Tournament - Time Management
- Solomon
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Tournament - Time Management
How do you find yourself utilizing your time in tournaments? I've found that, in the tournaments I've played, players can be categorized into using their times as such:
|main time|overtime, early game, middle game, endgame
Player A: The player who emphasizes on opening/early game to gain solid foundation for the middlegame
(e.g: Kim Myungwan in his last SPOT1 game, and other pros as well):
|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|overtime
Player B: The player who plays the opening/early game quickly to save time for reading the middlegame
(e.g: Lot of top pros spend their time like this, relying on their latest research studies to play their openings quickly with very few mistakes):
|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|overtime
Player C: The balanced player:
|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|overtime
Player D: The player who plays too slow and finds himself in overtime too frequently:
|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|overtime
Player E: The quick player:
|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|overtime
Where do you fall under? I'll add my response later, running late for class!
|main time|overtime, early game, middle game, endgame
Player A: The player who emphasizes on opening/early game to gain solid foundation for the middlegame
(e.g: Kim Myungwan in his last SPOT1 game, and other pros as well):
|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|overtime
Player B: The player who plays the opening/early game quickly to save time for reading the middlegame
(e.g: Lot of top pros spend their time like this, relying on their latest research studies to play their openings quickly with very few mistakes):
|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|overtime
Player C: The balanced player:
|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|overtime
Player D: The player who plays too slow and finds himself in overtime too frequently:
|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|overtime
Player E: The quick player:
|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|overtime
Where do you fall under? I'll add my response later, running late for class!
- freegame
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Re: Tournament - Time Management
Difficult question. It depends of course on the time settings. But I guess that in general B fist best to my time usage (with something like 1hour main time and 20 sec byoyomi.)
*edit: (added explanation)
In tournaments I try to avoid complicated openings (I try to play what i know to avoid an early disaster) so usually I don't need a lot of time for that, but I think reading is one of my weaker points so I spend quite some time in middle-game. Then half way I also try to keep an eye on my opponents time. if he/she has a lot of time left I need to speed up a bit to avoid getting into byoyomi early on (allowing my opponent to come up with all kind of nasty moves to force a mistake or loss on time). If we both have around the same amount of time, or if I have more time left I try to enter byoyomi only when most complex things are played out (so the last 15-20 moves in byoyomi is fine)
Of course I would like to force my opponent into resigning well before entering byoyomi

*edit: (added explanation)
In tournaments I try to avoid complicated openings (I try to play what i know to avoid an early disaster) so usually I don't need a lot of time for that, but I think reading is one of my weaker points so I spend quite some time in middle-game. Then half way I also try to keep an eye on my opponents time. if he/she has a lot of time left I need to speed up a bit to avoid getting into byoyomi early on (allowing my opponent to come up with all kind of nasty moves to force a mistake or loss on time). If we both have around the same amount of time, or if I have more time left I try to enter byoyomi only when most complex things are played out (so the last 15-20 moves in byoyomi is fine)
Of course I would like to force my opponent into resigning well before entering byoyomi
- POGO
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Re: Tournament - Time Management
I find i have only gone into over time once. and that was aganst a 8k (i was12k)
the rest of the time my game ends with 1-5 mins left
the rest of the time my game ends with 1-5 mins left
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Mcgreag
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Re: Tournament - Time Management
I have to say none of the above. A mixed between balanced and too slow. I spend most time in opening and middle game with a fairly equal share between them. A bit more in middle game but not enough to say that I speed thru the opening. I spend less time in end game but usually manage to time it so that only late endgame is spent in byoyomi.
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Kirby
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Re: Tournament - Time Management
I'm type D if it's a serious game. Maybe type E, occasionally, if it's just for fun at a monthly ratings tournament.
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- ChradH
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Re: Tournament - Time Management
D. I'm too indecisive. Or maybe not... Perhaps! My reading is definitely too slow.
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- Dusk Eagle
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Re: Tournament - Time Management
I definitely use up all my time rather quickly, whether it is a tournament or just a normal online game. I'll often be entering byo-yomi only slightly past midway through the middlegame. (It was quite hilarious in this one tournament which was using those Ing clocks and I entered my final 10 minutes at least 10 minutes before anyone else).
Lately online though, I've been playing more 0 + 5x30 second byo-yomi games after reading the OP's blog post here about byo-yomi, especially after seeing Seok-Bin Cho's suggestion. However, I find it hard to run down to the last second of byo-yomi, as I play on KGS and KGS's most lacking feature IMO is voice-counted overtime. Still, I can normally run it down to 7 seconds before feeling pressured and playing whatever move I've come up with to that point.
Lately online though, I've been playing more 0 + 5x30 second byo-yomi games after reading the OP's blog post here about byo-yomi, especially after seeing Seok-Bin Cho's suggestion. However, I find it hard to run down to the last second of byo-yomi, as I play on KGS and KGS's most lacking feature IMO is voice-counted overtime. Still, I can normally run it down to 7 seconds before feeling pressured and playing whatever move I've come up with to that point.
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- Phelan
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Re: Tournament - Time Management
I'm a cross between B and D.
I'm a slow player, always have been, but I spend most of my time in the middlegame.
I often go to byoyomi, and used to have a lot of problems with it, but I've learned how to play well under time pressure and use those precious few seconds because of it.
I'm a slow player, always have been, but I spend most of my time in the middlegame.
I often go to byoyomi, and used to have a lot of problems with it, but I've learned how to play well under time pressure and use those precious few seconds because of it.
- Joaz Banbeck
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Re: Tournament - Time Management
I had played for years before I learned that byo-yomi was not Japanese for middle-game.
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- fwiffo
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Re: Tournament - Time Management
Time has never been a factor in any of my (few) tournament games. The one or two that went the distance were low-move-count games with large territories. But my time management skills are kinda poor generally (either too fast or two slow overall or too fast or too slow at the wrong times). I guess I average out to a C.
- Tyson2011
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Re: Tournament - Time Management
never played in a tournament...online im definitely e, should fix that seeing as i dont like blitz...i play fast but i dont like not having a lot of time because of the pressure, if that makes sense...
in person i never play with a clock because there are no tournaments around here, so i take as long as i please
in person i never play with a clock because there are no tournaments around here, so i take as long as i please
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- MountainGo
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Re: Tournament - Time Management
I am definitely too slow. It is an ongoing struggle for me to get to a point where I can play a game without letting the timer rush me and stress me out. Because I haven't played a large number of games yet (probably only a couple hundred), I am not used to all the patterns. So I have to read out a lot of stuff, and it can be very difficult for me to keep all the invisible stones straight in my head as I attempt to read as far ahead as I want to. Realizing this, I now try to read for only a reasonable amount of time and then go for my best guess.
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explo
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Re: Tournament - Time Management
If my quick count is correct, I have played 193 tournament games so far and I entered overtime only twice so I think it's clear I am type E.