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Questions tagged [blitz]

Blitz chess is chess played with very short time controls, typically 5 minutes per side or less.

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Is it sportsmanlike to waste opponents' time by giving check at the end of the game?

In Blitz games, with very little time left for both players, is it acceptable to keep on checking the opponent and waste their time and win the game on time? Is that true sportsmanship?
USer345738380's user avatar
36 votes
2 answers
27k views

Is taking the opponent's king an illegal move?

In competition blitz games, making an illegal move and then pressing the clock forfeits the game if the opponent claims the illegal move as long as they do not make a new move, as a new move would ...
Pep's user avatar
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24 votes
1 answer
6k views

The illegal moves in Carlsen-Inarkiev

In the first round of the World Blitz Championship in Riyadh. Magnus Carlsen played Ernesto Inarkiev and the game ended strangely. [FEN ""] [StartPly "53"] [Event "World Blitz ...
user1583209's user avatar
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20 votes
6 answers
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Brain fog when playing chess

I've been playing chess from many years but started playing more from past few month. I only play 3 minute blitz games, have rating around 1350 in chess.com and 1700 in lichess, have played few ...
dronz3r's user avatar
  • 303
19 votes
13 answers
15k views

Why do people say blitz chess can be bad for your chess?

I keep hearing blitz chess is bad for you but the I've only been offered two explanations for why that is. The first reason I've been told is that it ruins your ability to focus since you it forces ...
Krane's user avatar
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19 votes
1 answer
2k views

What was Anand thinking in the 1994 Armageddon blitz semifinal?

In the famous Blitz semifinal armageddon in 1994, Anand spends 1:43 minutes (from his 5 minutes available) on move 4, and ends up winning the game. What exactly was he thinking? Are there any ...
d4zed's user avatar
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19 votes
2 answers
3k views

What should a player do in blitz if he knocks a piece on to the floor after pressing the clock?

This question is prompted by an incident in today's World Blitz championship in Moscow as described and shown in this tweet. What happened was that Nakamura made a move, pressed the clock, on the way ...
Brian Towers's user avatar
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18 votes
12 answers
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When losing in blitz, is it rude to play to win on time?

In blitz, I frequently find myself in a position where I'm hopelessly losing on the board but have a good chance of winning on time (and the other way around). Is it generally considered good ...
firtydank's user avatar
  • 5,805
18 votes
11 answers
8k views

Why do titled players always play online (blitz) speed chess?

If you have been to an online chess server, you will notice that almost all titled players always play quick games (3 0) at a max. On the other hand, if you go to tournaments, it needs cool thinking ...
RajSanpui's user avatar
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18 votes
2 answers
3k views

Do some chess players actively train moving the pieces on the board quickly?

Having spent the last couple of days watching the Rapid and Blitz World Championships I became, once again curious about the following subject. In some circumstances, especially in blitz games, it ...
quid's user avatar
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6 answers
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Is it possible to improve by playing mostly blitz?

Can you improve significantly in chess by playing mostly blitz (say, 3 0) games? Or will you eventually reach a wall where the only way to advance is by sitting down for lengthy periods analyzing ...
YoungMoney's user avatar
17 votes
3 answers
5k views

Are there statistics on the results of armageddon games at the GM level?

I've tried finding statistics on the results of competitive armageddon games played at a high level (say, GM level), but to no avail. Evidently, these statistics must exist, as for example FIDE ...
ATLPoly's user avatar
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15 votes
3 answers
2k views

Skills required for blitz/bullet vs. correspondence chess?

I've started playing blitz/bullet (fast) games and felt like I was getting moderately good at it (1 - 10mn games), but then I switched to correspondence chess (1 - 5 days/move) and it seems to me that ...
Soufiane Hassou's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
1k views

Does blitz change the relative value of position vs material?

The way I see it, true gambits trade material for position, which in turn could give you opportunities to regain more material. However, in blitz play, you are less likely to notice those ...
MWB's user avatar
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13 votes
7 answers
9k views

What are some common chess traps?

What are some of the most common traps to be aware of? I am talking about examples such as The Fishing Pole Trap The Lasker Trap in the Albin Counter Gambit The Rubinstein Trap in the Queen's ...
EPN's user avatar
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12 votes
4 answers
4k views

What are good openings for White during a blitz game?

It seems as though White can easily dominate the tempo in a blitz game through a strong, aggressive opening. Is this the case? What openings are strong for White when there is a short time limit (e.g.,...
Chris Bunch's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
3k views

How to improve my blitz skills?

