In the last few months, I lost games that I should draw against; I drew games that I should win. As a result, my USCF rating dropped ~ 200 points. Age catching up? Loss of focus? Worldly problems? I didn't know. For one or two matches, I didn't care so much. Actually any player can lose 200 points from the peak, no big deal. But, the player should know the quality of his game over a period of time.
Last week, I was playing a game against a player who was 300 points higher. I was unable to see more than 1 move ahead. I couldn't see any tactics. I very well know that is not who I am.
So, I put myself to a test. I opened chesstempo.com, started doing tactics. I don't practice tactics myself regularly. I teach tactics to students, analyze games but don't do tactics or puzzles as a habit myself. I do tactics occasionally though. When I started doing tactics on chesstempo.com, my rating dropped 250 points one day. I was shocked this time. Dropping points on USCF is one thing, because we can lose games based on many factors. But, chesstempo is another thing. It only involves your thought process to do tactics and nothing else. I looked back on what I was doing wrong....
looked at the big picture.
Like everyone else in this world, I am also a slave to my mobile phone. Not so much as everyone else, I think. I don't do texting, nothing. But, when we have a smart phone and we have tools that we can do, we won't sit quiet. Chess.com app, other chess apps made their way into my smart phone in the last few months. So, I started playing 30 min games on chess.com. Then, I started playing 5 min games. I played 100s of them in the last 2 - 3 months. It thrills to play speed chess. We don't waste too much time to finish one game, we don't need to wait for the other person for a long time. And we can play many games in one hour. I didn't give 2nd thought on what I was losing by playing Blitz games.....
If I am not wrong, playing blitz is what has been killing my ability to think properly. Hikaru Nakamura is the king of speed chess (he recently lost those titles as well), but many famous players are of the opinion that speed chess is what is holding Nakamura from becoming World No. 1.
So, what is the comparison between Nakamura and me? Nothing much except both of us are chess players. I think speed chess affects players of all levels. World class players to beginners. During speed chess, we don't have the time/ chance to frame and think tactics too much. We just play on our intuition. To be precise, it even kills our tactics skills.
Just my honest opinion.
So, are there no benefits to playing Blitz games? I think there are!! We want to practice openings. We could do that against a software in a computer. But, if we want to do it against humans, we can do by playing Blitz games. If you want to practice variations in long games against humans, it is possible but takes a long time. Other than this, I don't see much of value in Blitz games. At least to me, my style of game. Other players may have different thoughts, others may see value in Blitz. I respect their opinions......
I stopped playing lot of Blitz games immediately. I still do, because I have the craving but I reduced that habit a lot in the last few days. Instead, I am practicing tactics on chesstempo.com ....We will see how my rating graphs goes....
Ciao!
I am not sure if my opinion helps, but at least it is my intention to do so.
ReplyDeletePlaying blitzes (especially without an increment) is like SUGAR. You can take it to your body (mind) and it gives you a great feeling! However taking sugar too often and with too much portions (parts) may be VERY harmful to your health (chess).
You do not have to avoid playing blitzes at all cost, but try to reduce the ration to 20% blitzes and 80% longer time control games. This way the sugar you insert into your blood (body) may not make any (significant) harm to your body (mind). And last, but not least - try to avoid playing dozens of blitzes in ONE session. It is much better (i.e. more beneficial) to play 10 blitzes every day.... instead of playing 70 blitzes in one day.
These are the pieces of advice from the player who played about 50-55K blitzes and read many different opinions on that matter (from blogs, forums, articles, books, etc.). And when you are playing blitzes... have a great fun and do not feel guilty (unless you limit playing one session of blitzes up to 10-15 games of such type).
BTW. If you feel you cannot think nor make any calculations - it may mean: a) you are extremally tired (or exhausted), b) you are very stressed or asleep, c) you are fed up of chess and it is better to make some break from it to recharge the batteries.
