Alrighty! Have you seriously thought about the improve-in-chess tip I have given you yesterday? You should. Just thinking about how much time on average you can spend on each move will help you stave off time trouble.
And now, we are back. This is the second part of the series and we'll now look at NOT just how to play better chess BUT how to manage your time better. Without further adieu, let's get to the meat of this article!
Time Management Tip 1: During The Chess Opening Phase, Don't Spend TOO MUCH Time
True, I have warned you about the 'sin' of playing too quickly. I have emphasized the need to take it nice and slow...try to find the best move.
HOWEVER, in the opening, there are only a couple of rules that you need to keep in mind to play it successfully.
1. Get your pieces out in optimal positions.
2. Get your king to safety.
3. Get your Rooks connected.
(I have emphasized this further since many amateur players, including me at times, are guilty of developing only their minor pieces and Queens...BUT leave their rooks dozing at the corner.)
That's about it!
Unless you are a Grandmaster (who plays for a +/= advantage on every move in the opening), which I doubt you are since you are in this chess improvement blog meant for amateurs, logical developing and opening moves should be enough to reach a playable middlegame. Remember, the goal of the opening is to reach a playable middlegame.
(GM Igor Smirnov has tackled the question how to play during the opening really well in his chess video course Grandmaster's Secrets. You should check it out.)
You don't believe me? Well, check out Fischer-Benko, 1963 (which has been annotated by yours truly in this blog). Benko played what was an offbeat opening (the Pirc was considered offbeat half a decade ago). Fischer responded with solid and logical chess opening moves.
The result?
A crushing win! Fischer played nothing spectacular in the opening. He occupied the center, he developed his minor chess pieces, he moves the queen out, connected his rooks...and when he's all primed up for action, he attacked and won the game in 21 moves!
I can't imagine Bobby taking a lot of time in the opening phase of this game. If you REALLY want to improve in chess, you should follow the former world champion's example.
In the complications department, the opening pales in comparison to the middlegame and endgame where players walk a tightrope, where one mistake spells a loss.
Don't spend too much time in the opening, save your time for the latter phases of the game, and you will NOT just see significant chess improvement BUT you will also find that time trouble doesn't plague as much as it used to.
If you are struggling to improve in chess - manage your time, find the right moves in tactical and strategic positions, etc., one of the FINEST and easily accessible resource I have found is The Grandmaster's Secrets written by GM Igor Smirnov.
It's a chess video course that goes into GREAT detail about how to think in chess, how to train for chess tournaments, how to manage your time, and a whole lot more. Moreoever, it comes with a beefy practical part - chess positions and games, where you can train the new stuff you have learned.
GM Smirnov even tells you how to use these training materials for maximum benefit!
Check it out RIGHT here: The Grandmaster's Secrets Official Website
Showing posts with label time management in chess. Show all posts
Showing posts with label time management in chess. Show all posts
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Improve In Chess Tips - Get Better Chess Results With PROPER Time Management 1
A little break from our OTB improve-in-chess tips, I think it's about time we tackle a facet of chess improvement that hasn't been tackled a lot in most books, courses, etc.
What is this issue I'm talking? Time management. You see, the clock is part of the game. There are 3 ways to win a game:
1. Your opponent resigns.
2. Your opponent is checkmated.
3. Your opponent's clock runs out of time.
Each of these awards you a point. A game won through checkmate doesn't gain more points than a game won through the clock. That's why it baffles me why players haven't paid much attention to it.
Here's a common scenario...
I (a couple of years back), and I believe other improving chess players too, find myself able to find the correct moves during home analysis, when playing skittles (untimed and informal) games, or when playing solitaire chess.
When I have all the time in the world, finding the best move in the position is a piece of cake. HOWEVER, you and I don't have all the time in the world in a REAL tournament game!
The clock can be a good friend, and it can be one of your worst enemies too if you don't know how to manage it.
Chess players face different problems on the board - dealing with openings preparation, attack and defense, finding the right chess strategy, how to convert one's advantage into a win, and the list goes on and on and on. And before you know it, if you don't practice good chess time management, you only have 5 minutes left for the next 20 moves! Or worse, you have lost a winning position because your flag fell.
