86
votes
Accepted
Is it sportsmanlike to waste opponents' time by giving check at the end of the game?
That only works in blitz time controls with no increment. If you accept games with no increment you are basically agreeing that flagging is part of the game and sportsmanlike. If you personally find ...
- 94.5k
65
votes
Accepted
Why do children move so quickly?
The answer is very simple. A 6 year old child does not have an adult brain. It has the very immature, underdeveloped brain of a 6 year old. It has a short attention span and struggles to sit still for ...
- 94.5k
54
votes
Accepted
Why is flagging considered a win?
I feel like you somewhat misunderstand the concept of a time control. The clock is a part of the game. If you are up a piece in a complicated position with five seconds left on the clock that may well ...
- 3,401
50
votes
Is it sportsmanlike to waste opponents' time by giving check at the end of the game?
In blitz, time is a major factor in the game, and it is fine to try and win on time.
If you used too much time, and your opponent thinks he can flag you, there is nothing wrong with that. It is part ...
- 32.4k
45
votes
Accepted
How do I handle drawn positions in zero time increment games?
K+R vs. K+R is a draw, but K+R+10 sec vs. K+R+20 sec is not a draw. Your opponent won because they had an advantage brought on by having better time management. Nothing to complain about -- time is an ...
- 2,491
42
votes
Is it sportsmanlike to waste opponents' time by giving check at the end of the game?
Time is a resource in blitz chess, as much as or even more so than material. If it isn't unsportsmanlike to capture your opponent's material, how is it unsportsmanlike to capture their time?
In ...
- 2,491
31
votes
Why do players leave so little time for the last moves?
What strong players hope to achieve, in general, is to acquire control of the position during moves 10-30, or if not control, at least clarification of the objectives. Then those last few moves become ...
- 8,155
30
votes
Accepted
Players who play fast in longer time control games
As I commented, there are several reasons why people play fast, among them:
One of the reasons I often see is fear of time trouble. Many amateurs are not really aware of whether the time they have ...
- 16.3k
29
votes
Is it sportsmanlike to waste opponents' time by giving check at the end of the game?
waste their time
If it's clear that they are able to win within the time they have left, this could be considered bad sportsmanship. However, in those situations the number of remaining checks is ...
- 24.8k
29
votes
Accepted
Why do high rated players still take so much time to calculate a pawn endgame position close to a game that they (likely) had before?
But I thought at that level this position must have already occurred, or, more likely, be somewhat close enough to a previous one, that the players would play in a more automatic fashion.
Not true. ...
- 5,713
27
votes
Why don't chess engines take into account the time left by each player?
Why don't chess engines take into account the time left by each player?
For the simple reason that there is no way of knowing how to do that.
A few years ago a clubmate rated about 1800 playing in ...
- 94.5k
25
votes
Why is flagging considered a win?
Let's look at the title question from the perspective of engine chess, which is more objective in the sense that you can get two engines to play tens of thousands of games against each other at ...
- 26.1k
25
votes
Accepted
Should I calculate on my opponent's time or on my time?
Of course there are times when it is correct to calculate on your opponent's time and times when it is not. What you need is some guidelines because sometimes it is even correct not to calculate on ...
- 94.5k
20
votes
Why is flagging considered a win?
Because not having it would result in some perverse incentives. In particular, in any game where a draw is an acceptable outcome, the optimal strategy without flag drops being losses would be to never ...
- 391
20
votes
Why don't chess engines take into account the time left by each player?
Because engines find the best move by assuming best play, not by hoping their opponent makes an inferior move.
If you constructed an engine whose sole purpose was to beat a specific person/engine, ...
19
votes
Why do players leave so little time for the last moves?
Of the three phases of the game, opening, middlegame and endgame, the middle game is the most difficult to play while the opening and the endgame have the most theory.
Even relatively weak players ...
- 94.5k
18
votes
Players who play fast in longer time control games
I see it all the time on the net
It also happens a lot over the board.
There are two main reasons players play the moves very fast when they have a lot of time:
They are in their preparation and ...
- 94.5k
18
votes
Why do high rated players still take so much time to calculate a pawn endgame position close to a game that they (likely) had before?
But I thought at that level this position must have already occurred, or, more likely, be somewhat close enough to a previous one, that the players would play in a more automatic fashion.
Playing in ...
- 94.5k
16
votes
Can a grandmaster still win against engines if they have a really long consideration time?
Are there asymmetric time controls where a GM can still beat Stockfish? Certainly, as long as you give Stockfish little enough time. I think the time you give to Stockfish is almost more important ...
- 3,401
16
votes
Why do children move so quickly?
I would propose another plausible explanation:
Time moves slower for children.
I don't mean that in a gobbledey-gook spiritual sense but in the sense that the way humans experience temporality is ...
- 177
15
votes
Taking notes of time usage during game
FIDE rules allow you to record the time:
8.1.4 The scoresheet shall be used only for recording the moves, the times of the clocks, offers of a draw, matters relating to a claim and
other ...
- 10.5k
14
votes
How do I handle drawn positions in zero time increment games?
If you are sure not to make it over 50 moves for a draw, another option not yet mentioned is to try to trick your opponent. Likely they will also premove.
For example if in a R+K vs R+K you are both ...
- 563
13
votes
Players who play fast in longer time control games
I think the biggest reason is that using your time efficiently is an acquired skill just as learning tactics is.
When you are not as strong, you do not know as much, and thus, you do not have as much ...
- 32.4k
13
votes
Why is flagging considered a win?
Since you specifically asked for historical reasons: Think about your two proposed criteria in the context of the year 1800 or 1900.
Using engine evaluation is obviously out of the question. So is &...
- 5,918
13
votes
Can a grandmaster still win against engines if they have a really long consideration time?
Here's a comment by GM Kaufman, developer of Komodo (emphasis mine).
Q: Author Cyrus Lakdawala suggested I ask: In what respect are the program's move choices human?
A: All the features of the ...
- 26.1k
12
votes
Why do children move so quickly?
Incentives and/or tactical ability tend to explain this.
Sloppy chess against similar fast-moving and reckless competition (U600 - U1200 tourneys or sections within larger tournaments) produces flip-...
- 3,313
11
votes
Players who play fast in longer time control games
It's also a possible strategy to play with the opponent's mind by playing quick and ideal (or unexpected) moves, though it can be very risky and backfire.
Depending on how mentally strong a player is,...
- 238
11
votes
Accepted
How to improve blitz chess rating?(Time management)
Blitz is a bit of a different chess "animal". In order to play blitz well, you need a few things, and that is great tactical vision, good time management, and some positional skill so you can make ...
- 32.4k
9
votes
Accepted
Are blitz or bullet games better for improvement?
What improves your chess is the time you spend thinking on chess and solving chess problems (either during a game or when doing exercices).
As a consequence, if your concern is to make progress, a 5' ...
- 15.8k
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