Gotta stop with the Blitz already

Why do I do it to myself? Why do I try to make my brain move faster than it wants to? Why do I continue to play Blitz games on FICS?

I’m trying to work my way through Silman’s How to Reassess Your Chess (because I need a major reassessment, or perhaps a lobotomy), and the whole point of the book is to get you to analyze the game, look at all the imbalances that might exist, and then formulate a plan based on those imbalances. A methodical, logical process.

When I have time to play though, what do I do? Do I play a game with time controls that allow me to become familiar with analysis and planning? NO! I play Blitz, which for me may as well be called Blunder Chess. No analysis, no planning, just GO.

The appeal of Blitz is that it’s, well, quick. Once the kids are tucked in at the end of a long day, it’s really hard to get into a long game. But I think that training my mind to think things through is the only way that I will improve. When I play Blitz, it’s truly quantity way over quality.

I think that I need to train my mind to analyze and plan. Slowly at first, but as I become more familiar, I imagine that I will get better and faster at it. I really need to stop with the Blitz, and focus on developing a thought process.

Since most of the games on FICS are either Blitz or really short Standard (less than 15 minutes), I need to stay away from FICS for a little while. I’ve got Chessmaster and Sigma Chess, and I think I need to spend a little time playing against the computer with no time controls. Once I have the thought process down, I can start with long time controls, and then gradually make them shorter.

Some people swear by Blitz, but I don’t think it’s a good fit for me. At least right now.