Have you ever seen two chess players battling chess either in a chess club, park, street e.t.c furiously pounding the chess clock after each move, playing extremely fast ? It’s very likely that they were playing speed chess.
Speed chess is a type of chess where both players have limited time to make their moves.In this format, you can either win on the board (or when your opponent resigns) or win on time.
In speed chess, the time controls are different from that in classical chess. The timing can vary from 3 mins to 15 mins with or without increment.
Blitz chess is a type of chess where you and your opponent takes 3/5 mins each with or without increment to play a game. Increments typically vary from a second to five seconds.
In Rapid chess, time controls vary typically from 10-25 minutes with or without increments, increments in this case tends to vary from 5 seconds to 15 seconds.
Speed chess is a very interesting and fun way of playing chess. Both players involved are forced to plan and calculate moves with limited time. An average chess game takes up to 40 moves so in a game where each player is assigned 3 mins with no increment, you are expected to make individual moves in under 3 secs!
You may probably be thinking ” I can’t play that fast” , Well that was exactly what I said until I started playing, With consistent practice, you would be playing faster than you used to. Here are some practical tips to keep in mind when playing speed chess;
- Play openings that you are familiar with. You don’t want to burn your time trying to find suitable moves in an unfamiliar position.
- You have to play fast in all phases of the game i.e. the openings, middlegame and endgame.
- Treat your losses and wins like that of a classical game. It’s always nice to analyse the game with your opponent for better understanding. You can lose the game but never lose the lesson!
- Play online blitz and rapid games more often, there are lots of chess sites and apps where you can play with different opponents from all parts of the world. Playing these games would help you in time management and recognition of chess patterns..
Speed chess is great for practicing and fine tuning your opening repertoire and also improving your tactical sight. However, You should know that playing too much speed chess can stunt your chess growth as it does not give room to strategic thinking and accurate calculations. Balancing speed chess with classical chess would help you become a better player.
That’s all for now. Let me know if this article helps.
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