Is it reasonable to play only rapid games?

That is, if you want to really improve at the game, yet you don't play any longer or shorter time controls?

I understand it's a gray area, but even if we don't go along what other sites consider as rapid time controls, then let's at least consider the tournament-standard 25+10 only. Blitz is already too fast for me, but I don't want to play long games either, as it'd too much of a time investment for me to play over two games daily, and I can't count on finding adequate opponents online if I don't play enough games for variety.

Rapid games are fine for improvement; it doesn't matter much what the time control is - so long as you have adequate time for "extra" thinking if you need it. Solely for chess improvement, Rapid is probably about the shortest most are willing to go: again it all varies from person to person though. 

What I would however recommend is to not only play solely one time control. 25 + 10 is a decent time control for improving, but you do not want to condition your mind to only this time control, or you will have trouble adjusting to longer games (like OTB classical) or shorter games (like blitz). 

If 25 + 10 is a format you are comfortable with, then by all means play this time control as your "go-to" time control. I would however mix in some longer and shorter games to though. It will make adapting to other time controls easier in the future.

Oddly enough, I'm comfortable with 15+10 and even 10+10, depending on the situation... but anything with a smaller increment is hell to me. Usually, when I resume playing daily rapid after a pause, I need longer time controls (like up to 25+10), but I have to compromise because I make it my priority to challenge higher-rated players, and they often don't choose the exact time control as I do.

Also, why would I ever need to adjust to longer or shorter time controls? If my reasoning in the previous paragraph happens to be the answer to that question, then it's evident it doesn't help anyhow.

If you are playing for personal reasons like "fun among friends", then I suppose it doesn't matter much. Like you said though, many other players aren't going to want the exact time controls you do: it is to your advantage if you are able to adapt flexibly. Furthermore, if you ever decide to play in tournaments: then restricted to one time control is limiting to say the least. 

"... Most internet players think that 30 5 is slow, but that is unlikely slow enough to play 'real' chess. You need a game slow enough so that for most of the game you have time to consider all your candidate moves as well as your opponent’s possible replies that at least include his checks, captures, and serious threats, to make sure you can meet all of them. For the average OTB player G/90 is about the fastest, which might be roughly 60 10 online, where there is some delay. But there is no absolute; some people think faster than others and others can play real chess faster because of experience. Many internet players are reluctant to play slower than 30 5 so you might have to settle for that as a 'slow' game." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627010008/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman12.pdf

Beginners usually start with Rapid, then transition to Blitz once they can comfortably play a game with tighter time controls and ultimately go back to Rapid because that's what cool GMs do.😌

@RedGirlZ

How can you improve if you don't test your knowledge under pressure?

You're telling Tyson Fury to just hit the bag, sparring won't be necessary.🙄

Look, everybody is different in the way they learn best. You improve by studying theory and applying it.

Please don't make blanket statements under which conditions or time controls that process is most successful, because you don't know.

I don't know how old you are, but nowadays youngsters and club players predominately come up playing and learning through Blitz games. Rarely do people of that age demographic have the time or patience to sit around for >15min to play 1 game anymore. 

I understand that the majority of antiquated GMs insist on the obsolescence of Blitz games, however the world is changing and their grip on the establishment and chess consensus slowly weakening.

People are starting to think for themselves and refuse to simply regurgitate the opinions of these fossils.

Overall if you want to improve in openings - play blitz. You will face a lot of side lines. Then by analyzing your games you'll be prepared for them in the future. Also you can play a lot of different positions and you'll see what you like to play and what doesn't fit your style.

But if you want to improve your strategical understanding and your tactical vision - rapid/daily games is the best choice.

And the most important thing is - you need to study chess if you want to improve. If you're only playing chess then your rating isn't going to change much.

Play Longer Time Controls...

Speed/Rapid chess tends to be primarily an exercise in moving pieces around faster than your opponent while avoiding checkmate, in hopes that his/her clock runs out sooner than yours.

It makes sense that taking more time to think about what you should be doing would promote improvement in your chess skills. 

An effective way to improve your chess is therefore to play mostly longer time controls, including "daily" chess, so you have time to think about what you should be doing.