As far as casual chess goes, I'm a fairly average player. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but I'm generally able to avoid obvious blunders, think a move or a couple forward, etc. However, since I'...
Maciej Stachowski's user avatar
11 votes
5 answers
5k views

Does playing too much hyperblitz and bullet ruin your classical performance? [duplicate]

Because of quarantine I haven't been able to meet up with my friends to play OTB games or go anywhere including tournaments to play OTB for that matter, so for the past year I have been playing purely ...
ALK003's user avatar
  • 418
11 votes
3 answers
1k views

How much worse do GMs play in their blitz and bullet games?

How much of a skill drop is there when a GM plays a blitz game or a bullet game versus rapid and classical? What I mean is, imagine if Carlsen was given 1 minute to play in, and he played against ...
EIo's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
3k views

Is it bad form to go for a lengthy but losing endgame that you suspect will be winning on time? [duplicate]

In blitz games, I sometimes have to choose between sharper positions that I suspect will put me at some slight positional advantage and positions easily played by my side but difficult for my opponent ...
Please stop being evil's user avatar
8 votes
4 answers
3k views

How to improve blitz chess rating?(Time management)

I have a blitz rating of 1900 on Lichess and I can't seem to improve from there. My road to 1900 was fairly quick, but I have been stuck in 1900. My Classical rating is higher than this, so I know ...
SubhanKhan's user avatar
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8 votes
4 answers
7k views

If I like both the Caro-Kann and the Slav, is it a good idea to answer 1. d4 with 1... c6?

I was just wondering, if as Black I normally play the Caro-Kann and the Slav (but I slightly prefer the Caro-Kann), is it a good idea to answer 1. d4 with 1... c6!? I looked in an opening database, ...
Fate's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
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King's Gambit - Falkbeer Countergambit

I like to play blitz games online (mostly 3, occasionally 5 minutes per player). When I play those, it is usually for enjoyment and getting into wild games - romantic chess, if you will. This ...
GloriaVictis's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
2k views

The Knight is stronger in Rapid/Blitz than it is in classical time controls. How many centipawns does the Knight gain in Rapid and in Blitz?

In blitz, the knight is stronger than the bishop. - Vlastmil Hort I am using this point value system for classical time controls (at least one hour per player): Pawn = 1 Knight = 3.25 Bishop = 3.25 ...
Fate's user avatar
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7 votes
5 answers
5k views

Which format should i choose to improve my chess skills (Blitz chess or Standard time control chess)?

I always play both blitz and standard time control chess games. But in blitz I make a lot of mistakes and I'm not able to find a lot of good and tactical moves whereas in standard time chess format I ...
ManirajSS's user avatar
  • 543
7 votes
1 answer
413 views

Database without rapid and blitz games

Last years Mega Database is full of rapid and blitz games taken from live broadcast boards. Is it possible to filter them out? Are there other bases that have games only from long time controls? ...
hoacin's user avatar
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6 votes
4 answers
3k views

Unusual replies to Scandinavian Defense

Are there any tricky, unusual replies by White against the Scandinavian Defense? I mean, avoiding 1. e4 d5 2. exd5, since, especially after 2... Nf6, for what I know, most of the tricks are on Black's ...
A. N. Other's user avatar
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6 votes
3 answers
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Does the touch move rule apply in Blitz?

At a casual club where I play, one guy insists on playing five minute Blitz games (most of us play untimed games otherwise). Since a player's move isn't complete until they press their clock, he ...
GreenMatt's user avatar
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6 votes
3 answers
1k views

What is some basic advice for playing blitz or rapid?

A decade back i used to play chess, but just OTB and without time control. I now got back into chess and often play something like 15+10, where I very rarely lose on time and I am now rated ~1500 on ...
Schmerbertus's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
657 views

Handling Illegal Moves by Both Players in a Blitz Game: Rules and Arbiter's Role

In a recent blitz chess game, a situation left me uncertain about the official rules and how they are enforced. Both players, including myself, made illegal moves, but these were not immediately ...
Iman Mohammadi's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
250 views

Blitz games relation to opening theory?

How do blitz games help with your opening theory? I thought they would not help because you might tend to make a lot of mistakes during blitz or is this the reason, to keep playing them over and over ...
xaisoft's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
9k views

List of chess players by their peak FIDE blitz rating

I've come across a list of the highest FIDE ratings ever achieved by all 2700+ players in the 2700chess.com: This shows all the players above 2700 in classical ordered by their FIDE peak rating. It ...
Isac's user avatar
  • 703
5 votes
2 answers
596 views

Must chess pieces be within a square?

In lightning chess. must pieces be moved so they are completely within a square? If not then how much overlap is allowed? If my opponent breaks this rule do I stop the clock and call the DOP?
Brian Gale's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
312 views

What is going on with FIDE's latest rapid and blitz ratings? Some players are more than 500 points higher in one month!

