Blitz chess refers to a game of chess with a fast time control, typically between 3 and 5 minutes per player. This style will certainly keep you on the edge of your seat and can be a great tool in improving your chess game when used correctly – meaning you balance the time you spend playing blitz chess with plenty of time spent playing classic chess as well. While there are clear advantages and disadvantages to playing speed chess, we do think it’s a great addition to your playing experience.
Check out blitz in action below:
Magnus Carlsen's Most Exciting Blitz Game Ever - YouTube
Advantages of blitz
Improving your openings
When you play blitz you typically play a lot of games in a row which means it can be great for training openings and memorizing them.
Tactics, tactics, tactics
Due to the game format, blitz provides lots of opportunities for players to practice and improve their tactical skills.
Improved pattern recognition
Speed chess can help players to quickly find and recognize patterns, a skill which can be applied to non-blitz games as well.
Increased ability to think under pressure
Playing blitz chess will help you get better at playing under time limits, and will help you develop your natural instincts to think fast and make good choices in high-pressure situations.
Disadvantages of blitz
Too much tactics and not enough strategy
If you play blitz too often you may get used to playing in full tactical mode instead of paying enough attention to strategy.
Little time to digest what you learned
Analyzing your games, figuring out what went wrong, and learning from mistakes is an essential part of improving as a chess player. While some people may still take time to analyze their blitz game, the environment doesn’t really give much time to do so.
“Good enough” moves
Since you are playing against the clock, blitz doesn’t always encourage players to find the best moves, but rather to use moves that are just “good enough”.
Can make you impatient
Experienced players know that chess is a game where you need to be patient, but if you play too much blitz you may start to feel like waiting for your opponent in a classic game of chess is a task.
Blitz is a fantastic way to train your brain to think under pressure, and it’s certainly a fun way to spice things up when you don’t have lots of free time available. What are some advantages or disadvantages you see in playing blitz?
FAQs
You need to learn how to analyze the game and then and only then learn to do it quicker. If you are a beginner be careful of playing blitz - it can spoil your skill.
Is blitz a good way to learn chess? ›
You need to learn how to analyze the game and then and only then learn to do it quicker. If you are a beginner be careful of playing blitz - it can spoil your skill.
What is a decent blitz chess rating? ›
700-900 - Quite surprizingly strong actually... They know stuff. Those are not typical beginners, they have played thousands of blitz games. And is quite hard to climb rating ladder for them - many of them are underrated and usually way stronger in rapid.
How to practice blitz chess? ›
IMO, the best way to improve at blitz in a hurry is to play the same junk openings, over and over, and over the course of several weeks, REALLY begin to internalize the recurring tactics. Play something like a BDG heavy repertoire as white... maybe a BDG/Tromp combo, which should cover 90% of games you start as white.
What is blitz mode in chess? ›
What Is Blitz Chess? Blitz chess (more commonly known as speed chess) simply refers to a game of chess that has a fast time control. Speed chess is fun to watch and to play. It has been suggested that the faster a time control is, the lower the quality of the game.
Why do Grandmasters play blitz? ›
Advantages of blitz
When you play blitz you typically play a lot of games in a row which means it can be great for training openings and memorizing them. Due to the game format, blitz provides lots of opportunities for players to practice and improve their tactical skills.
Is blitz better than rapid chess? ›
The rapid pool of players is way too small and has a disproportionately high number of cheaters in it. It also tends to be very inflated at the bottom level, and quite deflated at the top level. Blitz ratings are the most accurate for gauging your skill level (aside from a real life FIDE rating).
What IQ is 1200 in chess? ›
Unfortunately it is only valid for ages 10 - 50. Magnus Carlsen's IQ is therefore around 160. Totally off -- Rating = (IQ * 200) - 800 which supports Fischer's 180 IQ claim (giving him a 2800 rating) and explains why chess.com starts everyone at 1200 (corresponding to the average IQ of 100).
Is 700 Elo good in blitz? ›
A Good Chess Player Is Anyone Rated Over 700
The average blitz rating on Chess.com is 645. If you've broken 700, congratulations!
How bad is 1500 chess rating? ›
1500 on chess.com is indeed a good rating. Your USCF rating would be in the range of 1300 -1700 depends on how you play in the tournaments. I had a blitz rating of 1300 and when I played my first USCF tournament ended up the USCF tournament with a rating of 1380 so yes the chess.com is fairly accurate.
Best opening for blitz
- d4. b6.
- c4. Bb7.
- Nc3. g6.
- e4. Bg7.
- Nf3. e6.
- h3. d6.
- a3. Ne7.
- Be3. Nd7.
3 Tips for Mastering Blitz Chess
- Make non-critical decisions quickly! It sounds obvious, but many players dawdle for 20 seconds making a "which rook?" decision in blitz, or play at a leisurely pace until they realize they have to pre-move the rest of the game! ...
- Know your Openings! ...
- Trust your Instincts!
During rapid or blitz games, if only three kings remain, two king plus a man, or one king and two men, against one king on long diagonal, or only two kings remain, one king and a man, or one king against one king, the game shall be considered a draw, excluding case when the game is obvious and the player can continue ...
Can you get good at chess just by playing blitz? ›
You can get better at blitz without improving your chess (i.e. Learning opening tricks and traps), but you are not going to get better at chess by playing a lot of blitz (especially if you are not analyzing your games to identify your mistakes).
How to win in blitz chess? ›
- Focus on piece development and activity. ...
- Most blitz and bullet games are won by understanding of pawn structures and how the structure changes.
- Try to stay up 10 or so seconds on the clock since having some extra time at the end can make all of the difference.
The average blitz rating on chess.com is below 1000. A 1300 is in the upper 20%-- which is NOT normal. This means that if your rating sucks on chess.com-- that is normal.
How good is 1500 blitz chess? ›
1500 on chess.com is indeed a good rating. Your USCF rating would be in the range of 1300 -1700 depends on how you play in the tournaments. I had a blitz rating of 1300 and when I played my first USCF tournament ended up the USCF tournament with a rating of 1380 so yes the chess.com is fairly accurate.
Is blitz chess addictive? ›
It genuinely doesn't feel fun anymore - whether it's the clowns playing 1. g4, the guys who refuse to resign after losing a queen, the impossibility of actually calculating in complicated positions, or playing endgames with <10s on the clock. TL:DR, Online Blitz is addictive and rots your brain.
Why is blitz chess more challenging? ›
Blitz chess is more challenging to play accurate moves than classical or rapid chess because of the time crunch. You and your opponent get 10 minutes or less. Typically 3 or 5 minutes is the most popular. So instead of say 15 minutes or more to make accurate moves, you have less time.
Is 1200 blitz chess com good? ›
a person who is rated 1200 is a little above a beginner level who has basic knowledge of principles in chess(control the center, get your king castled, basic tactics etc.). the main difference between a 1200 and someone who is stronger(say like a person who is 1400 on chess.com) is mainly tactical vision.