This is not to suggest that you should necessarily play exclusively slow time controls or daily games, but they should be a significant percentage of your games, at least as much, if not more so than speed games which do almost nothing to promote an understanding of how to play the game well.

Here's what IM Jeremy Silman has to say on the topic...

https://www.chess.com/article/view/longer-time-controls-are-more-instructive

By Dan Heisman, famous chess teacher and chess book author…

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627052239/http:/www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman16.pdf

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/dan-heisman-resources

and the experience of a FIDE Master...

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/how-blitz-and-bullet-rotted-my-brain-don-t-let-it-rot-yours

I have remained rational, while it is you who continues to be insulting.

"Blitz doesn't allow you to calculate."

"You don't improve by playing Blitz."

That's the definition of a blanket statement.

How much experience have you gathered playing Blitz, or chess in general, to make such bold, collective claims? Why do you have such a strong opinion on a very particular subject, you arguably don't know very much about? Could it be that Blitz games don't allow you personally to calculate or improve, and you are simply establishing a rule based solely on your personal, subjective experiences?

Just to be clear as I believe you might not be aware of this, per the official FIDE tournament regulations with regards to time control, Blitz includes 10/5/3 minutes. The difference between 10 and 15 minutes is obviously not the threshold for improvement.

I believe you are simply relaying your personal experiences as a beginner and disguising them as the universal path of improvement for everybody else. All I am trying to say is that everybody is different and that your solution may not apply to the person standing next to you.

https://www.chess.com/article/view/is-speed-chess-good-for-you

Rapid time control is most ideal to play chess IMO. The only problem is when you are matched against players with abandoning losing games habit. Imagine waiting 10 minutes before starting a new game. I recommend 10 minutes time control as waiting time is less than 5 minutes in my experience. If you really want rapid, play against a friend or clubmate.

Blitz is mostly calculation. You don't know how fast people can calculate. Longer games are more positional.

People who struggle with Blitz are probably slow thinkers.

I used to be in the same boat as OP, preferring 15+10 games. Then I realized I wasn't really challenged to find good moves, and started progressing quite rapidly. I had a mental breakdown a few years ago around the time where I handily beat people 200 ELO higher than I had ever faced playing 15|10.

Since then I've reset and dedicated more time into faster games which used to always give me trouble. The games are more generally poorer quality but they are a ton of fun.

I don't think speed chess makes you forget how to play slower chess either.

Definitely give it a go, there's very little risk.

I know zero GMs who play rapid.

They play blitz online, and classical in their professional games.

Rapid is in between, and almost exclusively played by noobs and the elderly.

Tournament standard is 25+10?

lol.

As with anything (chess or otherwise) practice the thing you want to be good at.

Fast time controls don't give you time to practice things like proper calculation, but playing fast time controls do let you review your opening repertoire better and practice basic tactics. Playing fast time controls also helps you be better at fast time controls.

But if you want to be good at chess in general, then it's simple: your practice should mirror your ideal performance.

GMs don't play rapid because at the higher level it's so easy to cheat effectively. Players under 1600-1800 usually don't even know how to cheat in the game. Or their cheating is super obvious so they can be caught easily.

Blitz is good enough only for learning openings. What can you calculate in 3 minutes? It's not a matter of calculating super fast, but a matter of knowledge. For instance I can simply know that my sacrifice on h7 is going to be successful not because I've calculated 5 different variations in 5 seconds, but because I have the experience in these types of positions.

I went from 1800 to +2100 because I learnt some theory. I remember that time when I was only playing blitz at 1800 for a long time with the improvement, which was close to 0%. Studying chess helps a lot and longer time controls.

You are irrational and continue to conflate your personal opinions and subjective experiences with supposed chess rules, allegedly established by some type of consensus when in reality you just fail to see that you are making them up.🤨 

Pointless to argue with such a person.

Moving on.

Also blitz breaks your "chess discipline". After playing tons of blitz I want to make quick decisions in puzzles and even in OTB games. I'm playing OTB game and I just want to push.

By the way blitz not only breaks discipline, but it creates bad habits, like you're tending to play "hope chess". Just making any reasonable move and waiting for your opponent to make a mistake.

It apparently does these things to you. 

Don't state your personal experience as an established fact.

Some of you need to learn how to raise an issue objectively.🙄