Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

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Date: 31 Mar 2005 09:04:02
From: SKyWalker
Subject: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

Hi,

I am preparing for a rapid chess (G/10) tournament and i need some tips from
you. I have got two week to prepare for this so your time will be
appreciated.

My preparation is based on ChessMaster X. I usually play rated games with
the personalities. I can comfortably defeat ~ 2400 rated players (please,
lets not get into discussions of whether CM X ratings are bogus: i know they
are, but that's not the point here) in G/30 games, but in G/10 i suck and
score 0% against them.

here's my understanding after playing 20 such rated games:

i score 0% against ~2400 rated (-6,+0,=0) (stats in G/30 +11 -6 =3)
i score 30% against ~2100 rated (-6 ,+2,=0) (stats in G/30 +17 -2 =4)
i score 90% against ~1900 rated (-0,+5=1) (stats in G/30 +7 -0 =0)

Obviously, i suck in G/10 games - so how do i improve this?

The immediate conclusion is i need to play faster and more accurately.
Easier said than done ;))

Also that most of the games are lost tactically, i do reasonable amount of
tactical training. I am working on my thought process too, but its difficult
for me to get an organized thought process in G/10 games.

request your valuable suggestions to improve my speed games.

thanks and best regards,
Walker

Date: 08 Apr 2005 09:23:45
From:
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

Well, I suppose you might be right. However, I would like to think that
I would spot a hung piece more often than not, at least. Perhaps your
definition of a "hung piece" includes finding a series of 2+ moves that
wins a piece? If so, then I would definitely agree with you.

However, just to be clear, I was defining a "hung piece" as "it's
sitting there right now waiting to be taken for free".

jm

Date: 07 Apr 2005 20:29:07
From: Morphy's ghost
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

In the year of our Lord Thu, 31 2005 09:04:02 +0530, "SKyWalker"
<[email protected] > wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I am preparing for a rapid chess (G/10) tournament and i need some tips from
>you. I have got two week to prepare for this so your time will be
>appreciated.

Well, I don't know if you could do this in two weeks, but if you study
all of my G/5 games and then do exactly the opposite, you should
eventually end up at grandmaster strength. :)
>

The enemy fight in chains, invisible chains, but heavy;
Their minds are fetter'd; then how can they be free,
-- William Blake

Date: 08 Apr 2005 08:53:44
From: SKyWalker
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

a nice proposition - but no thanks. i feel i can do better if i study my own
games in G/10 - if i play any other move than the one actually played by
me - i will be GM strength. :))

"Morphy's ghost" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In the year of our Lord Thu, 31 2005 09:04:02 +0530, "SKyWalker"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Hi,
> >
> >I am preparing for a rapid chess (G/10) tournament and i need some tips
from
> >you. I have got two week to prepare for this so your time will be
> >appreciated.
>
> Well, I don't know if you could do this in two weeks, but if you study
> all of my G/5 games and then do exactly the opposite, you should
> eventually end up at grandmaster strength. :)
> >
>
>
>
> The enemy fight in chains, invisible chains, but heavy;
> Their minds are fetter'd; then how can they be free,
> -- William Blake

Date: 07 Apr 2005 08:06:45
From:
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

I am also very surprised. But, never having been in a tournament, I
can't say for sure.

I did play many (about 20-30) games against the Producer of Chessmaster
9000, who said that his top rating was about 1850. These games were at
blitz time controls (that's all we had time for while we were working
on CM9000) and he only hung a piece once or twice at most. I think I
beat him only twice, and drew him about a half-dozen times.

jm

Date: 08 Apr 2005 00:29:37
From: Ed Seedhouse
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

On 7 Apr 2005 08:06:45 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

>I did play many (about 20-30) games against the Producer of Chessmaster
>9000, who said that his top rating was about 1850. These games were at
>blitz time controls (that's all we had time for while we were working
>on CM9000) and he only hung a piece once or twice at most.

That you saw. Unless you are above 2500 or so yourself the number of
pieces he hung was almost certainly vastly greater than the number you
saw.

Ed Seedhouse,
Victoria, B.C.

Date: 07 Apr 2005 05:50:37
From:
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

SKyWalker wrote:
> i still somehow cannot believe that a 2000 USCF would hang a piece in
slow
> time controls. but then, i am not rated - so i cannot say.

It happens more often than you might think, even to great players.
For an informal look at some of the more important examples in chess
history, see: http://www.chesscafe.com/text/blundr.txt.

Date: 07 Apr 2005 15:47:00
From: David Richerby
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

Taylor Kingston <[email protected] > wrote:
> SKyWalker wrote:
>> i still somehow cannot believe that a 2000 USCF would hang a piece in
>> slow time controls.
>
> It happens more often than you might think, even to great players.
> For an informal look at some of the more important examples in chess
> history, see: http://www.chesscafe.com/text/blundr.txt.

That's an interesting and very reassuring article -- thanks.

I can't help noticing that almost all of the very short games start 1.d4
Nf6. Perhaps I should start playing 1... d5 in order to avoid this? :-)

Dave.

--
David Richerby Disgusting Radioactive Vomit (TM):
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ it's like a pile of puke but it'll
make you glow in the dark and turn
your stomach!

Date: 03 Apr 2005 12:13:44
From:
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

Wow, not bad for a complete patzer, eh? Maybe I should be a teacher???

Uh, probably not.... I've just had so many conversations with teachers
that I can make educated guesses at how they would respond....

jm (who, at best, is about 1450 USCF :-)

Date: 06 Apr 2005 05:00:57
From: Ray Gordon
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

> Wow, not bad for a complete patzer, eh? Maybe I should be a teacher???
>
> Uh, probably not.... I've just had so many conversations with teachers
> that I can make educated guesses at how they would respond....
>
> jm (who, at best, is about 1450 USCF :-)

I was 2000 USCF at my peak and that's still incredibly weak.

