# Week 110: 30 minute chess vs 10 minute, and the time I didn't use

> Week 110: 12 games, 5–7, 1247 → 1242. Nine were 30-minute games, and I blundered with 25 minutes left. What longer time controls did and didn't fix.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2026-w12/
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Author: Ignacio Soler

This week I changed one thing: **nine of my twelve games were 30-minute games** instead of my usual
10 minutes. From March 16 to 22, 2026 I scored **5 wins and 7 losses**, and my rating went from **1247
to 1242** (−5). So I can answer the 30 minute chess vs 10 minute question with my own data — and the
answer is uncomfortable. The extra time was there. I just didn't use it: several of my worst blunders
came with more than 25 minutes left on my clock.

## The week in numbers

| | |
|---|---|
| Games | 12 (9 at 30 minutes, 3 at 10 minutes) |
| Wins / losses / draws | 5 / 7 / 0 |
| Rating | 1247 → 1242 (−5); high 1261 |
| Average accuracy | 72.0 % |
| Blunders | 35 |
| Most played openings | Queen's Pawn Horwitz Defense (2), Modern Defense with 1 e4 (2), English Defense (1), London System (1) |

Two of the wins were games my opponent resigned before making a move, so the real chess score was
3–7. The engine found 35 blunders, 32 of them in the middlegame. And six of my seven losses were games
where it flags a winning position at some point.

## Two blunders with 25 minutes on the clock

### Game 2000: the rook I didn't take

Against **mangeshghag (1331)**, a 30-minute game, I was completely winning on move 29 (+6.33). Black's
two rooks had reached my second row, on d2 and e2.

> **Move 29: Black's rooks on d2 and e2 have reached my second rank**
> Position (FEN): `6k1/p4pp1/5n1p/8/P1R5/2P2N2/3rr1PP/2R3K1 w - - 1 29`
> Played: Nh4 — Nh4 — knight moves to the edge
> Better: Nxd2 — Nxd2 — knight takes the rook on d2

29.Nxd2 takes a rook; Black takes the knight back, and I'm still completely winning (+6.38) — a rook
for a knight is a good trade. 29.Nh4 puts the knight on the edge, and the engine's reply is 29...g5,
a pawn that attacks it, with Black now winning (−4.58). After the move I still had **1548 seconds**,
almost 26 minutes. The game was abandoned on move 32
([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166114552544)).

### Game 1998: a pawn push near my own king

Two days earlier, against **Kavkaz1967 (1304)**, my king was on c2 and Black's queen on a3, two
squares away.

> **Move 31: Black's queen on a3 is two squares from my king on c2**
> Position (FEN): `5rk1/p3ppb1/6pp/1p6/2P1B1P1/qP2P2N/2K2P2/1Q5R w - - 0 31`
> Played: g5 — g5 — pawn from g4 to g5, on the other side
> Better: Kd1 — Kd1 — king steps away from the queen

31.Kd1 keeps me clearly better (+2.63). 31.g5 is a pawn move on the far side, and the engine's reply
31...bxc4 takes my c4 pawn; the evaluation falls to equal (−0.04). Then 32.f4, 33.bxc4 and
35.Kb1 were blunders too — every one of them with more than 25 minutes on my clock. The game ended by
abandonment on move 39, with **1453 seconds** still on my side
([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166033111936)).

## And one that didn't cost the game: game 2001

Against **Proton025 (1237)** I was slightly better on move 13, with Black's knight on a5.

> **Move 13: Black's knight on a5 is on the edge, next to my queen on a4**
> Position (FEN): `r1bq1rk1/1p3pbp/p1ppp1p1/n7/Q2P4/2P1PNP1/PP1NBPP1/2KR3R w - - 0 13`
> Played: Nc4 — Nc4 — knight attacks the knight on a5
> Better: b4 — b4 — pawn attacks the knight on a5

Both moves attack the knight. 13.b4 does it with a pawn and keeps me slightly better (+1.28). 13.Nc4
does it with a piece that can simply be traded: 13...Nxc4 14.Qxc4 and Black is slightly better
(−0.86). The difference is what the attacker is worth. I won that game anyway, by resignation on move
41, at 90.1 % accuracy — one of my two clean games of the week, with a 94.1 % mate on move 33 against
**Doublebasque (1206)** ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166126307740)).