And this brings me to the following point,
Strong players have EXCELLENT time conservation techniques that I will reveal on the next parts of this series (so stay tuned :D). For now, let's get started with chess tip...
Planning Ahead To Manage Your Time
This sounds pretty obvious, right?
BUT seriously, have you paid serious attention in managing your time before a tournament? How long should you think about every move when you have 120 minutes or 2 hours for the game? What about games with fast time controls - 30 minutes with a 10-second increment?
Not so sure?
Then let's have a closer think about it. On the average, a game reaches up to 40 moves. With 2 hours for the whole game (120 minutes divided by 40 moves), we have approximately 3 minutes per move.
Do the same for other time controls and you will have a rough idea of how much time you should spend per move. Being aware of this will save you from time trouble.
OK, this chess improvement and time management post has taken too much of your time. Haha.
So let's stick to this for now, and come back tomorrow where I take a look at the time saving techniques I was referring to earlier.
Time management and having a solid thought process - these 2 are some of the MOST important things you need to take care of if you want to improve in chess.
One resource that has tackled this EXCELLENTLY is GM Igor Smirnov's Grandmaster's Secrets. What I like about the book is how Igor clearly explains how to properly think in chess - no matter what type of position is in front of you.
Of course, it also comes with tips that will only boost your chess improvement further - how to train, tournament preparation, knowing you and your opponent's weaknesses, managing time, and those are just to name a few.
If you want to improve at chess, if you want to play better chess and eventually win more games, the Grandmaster's Secrets by GM Igor Smirnov is a chess video course you should check out!
What is this issue I'm talking? Time management. You see, the clock is part of the game. There are 3 ways to win a game:
1. Your opponent resigns.
2. Your opponent is checkmated.
3. Your opponent's clock runs out of time.
Each of these awards you a point. A game won through checkmate doesn't gain more points than a game won through the clock. That's why it baffles me why players haven't paid much attention to it.
Here's a common scenario...
I (a couple of years back), and I believe other improving chess players too, find myself able to find the correct moves during home analysis, when playing skittles (untimed and informal) games, or when playing solitaire chess.
When I have all the time in the world, finding the best move in the position is a piece of cake. HOWEVER, you and I don't have all the time in the world in a REAL tournament game!
The clock can be a good friend, and it can be one of your worst enemies too if you don't know how to manage it.
Chess players face different problems on the board - dealing with openings preparation, attack and defense, finding the right chess strategy, how to convert one's advantage into a win, and the list goes on and on and on. And before you know it, if you don't practice good chess time management, you only have 5 minutes left for the next 20 moves! Or worse, you have lost a winning position because your flag fell.
And this brings me to the following point,
If you want to improve in chess, it's NOT enough to have know how to find the RIGHT move...you also need to find it as fast possible.
Planning Ahead To Manage Your Time
This sounds pretty obvious, right?
BUT seriously, have you paid serious attention in managing your time before a tournament? How long should you think about every move when you have 120 minutes or 2 hours for the game? What about games with fast time controls - 30 minutes with a 10-second increment?
Not so sure?
Then let's have a closer think about it. On the average, a game reaches up to 40 moves. With 2 hours for the whole game (120 minutes divided by 40 moves), we have approximately 3 minutes per move.
Do the same for other time controls and you will have a rough idea of how much time you should spend per move. Being aware of this will save you from time trouble.
OK, this chess improvement and time management post has taken too much of your time. Haha.
So let's stick to this for now, and come back tomorrow where I take a look at the time saving techniques I was referring to earlier.
Time management and having a solid thought process - these 2 are some of the MOST important things you need to take care of if you want to improve in chess.
One resource that has tackled this EXCELLENTLY is GM Igor Smirnov's Grandmaster's Secrets. What I like about the book is how Igor clearly explains how to properly think in chess - no matter what type of position is in front of you.
Of course, it also comes with tips that will only boost your chess improvement further - how to train, tournament preparation, knowing you and your opponent's weaknesses, managing time, and those are just to name a few.
If you want to improve at chess, if you want to play better chess and eventually win more games, the Grandmaster's Secrets by GM Igor Smirnov is a chess video course you should check out!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)