People at my level hang major pieces in tournament play at slow time
controls.

--
Ray Gordon, Author
http://www.cybersheet.com/easy.html
Seduction Made Easy. Get this book FREE when you buy participating
affiliated books!

http://www.cybersheet.com/library.html
The Seduction Library. Four free books to get you started on your quest to
get laid.

Don't buy anything from experts who won't debate on a free speech forum.

Date: 07 Apr 2005 08:57:09
From: SKyWalker
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

well, i'll be damned.

i still somehow cannot believe that a 2000 USCF would hang a piece in slow
time controls. but then, i am not rated - so i cannot say.

"Ray Gordon" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > Wow, not bad for a complete patzer, eh? Maybe I should be a teacher???
> >
> > Uh, probably not.... I've just had so many conversations with teachers
> > that I can make educated guesses at how they would respond....
> >
> > jm (who, at best, is about 1450 USCF :-)
>
> I was 2000 USCF at my peak and that's still incredibly weak.
>
> People at my level hang major pieces in tournament play at slow time
> controls.
>
>
> --
> Ray Gordon, Author
> http://www.cybersheet.com/easy.html
> Seduction Made Easy. Get this book FREE when you buy participating
> affiliated books!
>
> http://www.cybersheet.com/library.html
> The Seduction Library. Four free books to get you started on your quest
to
> get laid.
>
> Don't buy anything from experts who won't debate on a free speech forum.
>
>

Date: 04 Apr 2005 08:45:10
From: SKyWalker
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

Dear JM and Ace,

Thank you for your suggestions. They were quite useful.

I am doing the opening study now - not too much into lines, but into things
like typical positions. I guess they will be helpful as key positions to
play for.

You are quite right about tactics and psychology. I analyzed the 25 odd
games i played and come up with the following:

- i get desperate to force exchanges when i am ahead in material, sometimes
leading to a weakened position

- i miss mainly the following tactics:
- double attacks ( mainly when i am down to my last minute)
- discoveries (ditto)

My main plan to play 50 games as white and another 50 as black with these
openings, and analyze the results. I will have the time since these are fast
games ;))

The tourney is supposed to be last two weeks of April. i will keep you
posted.

Walker

<[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Wow, not bad for a complete patzer, eh? Maybe I should be a teacher???
>
> Uh, probably not.... I've just had so many conversations with teachers
> that I can make educated guesses at how they would respond....
>
> jm (who, at best, is about 1450 USCF :-)
>

Date: 02 Apr 2005 05:56:43
From: ace942
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

His advice was perfect. Games of short duration like 10 minute games
(especially against a computer) will usually result in a tactical move
that unbalances the game. You want to understand maybe 2 or 3 openings
really well and stick to them as much as possible. You don't have time
at a tournament to experiment into new areas. You have to decide how
you are going to play against a certain opening move on both sides of
the board before you start so that you don't lose time in making a
decision. Remember that time is of the essence and games can be lost
when things get complicated.

I expect that you are probably going to do better against people than a
computer but computers are good for showing you where your weaknesses
are and they allow you to go back and forth to try other options which
is something that you could not do with a person at a tournament. Now
that saw what the computer can do to you tactically, you should try to
avoid repeating the same kind of moves when you play a person.

The best that I have ever been able to do against a computer at a 10
minute game is to force a draw by repetition. I enjoy 10 minute games
but I don't worry about the results since I know that I would not play
as well as if I were in a 30 minute game at a tournament.

Best of luck at the tournament and let us know how you did :)

Date: 30 Mar 2005 20:42:08
From:
Subject: Re: Request Tips for Speed (G/10) Games

SKyWalker wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am preparing for a rapid chess (G/10) tournament and i need some
tips from
> you. I have got two week to prepare for this so your time will be
> appreciated.
>
> My preparation is based on ChessMaster X. I usually play rated games
with
> the personalities. I can comfortably defeat ~ 2400 rated players
(please,
> lets not get into discussions of whether CM X ratings are bogus: i
know they
> are, but that's not the point here) in G/30 games, but in G/10 i suck
and
> score 0% against them.
>
> here's my understanding after playing 20 such rated games:
>
> i score 0% against ~2400 rated (-6,+0,=0) (stats in G/30 +11 -6 =3)
> i score 30% against ~2100 rated (-6 ,+2,=0) (stats in G/30 +17 -2 =4)
> i score 90% against ~1900 rated (-0,+5=1) (stats in G/30 +7 -0 =0)
>
> Obviously, i suck in G/10 games - so how do i improve this?
>
> The immediate conclusion is i need to play faster and more
accurately.
> Easier said than done ;))
>
> Also that most of the games are lost tactically, i do reasonable
amount of
> tactical training. I am working on my thought process too, but its
difficult
> for me to get an organized thought process in G/10 games.
>
> request your valuable suggestions to improve my speed games.
>
> thanks and best regards,
> Walker

Opening preparation is incredibly important. Being able to reach the
middlegame in a position that you are comfortable and familiar with is
a big part of the battle.

Do you lose on time or find yourself in time pressure frequently? If
so, then you will need to learn to, when appropriate, suck it up and
make a move before those precious moments tick away.

If not, then I would venture to guess that the reason that you perform
significantly worse in G/10 than in G/30 is significantly psychological
(and it probably is to a decent degree already anyway, since you
mention your difficulty with "getting an organized thought process").
Psychological battles are tough to overcome.

Tactics become much more important at faster time controls, so you are
going to have to do some training with forks and pins studies that are
2-4 moves down the line so that you can train yourself to spot them
more easily.

That's about all I can come up with. I hope that some of it will be
useful.

Good Luck!

jm