My average rating on RHP is between 1600-1700. It has been pretty consistent for the last little while. I don't play OTB chess, so I don't know what my rating would be there.
However, I do play blitz chess (3 minute or 5 minute games) on another site. My rating in blitz always hovers around 1000. I cannot seem to improve and often lose to players rated below 1000. It can get quite discouraging, as I feel I should be doing better in blitz games.
I don't understand the discrepancy in ratings. Although I prefer slow chess and I love to analyze my positions, I feel I should be doing better in fast games. I'm not a great player, but I think I'm better than 900.
Are the skill sets required for 5 minute games that much different than correspondence chess?
Hi Jakal,
Blitz is practically a different game from correspondence and OTB chess.
This is why people hate the tie breaks to decide a world championship so much.
Rapids is accepted by most, Blitz viewed as a bit of a lottery even amongst the top dogs.
It comes down to speed of thought, a very quick tactical eye, fast judgements
of coming position. (is the ending good, bad, won, lost...and based on years
of OTB play the player makes a call 'My Chess Title on Red 19' and spins the
wheel.
(I had to google 'Roulette Wheel' there to make sure that 19 was a red square.)
The strong OTB players are good at blitz because they have a head full of
patterns they can quickly recall. A few players not in the top dog bracket
figure well in blitz tournaments. A gifted quick eye spotting things which
given time their opponents in a 'real chess game' would also see, but
they do not have the time.
On the other end there is Caruana. A great player but for a while had a very
poor record at blitz (he has worked on it via training matches because blitz
is now a common tie breaker) The reason why (in my reckoning) is because
Caruana must have a set of rules he has used all his career for normal chess
before making a move.
A set routine, are there any checks, any loose pieces, does this pawn move
weaken a critical square, etc etc... a pre-move routine which he has down to
fine art . Of course this cannot be done during blitz.
I would not worry about it too much, I know loads of good players who are
not too good at blitz, some do not even play it. And visa-versa. Good blitz
players who never feature amongst the prizes in normal chess tournaments.
Of course on Red Hot Pawn a lot of players are in blitz mode all the time.
Game 15160985 phileasfogg - Jakal RHP 2023
White played 10.Bh6 overloading their Queen who now has to cover h6 and c2.
Black played 10...Bxh6 and then11...Nc2+ 0-1.
But I hope you looked at 10...Nxe4 with Qh4+ and Bxh6 coming and
not to worry about g2-g3 because that d4 Knight can play Nxf3+