Zeitnot is time trouble and describes the situation in which a player has little time to complete the required moves.
When a player is forced to play quickly, the probability of making blunders is extremely high. That’s why good time management is a very important aspect in chess. Time is one of the most important indicators for the evaluation of the game. A player may have huge material/positional advantage that would be useless because of time trouble.
Tips to Use Your Opponent’s Time Trouble
- 1. Do not quickly play the first available moves hoping that your opponent will make a mistake due to time trouble. With this behavior we ignore our advantage in time and start playing blitz.
- Avoid exchanges and easy forced lines. Keep the pressure up.
- Take your time, calculate carefully a few moves in a complicated variation and play them quickly.
- Stay concentrated and check carefully all of your opponent’s moves. One of them may be a mistake.
- Don’t create “cheap traps.” Always play solidly and follow the plan.
- Stay cold-blooded and don’t become too excited by the Zeitnot of your opponent. Control other factors in the game.
Tips to Survive During Your Time Trouble
- Think during your opponent’s time. Try to guess what he is planning to do and prepare the answer.
- Avoid complicated lines and try to simplify the position.
- Repeat the moves when it’s possible as you get 30 seconds for each of them.
- Keep your concentration to maintain a quick reaction against your opponent’s moves.
- Place your pieces on protected squares.
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