## The 10-minute games

The three short games didn't go better. One was the resignation without moves. Against
**i_am_me_d_great (1318)** I was −6.20 when 14...Kh8 handed over the game. And against
**ayushksingh10 (1258)** I was +7.57 on move 9 — Black's queen had grabbed my g2 pawn — and 9.Bf1 let
her take my rook on h1 as well. The engine's 9.Rg1, attacking the queen, was the move. Nine moves,
one loss.

## The lesson of the week

More time on the clock doesn't make me think; I have to decide to think. In game 2000 I had used
just over four minutes for my first 29 moves of a 30-minute game, and the blunders came at the usual
moments: when I was winning, and on moves that looked routine. My rule for longer games: at every capture, check
or move near my king, I stop and count — even if it costs a minute. I have 25 of them to spare.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2026-03-16 | White | Kavkaz1967 (1304) | Loss | English Defense | 71.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166033111936) |
| 1999 | 2026-03-18 | Black | Ludwig1100 (1383) | Win | — (no moves) | — | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166114529690) |
| 2000 | 2026-03-18 | White | mangeshghag (1331) | Loss | London System | 55.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166114552544) |
| 2001 | 2026-03-18 | White | Proton025 (1237) | Win | Indian Game, East Indian London | 90.1 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166126307740) |
| 2002 | 2026-03-18 | Black | moayad_md (1226) | Win | — (no moves) | — | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166128455792) |
| 2003 | 2026-03-18 | Black | i_am_me_d_great (1318) | Loss | Pirc Defense | 60.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166128462424) |
| 2004 | 2026-03-19 | White | ayushksingh10 (1258) | Loss | Queen's Pawn, Horwitz Defense | 52.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166149679774) |
| 2005 | 2026-03-19 | Black | elja1213 (1352) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 70.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166166134828) |
| 2006 | 2026-03-20 | White | ivkoSir (1304) | Win | Queen's Pawn, Zukertort Chigorin | 73.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166205835846) |
| 2007 | 2026-03-21 | Black | AmirBD7028 (1268) | Loss | Réti, Nimzo-Larsen Variation | 80.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166252369236) |
| 2008 | 2026-03-22 | Black | ludogorez (1250) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 71.1 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166286398268) |
| 2009 | 2026-03-22 | White | Doublebasque (1206) | Win | Queen's Pawn, Horwitz Defense | 94.1 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/166293542796) |

← [Week 109](/journey/week-2026-w11/) · [Week 111](/journey/week-2026-w13/) → · [Journey hub](/journey/) ·
[Review your own games like this](/features/ai-chess-analysis/)

## FAQ

### Is 30 minute chess better than 10 minute for improving?

Only if you use the time. In week 110 I played nine 30-minute games and still made blunders with more than 25 minutes on my clock, like 29.Nh4 in game 2000 (+6.33 to −5.21).

### Did longer games raise my accuracy?

Not much. My average this week was 72.0 %, lower than the 78.0 % of the week before, when most games were 10 minutes.

### How did I do at each time control?

At 30 minutes: 4 wins (one without moves) and 5 losses. At 10 minutes: 1 win (also without moves) and 2 losses. Two of my five wins came from opponents who resigned before playing a move.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 109 (Mar 2026): +35 and the double attacks I missed](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2026-w11.md)
- [Week 111 (Mar 2026): knight forks, a stalemate and 15 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2026-w13.md)
- [Free AI chess analysis of your games, explained](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-analysis.md)