Ajay Patel

Quick summary

Nice streak — you’re winning solidly and your recent form shows improvement (about +94 this month, +146 over 6 months). Your play is energetic: you create targets, finish tactics, and press opponents on the clock. Strength-adjusted win rate ~50.4% means you’re performing at roughly expected level vs your opposition — good foundation to build from.

What you’re doing well

• Active, attacking style — you look for forcing moves and mates (example: the quick finish vs leopcremer).
• Opening repertoire choices that score: you have great results with Scandinavian Defense and the Blackburne lines — those give you straightforward plans and practical chances.
• Putting opponents under time pressure. Several wins came from opponents flagging — you convert practical chances well.
• Comfortable with tactical positions and sharp, open games — you win clean tactical sequences and mating nets.

Key weaknesses to fix (short-term)

• Time management: you both win and lose on the clock. In complex positions you’re burning time — simplify or avoid complications when your clock is low.
• Missed defensive checks/threats: a couple of losses come from overlooking checks or direct threats. Before moving, scan opponent checks and captures.
• Endgame technique under pressure: you play into rook/major-piece endings where accurate technique matters — refresh basic rook endgames (Lucena/Philidor ideas) so you don’t need long think-time there.
• Trade/transition judgment: sometimes you trade into positions that leave your king exposed or opponent with tactical resources. Evaluate incoming tactics before simplifying.

Concrete drills (next 2 weeks)

• Daily 10–15 tactics (focus on 1–3 move mates & checks). Aim for pattern recognition rather than speed first.
• 5 sessions of 10-minute rapid +3 (or 5+3) to practice making sound moves with a little less time pressure.
• Endgame microdrills: practice 10 Lucena/Philidor positions and basic king+rook vs king tasks until you can do them quickly.
• One opening deep dive: pick a frequent line (for example Four Knights Game / Spanish variation you play often) — learn 3–4 typical plans, a trap, and a simple move order to hit quickly in bullet.

Practical bullet checklist (use during games)

• 1-second scan before you move: checks, captures, threats. If you’re low on time, stop and do that scan.
• Prefer safe developing moves when under 10 seconds — avoid entering long calculation lines without increment.
• When ahead on material, trade pieces and simplify; when behind, keep complexity and look for tactical resources.
• Use pre-moves only when the response is forced and there’s no risk of a trick (avoid in sharp positions).

Game examples & study

Replay the mate-victory to study how you built the attack and forced the final sequence. It’s a good model for forcing play and finishing:

Also review the time-loss loss vs edu_ro2020: pause at moments you spent a long time — that will show where you need faster pattern recognition or clearer plans.

Small action plan (this week)

• 3 tactic sets/day (10 problems) + one 10+3 practice match every other day.
• Pick one opening (Scandinavian or Four Knights Spanish) and learn one move-order trap and one neutralizing line vs common replies.
• Run a 5-game session focused only on conversion: if ahead by a pawn, always steer to simplifications and test your endgame technique.

Motivation & next milestone

You’ve shown you can push levels (recent +94 month). If you fix the clock leaks and tighten basic endgame tactics, the next clean milestone is stabilizing at a consistent 920–960 range and then pushing to 1000+. Small, repeatable drills and one opening study per week will get you there.

If you want, I can: analyze one of your losses turn-by-turn, generate a 2-week training plan tailored to your calendar, or produce a short set of targeted tactics based on positions you commonly face.