Stuck in Chess Blitz Hell
Since Covid, chess has soared in popularity. Largely thanks to streaming. Blitz games in particular have become the main interest, in both viewing and playing. Many players nowadays play blitz games, but don't see much improvement. This isn't saying that it's not useful, but there are definitely better methods to improve as a player.
For a long time, I used to constantly spam blitz games in chess. 3 minute games with an extra 2 seconds per move were my go-to. My overall results? + 100 elo. Over the course of 6 months this was far from impressive. The idea that I had fallen into was that more volume meant more improvement. It felt productive, but in reality I was just chasing dopamine. I had not reviewed any of my games, and was playing purely on pattern recognition, even if it was the wrong move to make.
Why it stopped helping
Repeating the same mistakes over and over makes you frustrated as a chess player. In blitz games, I'd make the move without thinking and instantly realise my mistake seconds later. If I ever took the time to think about my move, I'd run out of time and lose anyways. When I occasionally reviewed my games on chess.com, it'd be embarrassing. It was very addictive to play though, and this was the problem.
Switching to longer games
After some time (longer than I should), I decided to switch over to 10 minute games. This isn't considered long, but it's a step up from blitz. It was a difficult switch, I was so used to making moves quickly. I had to force myself to actually think about the move, rather than rely on pattern recognition. If I'm being honest, it was incredibly boring. Spending time calculating moves didn't give the same dopamine rush as blitz. I had to force myself to stick it out.
How it changed my thinking
When I played a few more games, I became much more aware. I was much more eager to review games and figure out my mistakes, rather than simply jump to the next game. By reviewing games alone, I was able to improve my pattern recognition. Even when I lost and dropped ELO points, I could actually improve because I would understand why I lost. This led to a shift in mindset where I would value the quality of games over the quantity.
During blitz, I would often make random active moves. When switching over to longer games, this was rarely the case. The positional mistakes I was making became much more clear, and I made sure that every move had purpose behind it. Spending more time in calculation helped understand why.
Final thoughts
Blitz is still fun and great for casual play. It can also be good for practicing openings and intuition, but too much blitz can trap you in autopilot.
Longer games are uncomfortable because they expose weaknesses. Improvement usually comes from slower, and harder thinking. Blitz games should supplement your improvement, not replace it.
