Winning at Bullet Chess on the Internet

Playing an entire chess game in one minute is an insane idea to a large portion of the chess community, but some players love it and are able to excel to a very high rating. How do they get so good? What are their secrets? Are they really so strong that they can see four move combinations in less than two seconds? Do they have their mouse programmed to move at supersonic speed? Do they have a program signed on, playing for them?

The answer to these questions is usually `no`. While there are cheaters out there, as well as VERY strong players who can see deep combinations in a few seconds, one can indeed reach a respectable rating at bullet chess simply by learning a few tricks. You don't have to be a Master to attain some prowess at extremely fast chess, nor do you have to be able to calculate a checkmate five moves away.

One of the most major tricks is simply to move fast. I know this sounds obvious, but it really isn't. If you are used to slower chess, bullet chess will be very frustrating at first. Most of the better chess sites have a setting called Premove, which allows you to make a move when it isn't your turn. This way, the server will make the move instantly after your opponent makes theirs, saving you bunches of time. Of course, the downside is that you could drop material or make such a bad blunder that checkmate follows quickly. All the really strong 1 0 players use it, though.

Another great tip is to KNOW an opening inside and out for each side (black and white), and pick one that allows you to make the exact same four or five moves every time, no matter what your opponent does. Hypermodern openings are good for this, specifically the Reti or KID variations, which don't stake pawns in the center so it is much easier to premove your opening sequence.

If you can, set the server to always promote to a queen, too. What this means is that when you get a pawn to the other side, it will automatically turn into a queen, rather than a box appearing with choices for you to either promote to queen or under-promote to a rook, knight or bishop. This will save you a few seconds and help with endgame checkmates. Be aware, however, that sometimes promoting your pawn to a queen will cause the phenomenon known as stalemate, which is of course better than a loss, but not as cool as a win!

One final tip is to make your chess board a bit smaller than you might usually have it on the screen. This results in moving the mouse a shorter distance from square to square, which will in turn result in a shorter move time, something that is of utmost importance in bullet chess. You can also play with your mouse settings via the Control Panel, and make it move faster or slower, depending on what is more comfortable to you. Now, take this knowledge and go blast a 2000 off the board in a 1 0 game!