Today’s question is one that I have asked myself many times over my short career:
I had a quick question. How do you think blitz and/or bullet affects one’s play in longer games?
Throughout my time as a chess player I have indulged in both bullet and blitz quite extensively, so I think I can be considered something of an expert on this subject. There are a few general guidelines I would note.
First of all, I think that bullet (normally one minute for both sides) is entirely bad for chess. In the words of Boris Gelfand “… bullet is horrible. I can not understand why people play it.” As mentioned I have very extensive experience in this field, more than I might like to admit. Not so long ago I used to play hundreds of bullet games a day. And not just one minute … I was playing complete garbage 10 second chess.
For awhile the impact of devoting so much time to bullet did not show, I soon saw my regular rating took a big nosedive (from my then-glorious peak of 1886 all the way down to 1764), and I think that bullet was a big part of my struggles. Listen to the legends and stay away from bullet!
Blitz, on the other hand, is an entirely different subject matter. I think that, in moderate portions, blitz does not only not harm your chess but can be a very useful tool for improvement (especially for younger players). I have found that playing blitz can be a lot of fun, and a (mostly) anonymous outlet to practice your openings.
As in most things, maintaining a good balance is important. I would have a few suggestions for the correct amount of blitz for the typical tournament player. For one thing, do not play blitz for more than an hour or two at a time. I would think that you can not seriously improve by just playing blitz all day. It has to be supplemented with serious study.
A few more points. It seems to me that blitz with an increment is much better than the alternative (no flagging!) and if I am going to play that will generally be the type of blitz I choose. And finally, if possible over the board blitz is much better than online blitz in every possible way!
Send your chess related questions in through the button below and thanks for reading as always!
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