Is Classical Chess Dying?
Classical chess is a time control of two hours per player or longer for the game. Online, classical often begins at a much shorter time control, such as more than 30 minutes per side. Clocks were introduced in the late-nineteenth century and games were often 15 moves an hour after that point.
( The logo for classical chess on lichess is the turtle)
While many players and fans of the game are passionate about preserving the classical tradition, others argue that the changing nature of the game requires a shift towards more modern forms of play, including faster time controls and online play.
Most people don't play classical chess anymore is because the pace of the game is too slow for most players. That is why we have seen an increase in more players playing faster paced games of chess.
If you want to improve your chess I would recommend starting out by playing classical more than bullet chess; because in a faster time format you're heavily relying on your intuition and playing on autopilot – these are system 1 functions. You play, play, and don't learn anything new, as you don't connect new neurons. On the other hand when you play classical chess more than bullet chess you start to play better than when you play bullet chess. You also start to recognize better moves while playing chess with a slower time format.
When I tend to play chess I usually play other variants, but I have nothing against classical chess. It is just that I am not the best at chess in general. I would recommend you to play classical chess though.
So I would say that more people play bullet chess more often than classical chess. It is most likely better for you to play classical chess if you want to improve your chess game. There is still quite a lot of people that still play classical, but eventually there will be a ton more people playing faster paced chess games or unique variants of chess. So classical is not entirely dead yet.