Blitz chess
Encyclopedia
Fast chess, also known as blitz chess, lightning chess, sudden death, speed chess, bullet chess and rapid chess, is a type of chess
game in which each side is given less time to make their moves than under the normal tournament time control
s of 60 to 180 minutes per player.
Before the advent of digital clocks, 5 minutes per side was the standard for Blitz or Speed chess. Before the introduction of chess clocks in the mid 1950s chess club "rapid transit" tournaments had a referee who every ten seconds called out.
In 1988 Walter Browne formed the World Blitz Chess Association and its magazine Blitz Chess, which folded in 2003.
In some chess tournaments and matches, the final standings of the contestants may be resolved by a series of games with ever shortening control times as tie breaks. In this case, two games may be played with each time control, as playing with black or white pieces is not equally liked among players. The short time controls in fast chess reduce the amount of time available to consider each move, and may result in a frantic game, especially as time runs out. A player whose time runs out automatically loses, unless the opposing player has insufficient material to checkmate
, in which case the game is a draw. "Losing on time" is possible at even the longer, traditional time controls, but is more common in blitz and rapid versions.
The play will be governed by the FIDE Laws of Chess, except when they are overridden by the specific tournament. A common rule used in fast chess tournaments is that if a player makes an illegal move, the player's opponent may point it out and claim a win. For example, if a player leaves his or her king in check, the other player may claim the win. This rule can be left out for a friendly game or left in for what some consider to be a more exciting and fun game. However, in case of a dispute during a tournament, either player may stop the clock and call the arbiter
to make a final and binding judgment.
The terms blitz or blitzkrieg
in chess sometimes means a quick attack on the f7 or f2 square
early in the game, putting the king in check. This term is not limited to Fast chess.
Chess boxing
uses a fast version for the chess component of this sport.
Bullet chess is even faster and more hectic than blitz chess. Sometimes, bullet chess is so fast that tactics and skill are secondary to quick moves, although on chess servers where both blitz chess and bullet chess are played, their ratings for a given player generally tend to be similar, thus indicating that chess skill, overall, relates highly to the outcome. Proper calculation of variations and positional playing are almost completely negligible and under USCF
rules bullet games are not rateable. Games affect a player's USCF quick rating if the time limit is five minutes or more per side. As in all forms of chess with time controls, one can either win on the board or win on time. A game is considered to affect the quick rating up to a 30-minutes-per-side time control. At this point, the regular chess rating begins. In other words, a 30-minute game affects both the blitz and normal ratings.
on April 8, 1970. This was shortly after the first USSR versus the rest of the world
match (in Belgrade), in which ten of these players also competed. Eleven Grandmasters and one International Master played a double round-robin tournament
. Bobby Fischer
won first place, with a score of 19 points out of a possible 22. Fischer scored seventeen wins, four draws
, and one loss (to Korchnoi
). Mikhail Tal
was a distant second, 4½ points behind. Fischer won both games against each of Tal, Tigran Petrosian
, and Vassily Smyslov; all of whom are past World Champions
.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
game in which each side is given less time to make their moves than under the normal tournament time control
Time control
A time control is a mechanism in the tournament play of almost all two-player board games so that each round of the match can finish in a timely way and the tournament can proceed. Time controls are typically enforced by means of a game clock...
s of 60 to 180 minutes per player.
Overview
The different names distinguish the maximum duration of a game. Commonly used time controls are:- Rapid or Quick: 10 to 60 minutes per player, sometimes with a small time increment per move (e.g. 10 seconds).
- Blitz: 3 to 5 minutes per side. Usually sudden death (no increment), but may also be played with a small increment. More recently due to the influx of digital clocks, 3 minutes with a 2-second add is also preferred.
- Bullet: 2 to 3 minutes per side. The time add for this setting is 2 minutes with a 1-second add or 1 minute with a 2-second add, respectively. The term below, "Lightning", can also be applied to this variant.
- Lightning is a term used for either Blitz or Bullet chess, and is a general term for extremely fast chess. It can also refer to games with a fixed time (e.g. ten seconds) for each move. This also can be used for 1-minute games.
