I hope that means you’ll be voting for my amendment to Chapter 8.
Admittedly, it’s a problem. As far as I can remember, every blitz tournament that I’ve directed, rated or unrated, has used regular ratings for pairings and prizes because they’re more accurate. At the very first Massachusetts Blitz Championship that I directed I was planning to use quick ratings. Then a player with a regular rating of over 2200 and a quick rating of 1900 entered, and I realized that this wasn’t going to work.
What I’m planning to do at this year’s Massachusetts Blitz Championship is to use a player’s regular rating or quick rating, whichever is higher. That way quick ratings will matter but we won’t have ringers slipping in with old, and much lower, quick ratings.
At the 2009 Delegates Meeting, the Delegates endorsed the existing practice of rating Blitz Chess within the Quick Chess rating system. The minutes read:
"A two part, alternate motion to ADM09-45 was then brought to the floor by David Kuhns. Bill Goichberg spoke against part A- return to 10 minute time limit for Quick Chess. Each part was voted on separately.
DM09-59, ADM09-45 Alternative Motion to clarify Rule Book (David Kuhns, MN; USCF Rules Committee)
A) Return the minimum time limit for Quick Chess to 10 minutes. Failed
OR
B) Endorse the practice of rating Blitz Chess within the Quick Chess rating system.
a) The base time control must be 5 minutes or greater
b) If a time adjustment is made for time delay by rule 5Fa, that adjustments must not result in a base time control of less than 5 minutes.
Refer the exact wording for the Rule Book to the Rules Committee for implementation by January 1st. Part B Passed"
Thanks, Bill. Since the delegates have already said that blitz games are quick rated and authorized the rules committee to change the rulebook accordingly, there’s no need for my ADM to change Chapter 8, so I won’t submit it. I do hope that the rules committee updates the Rulebook Changes document to clarify that games played at G/5 under Blitz Chess rules are ratable.
Here is my proposed ADM again, this time with a rationale. If I submit the ADM I’ll include the rationale as part of it. I’ve changed the title of the ADM to “Blitz time controls. Chapter 11.”
Blitz time controls. Chapter 11.
In Chapter 11, as amended, of the 5th edition rulebook, replace the first two sentences with the following:
Blitz Chess (also known as Speed Chess or 5-minute Chess) is a variant defined as a single, sudden death time control of 5 minutes. Blitz games typically do not use time delay.
RATIONALE: Under the current rules Blitz Chess is defined as being from G/1 to G/10, although time controls faster than G/5 are not ratable. This amendment limits Blitz Chess to G/5 only. Combined with proposed amendments to Rules 5C and 5F this eliminates the overlap between Blitz Chess and Quick Chess, which will be limited to being from G/6 to G/29. Since time controls faster than G/5 aren’t ratable they’re beyond the scope of USCF rules.
As I explained in the topic Proposed ADM: Quick Chess. Rule 5C. I’ve decided not to submit ADMs to make G/5 blitz only and G/6 to G/29 quick chess only. Therefore, I won’t be submitting this ADM.
On a side note, why was Blitz chess limited to being at least G/5? In FIDE events, Blitz is often 3m +2s inc. Why can this also not be allowed as an acceptable time control? Or does 3m+2s inc count as at least G/5?
I guess I would be one who would like the definition of Blitz Chess to remain where it is. Not all Blitz Chess variants or time controls need to be USCF-ratable. - e.g. FIDE’s standard 3m+2si.
As the previous discussion here and Quick Chess pointed out, should Blitz have a separate rating (or even be USCF-rated) or even be allowed to be lumped in with Quick Chess, as the rules differ?
From FIDE’s point of view, I think any time control short of G/120 or 90/30s inc is not ratable by FIDE anyways, so many of our USCF regular-rated games (e.g. G/30) don’t meet that standard.
It is possible to rate quick and blitz in the same rating system, even though different rules are used.
Eventually, a separate blitz rating system ought to be developed, but not until after various problems with the current quick system are resolved. Otherwise, we would have two rating systems with problems.
