What is reaction Chess? Reaction chess is when instead of thinking about your opponents move, you react to it. While thinking and reacting to your opponents moves seem similar, they are different. When you think about the move, you think about why they did it and how it affects your position. When you react, you notice your opponents move but don't really see it. You could end up missing a fork or a skewer because you reacted instead of thinking. Thinking and reacting both form habits. When you think, you slow down and calculate which can help if you get into similar scenarios. Reaction forms a habit where you start to only play chess by reacting. This can lead to illegal moves, rushing and unhappiness with chess. You will end up blundering more moves and possibly quiting chess. When is reaction chess good? Reaction chess is good only when in positions you have memorized and when things are forced. (Like a mate in 4) This is only good because you know what to do and the chances of making mistakes are low. Another good time to use reaction chess is when you are under time pressure. It can cause problems there too but clock time is a bit more precious then. How do I stop playing reaction chess? Stopping is hard but possible. The way I stopped was by telling myself I had to take at least 20 seconds (even in a position I knew) or I couldn't get candy. I also had people time how long I took for each move and after a while, I got better. Overall, reaction chess is bad but can be useful sometimes. The best way is to not play many fast games so that reaction chess does not become a habit.