It's the last day of September and the provisional rating list for October has been released. There are some very strange ratings changes in that ratings list. Sri Lankan IM LMST De Silva played no ...
Brian Towers's user avatar
  • 100k
5 votes
1 answer
767 views

Can you claim an illegal move in Blitz after pressing your clock (but without making a move)?

In Blitz under FIDE rules, Player A makes and completes an illegal move by pressing the clock. Player B states that Player A's move is illegal, does not make a move, but quickly presses his own clock, ...
Curious's user avatar
  • 51
5 votes
1 answer
548 views

Worth of a piece in time

Let us say that two players are playing each other. The are supposed to be in the same level (You can take that as an equal longtime ELO). They might be playing blitz, or rapid. But suddently, one of ...
MikhailTal's user avatar
  • 3,279
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

How high is the level of professional blitz tournaments?

A GM has an elo of at least 2500, and Magnus Carlsen has an elo of almost 2900, so I think you can safely say that most games between grandmasters at a level of 2400-3000 elo. This is obviously very ...
OmnipresentAbsence's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Can I get FIDE titles (FM, IM, GM) by getting norms in blitz tournaments only?

Could I play in blitz tournaments only and get FIDE norms, hence I can get FIDÉ titles such as FM, IM, and GM?
salah's user avatar
  • 255
4 votes
5 answers
4k views

Do the rules of blitz chess allow a draw to be claimed if the position is dead drawn?

Consider this objectively drawn position that occurred in the Fischer vs Spassky 1972 match, game 12. Suppose this position occurred in a blitz game where Black barely has few seconds remaining on his ...
NM Wesley Falcao's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
681 views

Sorting players by FIDE blitz/rapid ratings

In the FIDE advanced search it seems to only allow search by standard rating. Is there a way, for example, to search the list of players with descending blitz rating or rapid rating? My final goal is ...
cmgchess's user avatar
  • 2,778
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

Why did Smirin resign against Anand in the Blitz semifinal 1994?

There is a video on YouTube about how Anand took 1:43 for move four in the Blitz semifinal and ended up winning the match. What I cannot understand is why White resigned because I can not see the ...
Saikat's user avatar
  • 621
3 votes
1 answer
908 views

How many illegal moves are allowed in Classical, Rapid & Blitz?

As of Jan-2024, I see that 2 illegal moves are allowed in chess and the 3rd one results in a lose of the game by the one who made those. FIDE 7.4b After the action taken under Article 7.4.a, for the ...
iammilind's user avatar
  • 736
3 votes
1 answer
360 views

Requesting draw in last two minutes

What is the right way to claim a draw in the last two minutes? Also, is there a procedure to claim a draw after losing on time (I mean if you have a position where you can go for a win if you had time)...
maxasela's user avatar
  • 133
3 votes
1 answer
274 views

Are there people that have played at 2000 OTB to master level by focusing on playing exclusively blitz rated games online?

Are there chess players for example, that have gotten to say, Lichess 2700+ Blitz online without ever playing OTB and then as soon as they started OTB, they were playing at a 2000 to master level?
George's user avatar
  • 165
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

What happens when both players are out of time in Blitz?

What are the rules when the clock for both players has reached 0? Are these rules different for digital clocks (where the clock shows who was the first player to flag) and analog clock where it might ...
Andre's user avatar
  • 33
3 votes
1 answer
158 views

On rapid /Armageddon tiebreakers

Do these playoffs count as official matches? So do you lose win ELO in playing rapid tiebreakers? Also in blitz playoffs, such as the one in Norway Chess 2014, do they count towards official rating?
MikhailTal's user avatar
  • 3,279
3 votes
1 answer
441 views

Best way to use UCI engine to play against itself

So far I used UCI only to make analysis of particular positions, sending FEN, showing multipv, analysing fixed depth/time, clearing hash for every next position. Now I would like to make the same ...
hoacin's user avatar
  • 3,286
3 votes
0 answers
57 views

Do FIDE or any of the federations rate Lightning chess?

Lightning chess predates digital clocks by many decades. It is basically 0+10s delay chess. A buzzer goes off every 10 seconds and the player on move has to move on the buzzer. The Scottish chess ...
Brian Towers's user avatar
  • 100k
2 votes
4 answers
2k views

Guidelines for preparation for a Blitz tournament

I have been playing chess for many years now in with my friends and online. But I will be participating in first ever chess tournament of my life in few days. It is a FIDE rated Blitz tournament. ...
Shailesh Deshpande's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
186 views

Am I obligated to tell my opponent the position of my piece he displaced in blitz?

In a blitz game, my opponent displaced 3 pieces upon capturing. He arranged 2 correctly but could not figure the position of the third piece. Am I obligated to say the position of the 3rd piece when ...
Faithality's user avatar