My Preparation For A Rapid Tournament
What does the preparation for a rapid tournament look like for a player at 1750 ELO points?
I have a rapid chess tournament coming up in a few days, which I'm really looking forward to. Although I still prefer classic chess, I take rapid as a nice change and as a good mix between the quality of the game and the fact that I will play a nine-round tournament in 1.5 days.
I would like to share with you how the preparation for a rapid tournament can go.
We all have our best practices and maybe in mine you will find tips you could use. Conversely, I'd love your tips in the comments.
Here we go!
In rapid chess, there are between 10 and 30 minutes for a full game (my tournament is played at a tempo of 20 minutes per game + 10 seconds for each move made). This means that every move must be executed quickly and accurately, which places increased demands on a player's preparation and ability to make quick decisions.
Therefore, I see the main part of the preparation as...
Tactical training
Tactics play a key role in rapid chess. The ability to quickly recognize and exploit tactical opportunities can determine the outcome of a game. Therefore, I devote enough time every day to tactical training, solving chess problems and performing practice games with an emphasis on tactical maneuvers and combinations.
Equally important is...
Opening training
A poorly played opening often means only a fight for half a point (if you do not resign in the opening). Or, if you get into a variant you don't know, a big waste of time. That doesn't pay off in rapid chess.
I'm not preparing any new openings for this tournament. Rather, I'm reviewing the main variations in "my openings" and replaying games with openings that may arise in my games so that I know the basic typical positions and plans in them.
The goal is to save time during the game. I really don't want to have to figure it out behind the chessboard.
Practice games at tournament tempo
I think it's good to get used to the tournament pace beforehand. That's why I play 1-2 games a day in it, to "switch" to thinking faster.
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And that's it. As for other aspects of the game, I'll rely on what I already know and can do.
No preparation for a tournament will ever be 100% and comprehensive. There will always be something a player knows he needs to improve on, and let's face it, the more we know about chess, the more we know what we don't know yet.
So I will go into the tournament knowing that I have prepared as best as I can within my capabilities and abilities. And I'll be happy if I feel good about my games. Good results will come hand in hand with good play.
Are you going to play any chess tournament during July/August?
Can you solve this chess puzzle?
Above I wrote how important it is to train tactics in rapid chess. In fact, it is important in any chess variant and at our level (under 2000) especially. So I have a diagram for you to solve.
White to move and win.
And that's it for now.
Thank you for reading this issue and good luck on the chessboard!