How to Learn Chess using Bullet

Contrary to popular opinion, you CAN improve in chess just by playing bullet! Here's how:

ACTUALLY TRY TO WIN YOUR GAMES.

Don't just memorize. Don't just make random moves. Don't try to win by flagging.

Actually. Try. To. Win.

By that I mean: Checkmate your opponent. Don't just time them out.

Speaking from experience, as someone who has NEVER PLAYED OTHER TIME CONTROLS EXTENSIVELY, you will learn the following:

• Rapid tactical evaluation
• Time management
• Aggressive strategic play
• Defense (especially in the weird, tough situations that can occur easily in bullet)
• Some opening theory (to this day I have NEVER studied openings, yet I still have gut feelings for how many openings work!)
• Lots of end game theory (you will LOSE many bullet games if you do not focus hard on rook and pawn endgames especially! also, easy mate tricks are often right in front of you in bullet!)

However, the following skills are harder (although still possible) to acquire using just bullet:

• Positional play (due to the slow, crawling development)
• Advanced opening repertoire (debatable - you can practice whatever openings you want as many times as you want in bullet, however... few people seem to know or follow the lines, and evaluation is more shallow than during longer games)
• Multi-layered mid-games (bullet evaluation is typically only a few moves ahead - many advanced tactics and strategic plays will be missed)

For positional play: I recommend Blitz at minimum. However, it's still possible (albeit with more focus) in bullet.

For advanced openings: I have no strong recommendations there as I have never studied chess or openings formally. However, it seems to be that you need to play longer games and perform deeper analysis to get good at openings.

For multi-layered mid-games: where you want to be able to calculate and see many moves ahead, I have a few suggestions. First is obviously to play longer games and perform analysis. Second is to study ADVANCED tactics and puzzles because a lot of complicated mid-games are really just advanced tactical pushes in disguise. You probably need to study puzzles 300+ elo ahead of your rating in order for them to impact your regular play. Third is to watch videos of grandmasters playing and allow them to assist in evaluating your position. Of course you can always get coaching as well.

Overall, however, nothing is impossible in bullet. Don't let people tell you otherwise! The time pressure and ability to "fake out" your opponent with "false aggressive" moves (moves that look threatening but aren't really) is amazing! It's much more sport-like than classical chess.

So to me, contrary to what other people say, BULLET and BLITZ are REAL chess and everything else is just slow and painful!

I hope to achieve a 2400+ rating from doing nothing but playing Bullet casually! If I do that, maybe I will study chess and take it more seriously. See you at the top! :)