Exercise 3.1Question
White to move
Time control 90 minutes + 30 seconds per move. How much time do you get for the first 40 moves in total?
3
Practical Chess Psychology · Kapilash Chess Academy
Using Your Clock Wisely
Time is a piece too
In this lesson you will learn
- How to make a time budget
- Where to spend time and where to save it
- How increments change your plan
Every board on this page is live. Move the pieces by tapping or dragging, click any move in the lines to see that position, and press ↺ to start again.
3.1 Time is a resource
Your clock is like an extra piece: you can use it well or waste it. Many players think too long in the opening, then have to play the most important moves of the game in a hurry.
3.2 Make a budget
Look at the time control before the game and make a simple plan. Example: with 90 minutes plus 30 seconds per move (the time control of many FIDE rated opens), after 40 moves you will have received 40 × 30 seconds = 20 minutes extra. So you have about 110 minutes for the first 40 moves, an average of less than three minutes per move.
- Opening: play the moves you know quickly. Aim to have used no more than 15 minutes by move 15.
- Critical moments: spend real time when the position changes: exchanges, pawn breaks, sacrifices, the moment the opening ends.
- Simple moves: recaptures and only-moves need only a blunder check.
- Keep a reserve: always keep about 10 minutes for the last part of the game.
3.3 The two mistakes
Thinking too long about a decision that does not matter, or going round in circles calculating the same lines. When you notice this, choose the move that looks safest and move on. Playing too fast when you are winning or losing: the most important moment is when the game is about to be decided.
Practical tipWrite the time left on your scoresheet every 10 moves. It takes two seconds and shows you whether you are on budget.
Diagram 3.1Black to move
Diagram 3.1 · Save time on easy decisions
Your opponent has just played Ng3. Some decisions are easy: when a forcing move wins material at once, check it quickly and play it.
Find the winning move without spending much time.
The forcing line is short and clear: 19...♕xb5 20.a4 ♕d7 21.O-O ♗xg3. Save your thinking time for the hard moments.
Remember
- Make a time budget before the game.
- Play known opening moves quickly.
- Spend time at critical moments, not on simple moves.
- Keep a reserve for the end.
Exercises · Lesson 3
Answer the questions about time. A few minutes of arithmetic before the game saves many points.
Questions about time
Exercise 3.2Question
White to move
It is move 12. You have used 55 of your 90 minutes. What is the biggest danger?
Exercise 3.3Question
White to move
Where should you usually spend the most time?
Exercise 3.4Question
White to move
You have calculated the same two moves for 20 minutes and still cannot decide. What should you do?
Exercise 3.5Question
White to move
In a game with a 30-second increment, what happens to your clock each time you make a move?
Exercise 3.6Question
White to move
Why write your remaining time on the scoresheet every 10 moves?