Oliver Stork FM

Hi Oliver!

Great work on consistently maintaining a ~2500 live-blitz level (2613 (2025-05-22)). Your recent score-sheet shows energetic play, sharp tactical vision and a healthy fighting spirit. Below is a concise performance review followed by targeted training advice.

What you are doing well

• Opening preparation: As White you score heavily with 1.e4 and look comfortable in both the Najdorf and Four Knights. Your piece development is smooth and you often emerge from the opening with the initiative.
• Tactical alertness: Exchange sacrifices (e.g. 24.Rxf7! in the Najdorf win) and pawn storms against the enemy king indicate excellent calculation skills.
• Counter-punching: With Black your Sicilian counterplay (…h5/…f5 pawn wedges) keeps opponents under constant pressure and often converts into time trouble wins.

Growth opportunities

• Clock management. Four of your five listed losses came from either time forfeit or rushed decisions in mutual time pressure. Practise a strict “increment discipline” – decide to move with ≥30 seconds left, even if the move is merely safe and solid.
• Endgame conversion. In the January loss to koncheto you allowed Black’s b-pawn to run because pawn structure priorities were lost. Refresh key rook-and-pawn endings and train opposite-colour bishop endgames; aim for clean technique so the clock is less decisive.
• Over-extension with the h-pawn. Both sides of your Najdorf sometimes feature h-pawns pushed to h4/h5 before king safety is settled. Treat the h-pawn thrust as a calculated risk; evaluate with king safety heuristics before committing.
• Transition to the middlegame. A few games show solid positions drifting (e.g. vs Nemegejas in Chess960) because plans weren’t updated after the opening. Use the “Three Questions” routine each move: (1) What changed? (2) What does my opponent want? (3) What is my worst-placed piece?

Action plan for the next month

1. Daily: 15-minute endgame drill (rook endings on lichess.org/practice or any preferred platform).
2. Weekly: Annotate one of your own wins and one loss without an engine first, then double-check with the engine; focus on missed quiet improving moves around moves 15-25.
3. Opening refresh: Add a secondary weapon against 1.e4 – even a simple French or Caro-Kann line – to reduce predictability and deepen your strategic horizons.
4. Time--control variety: Play two 15 + 10 games per week. The extra time forces you to practise deep calculation yet still ends within an hour.

Performance snapshot

Inspirational PGN to revisit

The following contains instructive motifs you executed perfectly – queen-side pawn avalanche, exchange sac, and conversion under pressure:

Next steps

Keep blending your tactical flair with improved practical endgame skills, and a more disciplined relationship with the clock. You are very close to breaking the 2600 barrier – polish these edges and the rating gains will follow naturally.

Good luck on the board, and feel free to ping me after your next 50-game batch for another review!