Aleksa Alimpic FM

Hi Aleksa, here’s an objective look at your recent games and a roadmap for climbing to the next level.

What you’re already doing well

• Opening variety & flexibility. In blitz you comfortably switch between the Slav, French, Dutch and Modern setups. Opponents rarely catch you out in the first 10 moves.
• Dynamic intuition. Your win vs. HansOnTwitch (2555 vs 3252) shows you recognise when to sacrifice structure for activity. The 29.f5 breakthrough followed by the rook lift was model textbook play.
• Converting initiative. In the Slav win against JaroslavSobek you kept the squeeze on with …Ne4, avoiding premature trades and forcing resignation in an equal-material position—excellent technique.
• Peak strength. Your current ceiling in blitz is 2557 (2025-01-28), proving you can already compete with 2600-level opposition on a good day.

Clear growth areas

1. King safety decisions under fire.
   • French Exchange loss vs. Norbi2323: 11…gxh6 invited a direct attack that your pieces never neutralised.
   • Modern-Larsen loss vs. Khanna-Aman: pawn thrust …h5-h4 opened files while your king remained on g8.
   Training task: Whenever a capture opens your own g- or h-file, spend an extra 10 seconds on a blunder check (king exposure, loose back-rank, forcing checks).
   Re-play the critical sequence:
   
2. Time management in critical endings.
   You flagged from a winning rook ending vs. JDPAchess and spent >35 seconds on three moves during the loss to Kobalia. Try the “30-20-10” rule: aim to have 30 sec by move 20, 20 sec by move 30, 10 sec by move 40 in 60 sec bullet; in 3 + 1 blitz keep >60 sec in reserve until move 25.
   Training task: play three 1-minute games per session focusing on only premove/intuition—no calculation—then analyse the blunders offline. This conditions faster decision loops.
3. Handling opposite-wing pawn races.
   In the Dutch game you pushed a4-a5 and b3 without securing your second rank; …Rc3 and …Qxb3+ /Qb1+ became unstoppable.
   Checklist before launching a flank pawn:
   • Can opponent create a passed c- or b-pawn in ≤3 moves?
   • Is my back rank loose?
   • Do I control at least one of the two open files that will appear?
   Study classic opposite-wing races (Karpov – Unzicker 1974) to sharpen your sense of urgency.

Micro-drills for the next 4 weeks

Theme	Daily reps	Goal
Defensive tactics	20 puzzles filtered for “…? King exposure”	Score ≥80 %
Endgame technique	5 rook-pawn endings from Nunn’s 100 Endgames	Convert in <60 sec each
Bullet sparring (1 | 0)	10 games vs. 2300-2400	Follow 30-20-10 rule
Opening file refresh	Review one line/night	Add two novelties to PGN

Useful concepts to deepen

• zwischenzug timing in tactical exchanges
• Minor-piece endgames with 4 vs 3 on one wing
• “Petrosian exchange” (trade attack-prone rook for minor piece to shut files)

Progress trackers

• Overall performance trend:
• Hour-by-hour sharpness (to schedule training):

Next coaching call

In our next session we’ll:

• Analyse the full Norbi2323 game move-by-move.
• Set up a defensive technique sparring drill starting from move 14.
• Choose one new low-theory opening to add (suggestion: Catalan Closed as White).

Keep the curiosity high and the king safer—small fixes will unlock another 50-rating-point jump!