Blitz Chess

Blitz chess is most commonly played at 3-minute, 3+2 (increment), 5-minute, or 5+0 time controls on major online platforms like Chess.com and Lichess. FIDE defines blitz as any game where each player has between 3 and 10 minutes total, though 5-minute and 3-minute are the dominant formats in competitive play.

FIDE maintains a separate blitz rating pool distinct from classical and rapid ratings, meaning a player's blitz rating is calculated only from blitz tournament results. The rating system uses the same Elo formula as classical chess, but the player pools differ, so the same player may hold a blitz rating hundreds of points different from their classical rating.

Magnus Carlsen is widely regarded as the strongest blitz player in the world, having won multiple FIDE World Blitz Championship titles. Hikaru Nakamura is also considered one of the greatest blitz players, known for his extraordinary speed and intuitive calculation, and is among the top-rated blitz players both over the board and on Chess.com.

No, pre-moving as it exists on platforms like Chess.com and Lichess is impossible in over-the-board blitz since players must physically move pieces. However, FIDE blitz rules do allow players to move before the opponent has pressed their clock in some interpretations, which can lead to disputes that arbiters must resolve on site.