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Use Your Opponents Time Too
Path: GoodHabits   · Prev: KeepItSimple   · Next: HelpYourselfByHelpingYourBody
   

Just because it is not your turn, it doesn't mean you can't think. Some people have the tendancy to get impatient when their opponent takes his time to consider a move, but this is actually a good opportunity for you, especially if time is limited. Here are some things you can do during your opponent's turn:

  • Re-read the position - If you are sure your opponent will not tenuki, try and read all of his possible responses. This can give you a head start, but it can also unnerve your opponent when you respond to a difficult position instantly, having already examined the same possibilities he has.
  • Count the score - If it's not all that clear where your opponent's next move might be, this can be a good time to count the score and decide what measures need to be taken for the rest of the game.
  • Search for Aji - You can do a lot of reading of various positions around the board to see if there is any aji you or your opponent might have missed. You might discover something surprising, such as a profitable forcing sequence you can play before returning to the current position.

Eratos - a chess book I once read had the following piece of advice "Write your moves on your opponent's time, edit them on yours." If anyone can understand the difference between writing and editing it's SL readers :)

The idea being during your opponent's time, you have plenty of room for reading as many moves ahead as you like, 'writing' a detailed script of what could happen next if you like. Then, when your own clock is ticking, you edit this information down to just the correct move.

None of this helps if your opponent responds in 1 second in a way you hadn't yet considered :)



Path: GoodHabits   · Prev: KeepItSimple   · Next: HelpYourselfByHelpingYourBody
This is a copy of the living page "Use Your Opponents Time Too" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2004 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.