Recent Performance Overview
Alexey, your recent blitz record shows a solid strength adjusted win rate of about 51.4%, which is commendable in competitive blitz games. Over the past 3 months, you've made impressive rating gains, with an 830 point increase demonstrating your evident progress, and a 30 point increase in the last month confirms continued forward momentum. Your rating trend slopes indicate a strong upward trajectory especially in the short term, suggesting effective improvements in your play.
What You're Doing Well
- Consistent application of the French Defense in various lines, showing good preparation with moves like ...c5 in response to e4.
- Effective use of queenside pawn advances and pressure, as seen in the advance of pawns such as b4 and a4 to challenge opponent structure.
- Good tactical awareness, culminating in checkmate opportunities and winning material in your games.
- Strong positional play especially in middle game transitions, leveraging piece activity and control over critical squares.
- Maintaining composure under time pressure, winning some games on time, indicating good time management overall.
Areas for Improvement
- Opening Choices: Although you use solid openings like the French Defense and Queen's Indian, be cautious of early pawn structure weaknesses (for example c3 or c4 decisions) that sometimes allow your opponent dynamic counterplay.
- Handling Pressure: In some losses, the opponent was able to exploit weaknesses quickly in the middlegame (such as targeted attacks on your king's position). Improving defense against active piece play will help.
- Positional Assessment: Working on identifying critical squares and pawn breaks more accurately can help avoid tactical pitfalls leading to material loss.
- Endgame Technique: Some losses showed missed chances to simplify or convert favorable endgames; focused endgame study would be beneficial.
- Time Management: While generally good, occasional time trouble towards the end of games suggests monitoring the clock more carefully in complex positions.
Specific Suggestions
- Review key moments in losing games, for example the position where Black lost an exchange or had their king exposed quickly. Try to understand what alternatives could have slowed the opponent's attack or avoided material loss.
- Explore deeper preparation in the French Defense Exchange Variation and Queen's Indian Defense lines you frequently encounter, focusing on the critical pawn breaks and piece maneuvering.
- Practice tactical motifs related to pins, forks, and discovered attacks which commonly arise in your favorite openings to improve your defensive awareness.
- Use training tools to practice rapid and blitz endgames to sharpen your conversion skills.
- Maintain your current approach of active play, but work on balancing aggression with positional solidity to minimize risk against strong opposition.
Encouragement
Your strong upward trend in ratings over recent months reflects hard work and improvement. Keep analyzing your games using tools and feedback, continue practicing openings and endgames, and be mindful of time control strategies in blitz. Stay confident, and your results will keep improving!