Hi Tomasz,
Delete1st things 1st. I like your blog, but I didn't understand Polish. :)
You played 50k Blitzes? Why not go for 100k and sign up a Guiness record? ;)
There are some factors that I considered like being extremely tired (we play usually at the end of the day starting 7 pm till 10 pm), and then stressed out too. Not so much fed up of chess.
One important point you made worth considering is we can ration it instead of avoiding. I still play Blitz but should soon reduce the number of games.
Hello SVC,
DeleteI am sorry as my blog is in Polish, but my countryman are simply too lazy to learn English and read it. I hope you can use my blog with some kind of translator (Google translator?) and extract some useful info.
Playing 100K blitzes is not a problem, but it gives nothing (at least to me). If it would have been a Guiness Record I would do it. However probably the best score is about 1-2M played blitzes. There are many players who devoted themself completely and they have played blitzes ALL their time (and let's suppose they are 60-70-80 years old now).
Yes, the reducing stress with the help of blitzes is a GOOD idea. However if may be harmful in some extend due to developing bad habit (shallow, sloppy and very thoughless play).
And yes I decided to show some medicine as some kind of ratio - not avoiding at all. The less blitzes you play the less harm you can made yourself as a chess player. It is especially meaningful if someone dreams about makiing progress. If you do not want to play better, but just playing more games - playing blitzes (and even bulltets) is the best way to achieve an immortal place at some chess servers (like ICC, Playchess, chess.com, chesscube, etc.).
In my case nowadays blitzes are just 6-10% of my overall games played. And a few years ago it was 85-95%. It probably does not need any comment, right? :)
Blitz is not "absolutly" bad. Science sais: that playing blitz has an positive effect on the progress of master-chessplayers. But it may have negative effects!. Especially young player may get too quick in their decisions, especially if there is no thinking process. Coaches say: that a player below 1800 should not play 5 min blitz ( or quicker ).
ReplyDeletemy opinion:
-Stop blitz if you are ( too ) quick , if you are ( much ) qicker than your opponent in OTB
-Play blitz ( or quick(er) games ) if you are ( too ) slow , if you are ( much ) slower than your opponent
we need to learn: when/how to spend time, and when/how to save time
If we think twice as long than our moves gain something like 100-200 elopoints
AoxomoxoA,
DeleteI am wondering how Blitz has a positive effect on master chess players. I see your point but how? I play blitz only because I don't have specific goals for chess. It doesn't matter if I don't go higher in ratings. I do not suggest blitz for my students though. I never let them play blitz because they have specific (higher) goals to scale up, their only direction in ratings should be higher; so I carefully monitor their progress.
Thanks.....
AoxomoxoA,
DeleteBlitzes may help players to achieve some goals: 1) playing more faster games without wasting a lot of time, 2) testing various opening systems (variations), 3) avoiding too long thinking at simple positions, 4) helping with development of chess intuition, 5) testing various chess ideas at practical games (for example playing with an exchange down, sacrificing a light piece for 2-3 pawns in the opening or middlegame), etc.
I ALWAYS ask, warn and explain that playing blitz should help learning and testing ideas. Take notice you cannot achieve ANY classes and categories (not to mention titles) playing at such pace in OTB tournament games.
I would not say that below 1800 you should not play blitzes. Yes, you should, but with greatly limited. It could be just for fun and for testing puroposes. You cannot forbid having fun to players... especially from time to time. The most important is not to cross "20% barrier" i mentioned above - otherwise you may finish as a "blitz addicted player" (woodpusher forever?!).
And take notice that blitz skills may be developed with learing and having fun simultaneously. For example you give your student 1-2 minutes on the clock and test if he/she is able to mate you with such material: a) K+Q vs K, b) K+R vs K, c) K+2B vs K, d) K+B+N vs K. If it is learnt you can set up basic edgame positions like: e) K+R+p vs K+R, f) K+B+2p vs K+B, g) K+Q vs K+R, h) K+R vs K+N, etc. The use of blitzes should be reasonable way of making progress, learning, having fun and some adrenaline (or even competition against the group of student). That's my view of benefits from using blitz pace to help student improve their chess.