Fast chess, also known as blitz chess, lightning chess, sudden death, speed chess, bullet chess and rapid chess, is a type of chess game in which each side is given less time to make their moves than under the normal tournament time controls of 60 to 180 minutes per player.
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The different names distinguish the maximum duration of a game. Commonly used time controls are:
Before the advent of digital clocks, 5 minutes per side was the standard for Blitz or Speed chess. Before the introduction of chess clocks in the mid 1950s chess club "rapid transit" tournaments had a referee who every ten seconds called out.
In 1988 Walter Browne formed the World Blitz Chess Association and its magazine Blitz Chess, which folded in 2003.[2]
In some chess tournaments and matches, the final standings of the contestants may be resolved by a series of games with ever shortening control times as tie breaks. In this case, two games may be played with each time control, as playing with black or white pieces is not equally liked among players. The short time controls in fast chess reduce the amount of time available to consider each move, and may result in a frantic game, especially as time runs out. A player whose time runs out automatically loses, unless the opposing player has insufficient material to checkmate, in which case the game is a draw. "Losing on time" is possible at even the longer, traditional time controls, but is more common in blitz and rapid versions.
The play will be governed by the FIDE Laws of Chess, except when they are overridden by the specific tournament. A common rule used in fast chess tournaments is that if a player makes an illegal move, the player's opponent may point it out and claim a win. For example, if a player leaves his or her king in check, the other player may claim the win. This rule can be left out for a friendly game or left in for what some consider to be a more exciting and fun game. However, in case of a dispute during a tournament, either player may stop the clock and call the arbiter to make a final and binding judgment.
The terms blitz or blitzkrieg in chess sometimes means a quick attack on the f7 or f2 square early in the game, putting the king in check.[3] This term is not limited to Fast chess.
Chess boxing uses a fast version for the chess component of this sport.
Bullet chess is even faster and more hectic than blitz chess. Sometimes, bullet chess is so fast that tactics and skill are secondary to quick moves, although on chess servers where both blitz chess and bullet chess are played, their ratings for a given player generally tend to be similar, thus indicating that chess skill, overall, relates highly to the outcome. Proper calculation of variations and positional playing are almost completely negligible and under USCF rules bullet games are not rateable. Games affect a player's USCF quick rating if the time limit is five minutes or more per side. As in all forms of chess with time controls, one can either win on the board or win on time. A game is considered to affect the quick rating up to a 30-minutes-per-side time control. At this point, the regular chess rating begins. In other words, a 30-minute game affects both the blitz and normal ratings.
The first unofficial "Speed Chess Championship of the World" (or World Blitz Championship) was held in Herceg Novi on April 8, 1970. This was shortly after the first USSR versus the rest of the world match (in Belgrade), in which ten of these players also competed. Eleven Grandmasters and one International Master played a double round-robin tournament. Bobby Fischer won first place, with a score of 19 points out of a possible 22. Fischer scored seventeen wins, four draws, and one loss (to Korchnoi). Mikhail Tal was a distant second, 4½ points behind.[4] Fischer won both games against each of Tal, Tigran Petrosian, and Vassily Smyslov; all of whom are past World Champions.
| # | Name | Year | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikhail Tal | 1988[7] | USSR |
| 2 | Alexander Grischuk | 2006[8] | Russia |
| 3 | Vassily Ivanchuk | 2007[9] | Ukraine |
| 4 | Leinier Domínguez | 2008[10] | Cuba |
| 5 | Magnus Carlsen | 2009[11] | Norway |
| 6 | Levon Aronian | 2010[12] | Armenia |
| # | Name | Year | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garry Kasparov | 2001[13] | Russia |
| 2 | Viswanathan Anand | 2003[14][15] | India |
| 3 | Levon Aronian | 2009[16] | Armenia |
| 4 | Gata Kamsky | 2010[17] | United States |
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