Hello everyone, today I'll be writing about a much-wanted topic: how to manage your time in different time controls of chess! In chess, playing good moves and outplaying your opponent is an important factor. However, any great advantage that you might have worked so hard for during the game may instantly vanish if you mess up under time pressure. Therefore, I'm here to help give you some tips and tricks to help manage your time well during these different time controls. Without further ado, let's get started!
Classical Chess (60+ min)
While there is no "classical" time control on chess.com (the longest is rapid), there certainly is classical chess, especially during OTB tournament games. Classical chess is defined by me to be any game that is 60 minutes or longer. What's unique about classical chess is there is an abundance of time to be spent, yet players still end up without time at the end. To start off, here's a way to organize your time for the opening, middlegame, and endgame:
Opening: If it's theory, and you know your theory, play quickly! There is no need to think for more than a few seconds if you know what you and your opponent are playing is part of your preparation. However, once the line ends, your opponent deviates from a line you know, or you just simply forget what to do in the position, start thinking. Overall, don't think for more than 30 seconds in the opening if you are still in theory.
Good position to slow down and think:
Bad position to slow down and think:
Middlegame: Generally, you do not want to spend more than 12 minutes thinking on any certain position in the middlegame. Studies have shown that if you think for 12 minutes and do not come up with a tactical combination or figure out a sharp line, thinking longer will not help you. At the end of 12 minutes, play the best move you've come up with. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Here's an example:
It's Ok to think for more than 12 minutes here:
Endgame: Sometimes, if you are in the middlegame/endgame and are trading towards an endgame/more basic endgame, you want to make a decision whether to save some time or to use it up. Basically, if the endgame is very tricky, you want to have some extra time (therefore don't spend as much when you're deciding how to go into the endgame), while if it's a very elementary endgame at the end of the line, you want to delve deep with your time and find another option. If you can't find anything, going into a basic endgame without much time isn't a big deal.
Here you want to spend all of your time looking for alternatives:
Critical Moments:
Another key part of managing your time during classical chess is recognizing critical moments, or moments that decide the outcome of the game. For instance, if your opponent is about to mate you in 2, you should try to find a way out or mate him first.
The 12 minute rule does not apply to critical moments. That's because if you lose the game, it doesn't matter if you have 55 minutes and your opponent has 3, he still won. It's very hard to define a critical moment, but I would recommend reading
Critical Moments in Chess
Note: The 12 minute rule tends to work best when you have 90 minutes. If you have 60 minutes, spending 12 minutes could be a tad bit too long, so always make sure you're watching your time!!! 
Rapid:
I don't have too much to say about rapid chess, except that the 12 minute rule is just scaled. For instance, if you have 30 minutes on your clock, then you shouldn't think for more than 6 minutes. (30 is 1/2 of 60, 6 is 1/2 of 12). In rapid, time is more impactful than in classical chess. Rely more on your intuition, and most importantly: Don't use time in the opening! You'll need it for the middlegame and endgame, especially if it's a 10-15 min game!
Blitz: (typically 3 min or 3+2)
In blitz, thinking is not really allowed. Here's how I would break down your time in blitz:
1. Opening should take 10-15 seconds off of your clock
2. Middlegame moves should take 2-5 seconds
3. More critical moments such as tactical combinations or defending against mate should not take more than 30 seconds. Try not to have more than 2 of these "critical moments"
4. Endgame: Use whatever time you've got left.
It is very important in blitz to watch your opponent's time as well. If your opponent is blitzing each move out in a second or less, you can't sink into a deep 20 second think. You have to match your opponent's pace in blitz, otherwise you will simply lose.
Bullet: (1 min or less)
In bullet, TIME IS EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I literally cannot stress that enough. In bullet, you could be down a queen and a rook but still win on time. Here are some tips and tricks to help win on time in bullet:
1. Be faster than your opponent. Just like in blitz, match your opponent's pace or beat it
2. No more than 2 seconds per move. You cannot spare that amount of time
3. Critical moments are 5 seconds max
4. When trying to flag your opponent, make sure to pre-move safely
5. Check your opponent when he is low on time. This will mess up most of his pre-moves, since he most likely didn't pre-move moving his king away from check.
6. NEVER GIVE UP! Even if you blunder your queen, keep playing! The chances of messing up under time pressure are much higher than you would expect. Keep playing until the end.
7. If you are losing but are going to flag him, make sure you have enough material to "mate" your opponent. If you have "insufficient material" or no material at all, even if your opponent flags, it will be considered a draw, not a win for you.
Thanks so much everyone for reading this blog, I hope you enjoyed it! (I spent soooo much time!!!) Let me know in the comments section if using these ideas that I mentioned such as the
12 minute rule helped you play better! Thanks all, until next time!
