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In chess, the goal isn't to play perfectly, as that's fundamentally impossible, but to play better than your opponent. However, all the most prestigious chess tournaments are still held in the classic format, not blitz or even rapid chess.

Since we've brought up chess:

After the introduction of time control, the limit has been constantly reduced:
initially, in the late 19th century, it was 2 hours for every 20 moves;
in the first half of the 20th century, they often played with a control of 2 hours for the first 30 moves and 1 hour for every 15 moves thereafter;
by the second half of the 20th century, the limit was reduced to 2.5 hours for the first 40 moves and 1 hour for every 16 moves thereafter;

Now, the standard limit for classic chess is 2 hours for 40 moves, then 1 hour for the next 20 moves, and another 30 minutes until the end of the game, or 2 hours for 40 moves, followed immediately by 30 minutes to 1 hour until the end of the game.

The reasons for each subsequent reduction of the "classic timer" were always the same: reducing the game time, increasing the entertainment value, etc. This is quite logical, as chess lacks a certain level of entertainment.

In my opinion, 16+8+1 is the modern classic timer, and most tournaments will be held with this time control.

Longer time controls are also classic, but outdated.

It's funny to read about "the beauty of the numbers on the buttons when we introduce standard timers."

For me, this is a significant argument. At the same time, it protects the classic timer from further reduction.

Regarding entertainment value, I've been watching Hell and Lizard's morning rapid games on Jeb with a control of 12+6+1 for the past couple of weeks. I've come to the conclusion that this time control provides the optimal density of action for Jeb. In blitz games, players are often forced to abandon interesting ideas that don't fit within the time limit. In classic Jeb, players have time to think ("when a player thinks, the viewer gets bored"), but in rapid Jeb, on the one hand, there is constant action, and on the other hand, the map is cleared quite well (at least in Hell's performance; Lizard rarely streams).

In general, what I've seen on these streams is very similar to my idea of Heroes as an esport.

On a mirror map, the amount of work is slightly more, so I assume that 16+8+1 will provide a similar density of action on a mirror map. Let's test it.