Speed Chess And The Thrill Of Time Pressure

Hobbies Articles | December 16, 2010

The days when two people sat on opposite sides of a chess board, growing glassy eyed with boredom while they waited for the other person to decide on a move are quickly moving behind us. In a world where speed is crucial, speed chess is growing in popularity.

Today, it�s rare to find two chess players take up so much time with a move. In a world where speed is crucial, speed chess is growing in popularity. In conventional games, a player can use up hours before making a move. Speed chess, on the other hand, has a designated time frame, so that the game is readily ended in case players are unable to observe the time allotments. Novice chess players should gain some experience first before trying out speed chess. It requires a mastery of the rules and a wide on-hand knowledge of the techniques to really perform well in speed chess.

Requisites

The limited playing time in speed chess makes the game an ideal recreational diversion over a lunch break or two. Like the conventional chess game, you need a board, a timer and the complete chess pieces to commence playing.

Rules of Engagement

What makes speed chess likeable is that there are no special rules to learn, save for the time limitation. You get to observe the same standards which are observed in international chess. The twist is that there will be time limits. You can easily lose the entire match if you don�t know how to stick to the time, but your opponent has to make the call. If victory is not verbally declared, the game continues, despite the time running out.

How Fast You Should Go

How quickly each move must end is up to you and your partner. Oftentimes, players allow themselves an average of 3 to 5 minutes. The shortness of the game will increase the thrill of both players and spectators.

Who Should Play Speed Chess

Although you might have played 3 to 10 chess games already, don�t automatically think that you can handle all the challenges of speed chess. You might not know it but 5 minutes to think is really quite challenging. Until you have played a great deal of chess and know all the game rules thoroughly, you won't be ready for speed chess yet.

The other matter you should consider before agreeing to speed chess game is that the individuals who are really serious about playing, the ones who excel at speed chess, tread on the game the way professional hockey players approach the Stanley Cup Finals. Speed chess players are extremely passionate about winning that they really take the time to polish their skills. A good chess player excels at speed chess because they are able to analyze and interpret the board almost spontaneously.

If you�ve been playing chess for awhile and feel like you have a strong foundation, you should go online and try practicing rounds of speed chess.