I want to try fast online games, but I don't understand how blitz differs from rapid and what the rules are. Where's better to play - on Lichess or Chess.com? And how does the rating system work there?
Blitz is a format where each player gets a few minutes to think (usually 3-5 minutes for the entire game), as opposed to rapid, where you have more time. Lichess and Chess.com are similar in their rules, but Lichess is free and open source, while Chess.com has premium features and more tournaments. The rating on both sites works the same way - it's calculated based on your game results, and it goes up or down depending on whether you're beating stronger players or losing to weaker ones. Just pick whichever platform you like - start on Lichess if you don't want to pay, or Chess.com if you prefer more features.
The main difference is in the pace - blitz is when you have very little time (a couple of minutes per game), rapid is longer, and classical is even longer. The rules are the same on both sites, except Lichess is free and more open, while Chess.com offers paid features, though there's still plenty of stuff you can do for free. Rating works the same everywhere: you win and it goes up, you lose and it goes down, depending on your opponent's rating. Just try whichever one has an interface that feels more comfortable to you - there's no real difference in how the game itself plays out.
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