When we talk about time in chess, we're usually talking about development or tempo. However, in tournament play there's another type of time that has nothing to do with the pieces, but is just as important - the time on your chess clock.
While all chess players spend time trying to improve their understanding of strategy and tactics, openings and endgames, few spend much time improving their time management skills. Many -- if not most -- players play too fast or too slow for the time controls they're playing at.
One writer and instructor who has spent a great deal of time on the topic of time management is Dan Heisman, a USCF National Master and columnist at ChessCafe.com. While a full mastery of the subject takes time and practice to develop, there are a few steps you can take to improve how you use your time during a game.
- Plan to use most or all of your time. For instance, if you have 60 minutes to make all of your moves, plan to use enough time per move to use nearly the whole hour at the end of a normal game. It's good to generally plan for a 40-move game; if you're starting with 60 minutes on your clock, then you should plan to use 1.5 minutes on average for each move. Using more time will cause you to fall into severe time trouble later in the game; using less time will cause you to play weaker moves.
- Spend more time on critical moves, and less on obvious ones. In the above example, it would be silly to use exactly 90 seconds on each move. Instead, you should budget your time, spending more on complex or critical situations, and less on the obvious. For instance, you may spend just a few seconds on moves in your opening book, or simple recaptures where only one move makes any sense. However, a complex tactical situation may require a very long think as you calculate variations before deciding on a move.
- Only move after you are sure you have found the best move, or you have spent your budgeted time and found a sufficient move. Dan Heisman calls these two decision points "the two triggers." If you know you have found the best move, there is no reason to spend any more time evaluating the position; simply make the best move. Alternately, if you have already spent as much time as you think is necessary for the position and the time control you're playing at, and you've found a move that is good, it's usually best to play that move and save time for future moves.
