Krikor Sevag Mekhitarian GM

Constructive Feedback for GM Krikor Sevag Mekhitarian

1. Performance Snapshot

Your current trend is positive in blitz ( 2974 (2020-02-26) ), but results are more volatile in the longer 10-minute pool. To visualise when you are scoring best, consult the following automatically-generated dashboards:

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2. Opening Repertoire

• Sicilian Rossolimo / Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo (B30-B31)
  You scored clean wins against both Andrey Drygalov and Tikhonov Viacheslav when the position stayed within your main lines. Keep the current move-order but add a quick refresher on 9. Ng5 and 11.f4 sidelines—those are the only moments you needed several tempo-burning retreats.
• Sveshnikov-type structures
  The loss to Tikhonov Viacheslav highlighted two issues: conceding the d5-outpost too early and entering a tactical sequence while behind on the clock. Consider re-checking the modern 9…Nxd5 10.exd5 Nb8 plans; they are slightly less sharp but kinder to your blitz clock.
• Grünfeld Exchange — Classical (D86)
  In the 10-min game versus eduard999_82 you allowed White to plant heavy pieces on the 7th rank after 24…e6?! A more solid approach is 24… Rd6 followed by …Nc4. That keeps the queens active and avoids a static weakness on d6.
• Queen’s Pawn side lines (A41, D02)
  When playing 1.Nf3 / 2.d4 systems you occasionally drift into equal but clock-sensitive positions. If you want to keep them in your blitz menu, prepare one concrete, forcing continuation you trust; otherwise pivot to 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 and let theory carry some of the calculation load.

3. Middle-Game Themes

1. Prophylaxis before pawn breaks. The loss against Kevin Qin shows that …g5 and …h5 landed before you completed development. Add the simple checklist “king safety, piece coordination, potential return squares” before committing to flank pawn pushes.
2. Handling the IQP & hanging-pawn structures. In several wins (Bird’s Opening and QGD) you squeezed endgames thanks to superior pawn structure. Keep aiming for those positions—they fit your technical style. Conversely, in the WildMantra69 game you were on the receiving end; the key slip was 24…Qxb4? when counter-play trumped material.
3. Dynamic calculation vs. practical choices. Your tactical eye is sharp, yet you sometimes choose the most complex continuation even with a time deficit. Training suggestion: play thematic sparring games at 1 + 1 and accept draws offered by the engine only if the line is forcing. This will reinforce the instinct to “simplify when ahead, complicate when down.”

4. Time Management

You flagged from a won position against David Höffer and collapsed in a time scramble versus WildMantra69. Even in blitz, the average clock usage in your recent wins is 38 seconds deeper than in your losses.

• Adopt a “soft cap” of 15 seconds per move in the first 20 moves. After 15 s, move—even if it is only the second-best choice.
• Incorporate Bullet-to-Blitz drills: play 1′ games, then immediately review the first moment you spent >3 s.
• Study Zeitnot positions with pre-set limited time on a physical board to simulate pressure.

5. Endgame Technique

The queen endgame timeout shows your conversion skills are sound but you occasionally search for perfect technique instead of “good enough.” Practical tips:

1. Rehearse the “cut-off king, push pawn, keep checks from behind” pattern. A five-minute daily drill with tablebase positions will suffice.
2. When up material in blitz, set a mental alarm to trade queens within three moves if it does not drop the win probability below -0.5.

6. Annotate & Review

Your most recent 10-min loss is embedded below. Spend 10 minutes annotating it without an engine, then compare with your coach/engine notes. Focus on critical decisions at moves 24–30.

[[Pgn|[Event "Live Chess"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2025.06.05"] [Round "-"] [White "Eduard999_82"] [Black "GMKrikor"] [Result "1-0"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Nf3 O-O 9.O-O Nc6 10.Be3 cxd4 11.cxd4 Bg4 12.e5 Rc8 13.Rc1 Na5 14.Be2 Be6 15.Rxc8 Qxc8 16.Qa4 b6 17.Ng5 Bd5 18.Rc1 Qb7 19.Bf3 Bxf3 20.Nxf3 Rd8 21.Qc2 h6 22.Qc7 Rd7 23.Qxb7 Nxb7 24.Kf1 e6 25.Rc8+ Kh7 26.Nd2 Na5 27.Ne4 b5 28.Nd6 f6 29.f4 a6 30.Ke2 g5 31.g3 gxf4 32.gxf4 fxe5 33.dxe5 Re7 34.Bb6 Nb7 35.Rb8 Nxd6 36.exd6 Rd7 37.Rd8 1-0]]

7. Action Plan (Next 14 Days)

1. Review Rossolimo sidelines with engine for 30 min.
2. Solve 50 mixed tactics daily, 70 % accuracy target.
3. Play five 10 min games focusing on time discipline; annotate immediately after.
4. End each session with three theoretical queen-vs-pawn endgames from the tablebase.

8. Closing Motivation

Your creative style is evident—keep it, but couple it with pragmatic clock handling and slightly more solid secondary lines. Minor adjustments should convert many of those narrow losses into wins. Good luck in the next Titled Tuesday!