Classical chess
60 minutes or more each, often with an increment
A long game is where a plan can be checked before it is played. The deciding habit is choosing which moves deserve that time.
What changes
Find the critical moment
Spend your time on the two or three moves that change the position: a pawn break, a trade that fixes the structure, a king move.
Name the plan
A weak square, an open file, a poor piece: name what the position needs, then find the move that serves it.
Their idea before yours
Most blunders ignore the opponent's threat. Name it before you choose.
Skills worth drilling
Blunder-check every move
Before you touch the piece: what does this leave undefended, and what check or capture does it allow? Every time.
Converting
Simplify, keep the king safe, and let the extra material do the work.
Writing the moves down
The scoresheet gives you something to study afterwards, which is where most improvement comes from.
Where the clock goes
| Phase | Share | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | 10 to 15% | Play what you know. Start thinking when you leave it. |
| Middlegame | 55 to 65% | Spend most of it on two or three critical moves. |
| Endgame | 20 to 30% | Keep enough time to count. Haste loses more endgames than ignorance. |
For children
- Agree beforehand that it is fine to stand up, drink water and come back.
- Ask them to say the opponent's threat to themselves after every move. It removes most blunders.
- Review the game later, not in the car, with the scoresheet in front of you.
Questions people ask
- How long is a classical game?
- Each player has at least an hour, often ninety minutes or more, usually with seconds added after every move.
- My child runs out of time in long games. What do we do?
- Usually the time goes on quiet moves. Practise playing those quickly and saving the thinking for captures, checks and pawn breaks.
- Is it worth playing classical if we only have time for one game a week?
- Yes. One long game with a proper review is worth more than ten quick ones.