Many chess coaches tell students it is better to play slowly to avoid blunders. Students then frequently slow down when making simple decisions, which ends up causing blunders. To avoid this, here are three ways to improve time management:
- Write down the time you have left after each move, when notating a tournament game.
This enables you to see if you are spending too much or little time, particularly in critical positions. - Play more blitz chess and analyze all the games. Review the opening and see if there are any patterns that have become instinctive that need to be corrected.
- Use your opponents’ time to think. Many of my students spend their opponents’ turns absentmindedly staring at the positions or walking around to look at other games. Your time and energy would be better spent by calculating and considering candidate moves in your own game!
While shopping in Nelspruit, I overheard a group talking about a plinko game they were hooked on. Out of curiosity, I tried it during a quiet afternoon at home. The simple gameplay was refreshing—no complicated rules, just chance and excitement. I lost a bit at first but then won enough to cover all my losses and still have some left over. It’s a casual, stress-free game that’s perfect for unwinding.