Fourteen tips how to perform well in blitz

Blitz chess is the most common format in online chess, and also very popular over the board (further given as OTB). In this article I share some of my insights with you. I have already seen many good articles on the topic, yet I feel that I should write something on the topic as well, given my user name.

1. Being a good chess player helps a lot
If you study chess, play a lot and have talent, it's likely to manifest itself in blitz as well. The world’s best players are often the best in blitz as well. There are obviously players who are much better either in slower time controls or in faster ones, but good moves matter irrespective of the time control. (Unless you lose on time, of course.)

2. Adopt mistakes, reduce blunders
Your approach to blitz and to standard chess should differ in some respects. Perfectionism can be both good and bad, but in blitz chess it’s likely to damage your results, as it typically leads to terrible time scrambles, which mostly induce blunders. Mistakes are inevitable in blitz. But most blitz games are decided by silly blunders, completely unnecessary mistakes or losses on time. If we reduce those, we’re likely to score much better. Here are a few recipes how to achieve that.
Play natural moves.
Pay attention to the opponent’s threats.
Don’t create many tactical weaknesses in your camp. Hanging pieces will be hanged!

3. Play what you know well
In blitz it’s essential to play positions where you feel well and can play quickly without making too many mistakes. For this reason, it’s recommended to play the openings which you know well. Or those which you know better than your opponent. It’s not only about opening theory, you should also know the typical middlegame plans to execute them quickly. We usually spend more time in uncomfortable positions, and make more mistakes there. You should strive for comfortable positions where you can play quickly without many mistakes.

4. Be focused
This is easier said than done, but concentration is very important in blitz. If it’s within your power, do your best to come for a blitz tournament fresh and relaxed. If you feel tired, ill or distracted and you’re not obliged to play, it might be better to skip the event or to take a break. (This mostly holds for online tournaments, in OTB chess you mostly have to persevere and try to do your best.)
A cup of coffee or tea, a bit of dark chocolate or a fruit juice can boost your result, or deteriorate it. Small experiments with tea, chocolate or a juice might help you to learn what helps you to perform better and what doesn’t. If you know this prior to an important event, it can help you to perform better.

5. Do your best to avoid tilting or reduce it
No one is immune against losses, yet we can influence the way how we react to them.
“The father wasn’t beating his son for losing money in cards, but for trying to win it back.”
Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to beat your relatives. The point is that we can often lose much more when desperately trying to make up for a small loss. When you lose, take a small break if possible, breath deeply to calm down and regain your focus on the next game. It will be great if you win after a loss, but it’s not a must. In fact, trying too hard often leads to a series of losses. If no one forces you to play on a bad day, just stop and come back stronger next time!

6. Feel confident
Healthy confidence can help you a lot in blitz. It saves you from doubts which would eat up your precious time little by little. Successful blitz players might often appear arrogant to other people, as they are self-confident. That said, you can boost your self-confidence without becoming arrogant, if you talk to yourself before the game and motivate yourself.

Warning: If you believe that your opponents are too weak for you, it’s not a healthy self-confidence. It can lead to unnecessary losses and even to bad tilting caused by a disillusion.
You shouldn’t underestimate underdogs, they can also bite! And don't be too afraid of the favorites. We’re all human and we all make mistakes, just with a different frequency. Once you manage decrease your frequency of mistakes, the opponents will probably make more of them.

7. Don’t let suspicions ruin your game
I’ve mentioned that we’re all human, yet there are also some cheaters in online chess. Sometimes it’s easy to identify and detect them, sometimes not. In general, it’s better to focus on the position during the game, and if needed, do the procedure (report and block) afterwards. If you very much feel that the opponent is dubious, it might be good to determine what your best chance is. Some cheaters play almost flawlessly but can be flagged. Others can be very quick but make mistakes and can be beaten on the board. And those who can be neither flagged, nor outplayed, are more likely to be reported successfully. (Which is usually a good idea when the opponent looks very suspect, unless you report too often.)
The main thing is not to get distracted so much that you would play way below your usual strength. (Which is easier said than done. Focusing on the position and on your play might help a bit.)
If you suspect many opponents, play more games against people whom you trust, like friends. If you don’t trust even your friends, you might feel more comfortable playing OTB blitz.

8. Train simple tactics
If you struggle with tactics in your blitz games, solve a series of puzzles before playing. Ideally such for which you mostly need 2 to 20 seconds. On Lichess, it will probably be difficulty level “easier”. The difficulty level “normal” is more fitting as a preparation for slower games, where you can spend more time.

I'm not a big fan of a puzzle rush, but if you suffer from time scrambles, it might help you.

9. Analyze your games
It makes sense to briefly analyze your blitz games after finishing a tournament or after several games. They mostly don’t deserve too much attention, but it’s good not to repeat the same mistakes again and again. Making brand new mistakes is much more interesting!

10. Learn the rules
This is more important in OTB blitz. It pays off to know how to react to an illegal move, when it loses and when not. It pays off to know how to promote a pawn with one hand (in OTB chess) or how to underpromote in online chess. If you use an automatic promotion to a queen on Lichess, you should push Ctrl (and hold it) before promoting the pawn to get a choice. And then promote to a horsey to celebrate Lichess!

11. Enjoy the process
If you enjoy blitzing, you’re likely to perform better. Blitz chess should be fun, and if it brings you more suffering than joy, you should probably either switch to other time controls, or change your approach to blitz.
Don’t take blitz too seriously. It’s cool if you can play it well, but your play should stay light, otherwise playing blitz becomes hard.

12. Use your time efficiently
There’s too little time in blitz to calculate a lot, so you have to choose when to calculate and when not, and save some time for later, especially if you’re playing without an increment. Mostly it pays off to spend little time in quiet positions and a lot in sharp positions where a single careless move might cost you a game.
If you struggle with time, play some games with a faster time control prior to an important event. You can play 3+1 blitz games as a preparation for a 3+2 blitz tournament, or 2+1 bullet games before a 3+1 blitz event.
I have to confess that I don’t use my time well myself. One of the reasons is that I play 3+0 blitz here as a preparation for OTB games, or for blitz events with increments, where one doesn’t get flagged so easily.

13. If you’re too slow for blitz, start teaching others how to play it!
I’m probably not quite there, yet I don’t want to elaborate on this.

14. Become friends with your mouse
If you’re playing a lot of online chess, become friends with your mouse. (It’s particularly important in bullet, but even in blitz a few saved seconds might mean a lot towards the end of the game.) If you behave poorly to your mouse, it can take revenge at the most unpleasant moment!