Crib Sheet for 5+0 Marathon

About the author:

I'm an amateur player who started playing online chess in 2020. Having learned a lot from the advice of other players, I've been able to progress significantly in almost five years, and now I can try to advise and help other players, out of gratitude to all those who advised me. This blog is dedicated to them.

Time Control: 5+0, the Most Advantageous Control for a Blitz Marathon?

I prefer to start directly with time control, because being able to master it and knowing its strengths and weaknesses is essential for a successful marathon.
5+0 is a slow time control for blitz, but at the same time, it allows for a certain flexibility due to the absence of increment. The advantage of this is that you can sometime rely on flagging (defeating your opponent by making them lose by time), but unlike 3+0, there, you have more time that you can use to think/calculate. On the other hand, it mean that potential mistakes can be punished quite easily, and that you can't rely ONLY on your time management to try to win.

About berserking

Since there is no increment, 5+0 is also interesting for berserk, because it is less risky than, for example, 3+2. If you are used to play blitz or bullet, 2:30 is quite pleasant to play, you can rely on numerous premoves at the opening and then try to put pressure on your opponent in the midgame.

Adapt your play according to time control.

I know this may seem like strange advice, but 5+0 is long enough to make most "cheap traps" less credible, and playing very offensive openings is riskier than 3+0. I therefore recommend adapting your openings to take full advantage of time control: choose highly structural openings, or choose theoretical lines rather than attempting a Bongcloud, 1.b4, or 1.a5.

Here are some ideas

With white :

London System
Italian opening
Queen's Gambit and Catalan
English opening
Colle System
Rapport Jobava System

With black :
Caro Kann and Slav defense
Czech defense
Indian defense
Nimzowitsch defense
Queen indian defense
Benoni
Sicilian defense (but be careful to play lines that you know well)

As you will have understood, I consider that 5+0 is a time control "for attrition" and that it is better to have a solid position and take the time to develop all your pieces, rather than immediately trying to attack the opponent's castling or playing dubious openings. It is therefore important to revise your tactical knowledge just before the marathon, by doing about ten puzzles or a puzzle streak. Avoid puzzle race or storm which encourage you to speed, while 5+0 requires greater concentration

General advice for the marathon

Do you plan to play the marathon seriously ?

If you're planning to play the marathon in the hopes of winning the Top 500 trophy, it's better to be prepared in advance and be aware of the potential number of points needed to reach the Top 500. I think that the 500th will have around 210 points, but between 220 and 240 points will be needed to comfortably reach the Top 500 and 250 to secure it.

If you want to know how many points you can approximately earn and how long it will take, go to your tournament history and search for the last 5+0 tournament you played in full.

Example: If your last tournament lasted two hours, for example, and you were able to earn 30 points in that time, you can multiply by 6. This means that in 12 hours of play, you're capable of earning 180 points. You'll need to play at best the equivalent of 14-15 hours to reach the top 500, keeping some margin because you're likely to have losing streaks, take breaks, and your points output won't be the same from one hour to the next.

So, know that it's best to play from the beginning to guarantee a solid point buffer when you're more tired. A first 5-6 hour session with a few short breaks every 2 hours could already guarantee you 70-100 points if you're in good shape. What should you do next? Take longer breaks and eat properly. You need energy and nutrients. If you're hungry during the marathon, it's not a good sign, and you'll be more focused on your hunger than on the quality of your game. So, make sure you know when to take a break and relax.

Do not eat or drink while playing! It is dangerous for you and it is also unpleasant to play with oily fingers or accidentally spill water on your computer.

I don't recommend "late joining", because unless it has worked for you in the past, it will cause you more stress if you are too far from the minimum number of points to reach the top 500, and may cause you a lot of frustration if you don't succeed to win this trophy.

If you're on a losing streak, don't panic! It's part of the game, and the more you accept it as a normal thing due to the marathon format and the endurance required to play it, the more focused and stoic you'll be able to stay out of it more easily. Stress is normal, especially if you want to win the trophy, but know that the more you tame and understand this stress, the more it will become a strength for you because you'll know how to manage it and be focused on the tournament!

But if the losing streak lasts too long in your opinion and that you feel tired, take a long break ! If you can, let's say about 20 minutes. Hydrate, talk with your family, or even watch the tournament chat, and come back. Even if you continue to lose games for a while, you'll be calmer and more focused, and you'll get through it !

Do you plan to play just for the fun ?

If your goal is not to play the entire marathon or win the trophy, you can still take advantage of the opportunity to improve your rating or beat strongers players than you, popular streamers, or even titled players!

In this case, I recommend not berserking players higher rated than you, for example, 200-300 points higher than you, even if they have already berserked.
This will give you an extra chance to beat them! But in this case, use your time wisely! Don't play too fast and try to play very defensively, not exposing your pieces, and avoiding sacrifices, or attacks that could weaken your position. Play in such a way as to force your opponent to use as much time as possible, to force them to make a mistake or to flag them (see above for an explanation of this term).

Conclusion

The most important thing is to enjoy playing and participating in an important Lichess event. The marathon is a kind of celebration, held only four times a year, so please be respectful of everyone, your opponents, and the people in the chat!

If a game seems suspicious or a message in the chat doesn't seem correct, please use the report function.

And of course, I wish you many winning games, the results you're hoping for, and have fun in this marathon!