the               game.

This               comfort               is               a               great               weakness               in               blitz               chess,               and               can               lead               to               major               problems               if               you               let               yourself               become               afraid               of               the               unknown.

Instead,               you               should               embrace               the               unknown               as               part               of               the               game               and               run               with               it.

Remember               always:               blitz               chess               is               a               competitive               task,               not               a               perfect               one.

In               a               fight,               the               opponents               are               not               so               much               worried               about               being               perfect               as               they               are               winning.

This               should               be               the               same               for               you               in               blitz               chess.
               In               conclusion               I'd               like               to               share               a               story.

When               I               was               about               17               or               18               years               old,               I               had               a               friend               who               was               a               USCF               expert,               rated               about               2050,               and               at               the               time               I               was               probably               rated               about               1400               or               1500.

In               G/30               or               higher,               this               guy               would               normally               just               run               over               me               game               after               game.

However,               if               we               played               G/5,               I               would               easily               win               about               80%               of               the               games.

Now,               how               is               this               possible               you               might               ask.

The               answer               is               simple:               he               hadn't               made               the               mental               adjustments               necessary               to               play               fast               time               controls               with               his               full               ability.

After               some               discussions               about               this               at               a               weekend               tournament               we               were               playing               at,               I               finally               talked               him               into               playing               the               blitz               tournament               that               was               held               that               night               and               to               just               try               to               play               fast               and               win,               instead               of               trying               to               play               perfectly.

The               result?

He               won               his               class               prize,               and               beat               two               Fide               Masters               in               the               process.

Let               this               be               a               lesson               to               those               who               don't               think               they               can               play               well               in               blitz               for               some               reason:               it's               all               mental.






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