lichess.org
Donate

Why ‘Just Play Fast’ Is Stupid Advice for Blitz (And What You Should Do Instead)

ok but we might need this if we have like 0.001 secs or smt

ok but we might need this if we have like 0.001 secs or smt

very helpful thank you so much. I was losing a lot and this helped thanks again!

very helpful thank you so much. I was losing a lot and this helped thanks again!

I BEAT CM IN BLITZZZZZ SSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWYYYYYYYY (my first master win)

(otb)

I BEAT CM IN BLITZZZZZ SSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWYYYYYYYY (my first master win) (otb)

Man its nice to see a good blog post once in awhile

Man its nice to see a good blog post once in awhile

When people say “just play fast,” what they often mean is “stop thinking.” And that's where this advice gets dangerous.
If your move comes from panic and not pattern recognition, if you're moving just to move, you’re not blitzing, you’re essentially gambling.
Fast decisions come from habits. From being comfortable in your positions. From knowing what ideas matter and what doesn’t. And from accepting that even if you’re not 100% sure, 90% confidence is enough to keep the train moving.

Indeed... if you're trying to win, thinking after moving and not thinking before moving seems unlikely to work.

> When people say “just play fast,” what they often mean is “stop thinking.” And that's where this advice gets dangerous. > If your move comes from panic and not pattern recognition, if you're moving just to move, you’re not blitzing, you’re essentially gambling. > Fast decisions come from habits. From being comfortable in your positions. From knowing what ideas matter and what doesn’t. And from accepting that even if you’re not 100% sure, 90% confidence is enough to keep the train moving. Indeed... if you're trying to win, thinking after moving and not thinking before moving seems unlikely to work.

The article's very relatable; around ~50% of my low-time situations in blitz are a result of calculating dubious sacrifices and trying to force things instead of focusing on the goal. Oh, and my bullet rating is like 500 points higher than my blitz rating, so it's not because I'm specifically bad at time management or anything. Very good advice.

The article's very relatable; around ~50% of my low-time situations in blitz are a result of calculating dubious sacrifices and trying to force things instead of focusing on the goal. Oh, and my bullet rating is like 500 points higher than my blitz rating, so it's not because I'm specifically bad at time management or anything. Very good advice.

Best Advice! This has happened to me lots of times when I was playing Blitz, thinking I must have missed smth out. Turns out I was wrong all the time :(

Best Advice! This has happened to me lots of times when I was playing Blitz, thinking I must have missed smth out. Turns out I was wrong all the time :(

Blitz is fully focused on speed and intuitions, so basically for blitz we have to develop good intuitions in a small amount of time. If you forget what to do in the opening, then you usually have to develop pieces and play active in the center, which is based on intuitions. But if you miss something, then you have to play a solid game, forgetting about intuitions. And everything in the middle game is all attack/defend, trade pieces and improve position.

Blitz is fully focused on speed and intuitions, so basically for blitz we have to develop good intuitions in a small amount of time. If you forget what to do in the opening, then you usually have to develop pieces and play active in the center, which is based on intuitions. But if you miss something, then you have to play a solid game, forgetting about intuitions. And everything in the middle game is all attack/defend, trade pieces and improve position.