- Armageddon: a single game guaranteed to produce a result, because Black has draw odds (that is, for Black, a drawDraw (chess)In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
is equal to a victory). To compensate, White has more time on the clock. Common times are 6 minutes for White and 5 for Black, or 5 minutes for White and 4 for Black. This can also be played with a small increment. This is also known as "time odds" and it is used in various tie breaks for quick tournaments.
Before the advent of digital clocks, 5 minutes per side was the standard for Blitz or Speed chess. Before the introduction of chess clocks in the mid 1950s chess club "rapid transit" tournaments had a referee who every ten seconds called out.
In 1988 Walter Browne formed the World Blitz Chess Association and its magazine Blitz Chess, which folded in 2003.
In some chess tournaments and matches, the final standings of the contestants may be resolved by a series of games with ever shortening control times as tie breaks. In this case, two games may be played with each time control, as playing with black or white pieces is not equally liked among players. The short time controls in fast chess reduce the amount of time available to consider each move, and may result in a frantic game, especially as time runs out. A player whose time runs out automatically loses, unless the opposing player has insufficient material to checkmate
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
, in which case the game is a draw. "Losing on time" is possible at even the longer, traditional time controls, but is more common in blitz and rapid versions.
The play will be governed by the FIDE Laws of Chess, except when they are overridden by the specific tournament. A common rule used in fast chess tournaments is that if a player makes an illegal move, the player's opponent may point it out and claim a win. For example, if a player leaves his or her king in check, the other player may claim the win. This rule can be left out for a friendly game or left in for what some consider to be a more exciting and fun game. However, in case of a dispute during a tournament, either player may stop the clock and call the arbiter
International Arbiter
In chess, International Arbiter is a title awarded by FIDE to individuals deemed capable of acting as arbiter in important chess matches . The title was established in 1951....
to make a final and binding judgment.
The terms blitz or blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
in chess sometimes means a quick attack on the f7 or f2 square
Algebraic chess notation
Algebraic notation is a method for recording and describing the moves in a game of chess. It is now standard among all chess organizations and most books, magazines, and newspapers...
early in the game, putting the king in check. This term is not limited to Fast chess.
Chess boxing
Chess boxing
Chessboxing is a hybrid sport that combines chess with boxing in alternating rounds. Most of the world championships have been held in Berlin. Ten events organised by the World Chess Boxing Organisation have been held in Germany overall. In London, England there have been 10 international...
uses a fast version for the chess component of this sport.
Bullet chess is even faster and more hectic than blitz chess. Sometimes, bullet chess is so fast that tactics and skill are secondary to quick moves, although on chess servers where both blitz chess and bullet chess are played, their ratings for a given player generally tend to be similar, thus indicating that chess skill, overall, relates highly to the outcome. Proper calculation of variations and positional playing are almost completely negligible and under USCF
United States Chess Federation
The United States Chess Federation is a non-profit organization, the governing chess organization within the United States, and one of the federations of the FIDE. The USCF was founded in 1939 from the merger of two regional chess organizations, and grew gradually until 1972, when membership...
rules bullet games are not rateable. Games affect a player's USCF quick rating if the time limit is five minutes or more per side. As in all forms of chess with time controls, one can either win on the board or win on time. A game is considered to affect the quick rating up to a 30-minutes-per-side time control. At this point, the regular chess rating begins. In other words, a 30-minute game affects both the blitz and normal ratings.
Unofficial (1970)
The first unofficial "Speed Chess Championship of the World" (or World Blitz Championship) was held in Herceg NoviHerceg Novi
Herceg Novi is a coastal town in Montenegro located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of the Herceg Novi Municipality with around 33,000 inhabitants...
on April 8, 1970. This was shortly after the first USSR versus the rest of the world
Russia (USSR) vs Rest of the World
There have been two chess matches featuring USSR vs. Rest of the World and 1 match Russia vs. Rest of the World. The first two matches were between a team from the USSR and a team of players from the "rest of the world"...
match (in Belgrade), in which ten of these players also competed. Eleven Grandmasters and one International Master played a double round-robin tournament
Round-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
. Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
won first place, with a score of 19 points out of a possible 22. Fischer scored seventeen wins, four draws
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
, and one loss (to Korchnoi
Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit...
). Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability....
was a distant second, 4½ points behind. Fischer won both games against each of Tal, Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
, and Vassily Smyslov; all of whom are past World Champions
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
.
- Fischer 19
- Tal 14½
- Korchnoi 14
- Petrosian 13½
- BronsteinDavid BronsteinDavid Ionovich Bronstein was a Soviet chess grandmaster, who narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951. Bronstein was described by his peers as a creative genius and master of tactics...
13 - HortVlastimil HortVlastimil Hort is a chess Grandmaster of Czech nationality. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the world's strongest players and reached the Candidates stage of competition for the world chess championship, but was never able to compete for the actual title.Hort was born in Kladno,...
12 - MatulovićMilan MatulovicMilan Matulović is a chess Grandmaster who was the second or third strongest Yugoslav player for much of the 1960s and 1970s behind Svetozar Gligorić and possibly Borislav Ivkov. He was primarily active before 1977, but has remained an occasional tournament competitor as recently as...
10½ - Smyslov 9½
- Reshevsky 8½
- UhlmannWolfgang UhlmannWolfgang Uhlmann is a prominent German International Grandmaster of chess. Despite being a dedicated professional chess player, and undoubtedly the GDR's most successful ever, he has also had a career in accountancy.-Chess career:...
8 - IvkovBorislav IvkovBorislav Ivkov is a Serbian chess Grandmaster. He was the first ever World Junior Champion in 1951. He won the Yugoslav Championship in 1958 , 1963 and 1972. He was a World championship candidate in 1965, and played in four more Interzonal tournaments, in 1967, 1970, 1973, and 1979...
7½ - OstojićPredrag OstojicPredrag Ostojić was a Yugoslav chess Grandmaster. He won the Yugoslav Chess Championship in 1968 and 1971.Born in Kraljevo, he won the title of International Master in 1962 and of Grandmaster in 1975....
2
World Blitz chess champions
| # | Name | Year | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikhail Tal Mikhail Tal Mikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability.... |
1988 |  Soviet Union |
| 2 | Alexander Grischuk Alexander Grischuk Alexander Igorevich Grischuk is a Russian chess grandmaster and Russian Champion in 2009.-Chess career:In the FIDE World Chess Championship 2000, Grischuk he made it to the semifinals, losing to Alexei Shirov.... |
2006 |  Russia |
| 3 | Vassily Ivanchuk | 2007 |  Ukraine |
| 4 | Leinier Domínguez | 2008 |  Cuba |
| 5 | Magnus Carlsen Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen is a Norwegian chess Grandmaster and chess prodigy who is currently the number-one ranked player in the world. In January 2010 he became the seventh player ranked number one in the world on the official FIDE rating list... |
2009 |  Norway |
| 6 | Levon Aronian Levon Aronian Levon Grigor Aronian is an Armenian chess Grandmaster and the reigning World Blitz Chess Champion. On the September 2011 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2807, making him number three in the world and Armenia's number one... |
2010 |  Armenia |
World Rapid chess champions
| # | Name | Year | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garry Kasparov Garry Kasparov Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time.... |
2001 | Russia |
| 2 | Viswanathan Anand Viswanathan Anand V. Anand or Anand Viswanathan, usually referred as Viswanathan Anand, is an Indian chess Grandmaster, the current World Chess Champion, and currently second highest rated player in the world.... |
2003 |  India |
| 3 | Levon Aronian Levon Aronian Levon Grigor Aronian is an Armenian chess Grandmaster and the reigning World Blitz Chess Champion. On the September 2011 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2807, making him number three in the world and Armenia's number one... |
2009 | Armenia |
| 4 | Gata Kamsky Gata Kamsky Gata Kamsky is a Soviet-born American chess grandmaster, and the current World Rapid Chess Champion. He is also the current United States Chess Champion. As of September 2011, he is rated No. 1 in the United States and No... |
2010 |  United States |