Week 110: 30 minute chess vs 10 minute, and the time I didn't use
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.
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).
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.
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).
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.
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).
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 |
| 1999 | 2026-03-18 | Black | Ludwig1100 (1383) | Win | — (no moves) | — | game |
| 2000 | 2026-03-18 | White | mangeshghag (1331) | Loss | London System | 55.2 | game |
| 2001 | 2026-03-18 | White | Proton025 (1237) | Win | Indian Game, East Indian London | 90.1 | game |
| 2002 | 2026-03-18 | Black | moayad_md (1226) | Win | — (no moves) | — | game |
| 2003 | 2026-03-18 | Black | i_am_me_d_great (1318) | Loss | Pirc Defense | 60.5 | game |
| 2004 | 2026-03-19 | White | ayushksingh10 (1258) | Loss | Queen's Pawn, Horwitz Defense | 52.8 | game |
| 2005 | 2026-03-19 | Black | elja1213 (1352) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 70.6 | game |
| 2006 | 2026-03-20 | White | ivkoSir (1304) | Win | Queen's Pawn, Zukertort Chigorin | 73.9 | game |
| 2007 | 2026-03-21 | Black | AmirBD7028 (1268) | Loss | Réti, Nimzo-Larsen Variation | 80.9 | game |
| 2008 | 2026-03-22 | Black | ludogorez (1250) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 71.1 | game |
| 2009 | 2026-03-22 | White | Doublebasque (1206) | Win | Queen's Pawn, Horwitz Defense | 94.1 | game |
← Week 109 · Week 111 → · Journey hub · Review your own games like this
Frequently asked questions
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.