I’m going to slightly disagree with this statement. Only slightly because
a) I’m not refering to the 2 minute game and
b) well, I don’t know the people you knew.
But I think that blitz games (5 minutes) are a legitmate form of chess. It’s just a different form of chess. It requires the same basic strategic skills, the same knowledge of the game and how the pieces interact. The only difference is in how far the time allows your thinking to branch. It’s a tournament worthy game and an accepted way to play.
You’ll note that most players that play blitz have ratings roughly equal to their regular rating. You’re just not going to find a player with a 2000 rating in blitz and 800 in the longer version. It won’t happen.
But with all that said, Phlosphr a 60 second game (or even just a game where 60 seconds is one of the levels) is assinine. The fastest game I’ve ever played in competition was a 2 minute match to determine city champion and even that was set up partly as a joke.
60 seconds isn’t real chess. Tell him that point blank. I’ve done it in the past. Get satisfaction out of his “harumph” because you’ll be right in your statement.
On the other side of the spectrum…
If you’re not interested in blitz, so be it. Hey, it’s not for everyone. But to not play timed is also annoying. There must be SOME limit. I’ve played in 2 hour games as well, but I would NEVER sit at the table for 4 hours if I knew my opponent could just sit there forever. There simply must be some way of punishing the opposition for taking too long or else the game could literally last forever.
Which is exactly why Yahoo chess sucks big time – no time controls at all.
I haven’t played in actual competition, but I play at ICC a lot. A 60 second game to me is incredibly fast, and that’s playing on the computer where I just have to move the mouse and the clock takes care of itself. I can’t even imagine playing that short in real life. I wonder how many of the games that guy plays end in a checkmate or stalemate; I bet someone get’s flagged almost all the time.
And to suggest that one must be better or more proficient at chess to play a 60 second game is asinine. Put me in the camp that believes that 60 second and 60 minute chess are essentially two different games. To prove this, look at some correspondence chess games and then look at some < 5 minute games. I bet I could tell you which was which just by reading the transcript.
Taxguy I actually did look at some correspondence chess tournys and read through the transcripts I have a book at home with hundreds of transcripts, very interesting to read into peoples signature stuff. At one point in my career, I had many of them in my memory, and would use them in tournys.
I agree with everyone about 60 second games. BUt we are essentially talking about 2 and 5 minute games with this guy. rarely if ever 60 second ones. I was just making reference to one match with him. But we usually had 5 minute matches… I’m playing my father tonight and we usually play for about an hour. He’s a hard-ass when it comes playing, and I usually get whipped. But then again he’s an engineer and I’m a psychologist, he is much more precise with his methodology. He skewered me pretty bad after an even exchange last time we played and I lost my guts therein the game was over.
If 5 minutes isn’t your style, so be it. I personally find 10 minutes to be an optimal time for fast, friendly games. Long enough that you can still consider a good portion of your moves for 20-30 seconds, but short enough to play a series in a condensed time period.
For serious contemplation, yes, 30 minutes would be better. But if I’m playing for fun, I don’t want to waste one hour on one game against one opponent. Ten minutes works fine.
My style now is basically - it takes as long as it takes - I’m a very mellow guy and I don’t need to go fast. It depends on a variety of fators as well. Time of day, opponent, what we’re drinking (tea or scotch) and what mood I am in. When I am in a good mood, and when there’s plenty of philosophy to be had, the games can range from an hour to three. Longest was in College and I sat in a chair for 5 hours, pondering everything from life to love, and in the end I prevailed but I had to fight for it. I felt a little bad after because my opponent was my older brother.
Thanks, slayer but I do not consider myself ranked anymore. It has been almost 6 years since I have played any kind of regulated chess… But I’ll heed your advice on the timed playing…