More Rapid Games

From May 8th to May 14th, I've played Rapid Chess (10 minutes with a 5 second increment) every day on lichess.org and I've managed to increase my rating each day. I've achieved six wins, two draws and one loss. The loss came as a result of time trouble and I'm learning to manage my time better and also avoid taking unnecessary risks. I've only been playing one game a day if I win but in the case of my one loss I immediately played another game, winning it and more than compensating for my loss. I should play more games I suppose but at least I'm getting one game in a day.

I should perhaps make use of another account, such as the one I have on chess.com, to play more frequently and to not worry about my rating on that platform. There is the opportunity to analyse my games as well and I should take more advantage of this. I've been watching some of Remote Chess Academy's videos on YouTube and I've previously mentioned Journey to Grandmaster. These videos are especially useful in setting opening traps in order to gain an early initiative.

For a long while I've watched the games of the top chess players but not really played much chess, mainly because I didn't enjoy the pressure of time controls imposed on online games. I still find the Blitz games too quick for me but the ten minute rapid format is tolerable. I worry that longer time formats would encourage players to use chess engines to help them. I should perhaps consider a dedicated blog just for chess matters.