Avatar of Allan Munro

Allan Munro FM

aRk_iN Since 2010 (Inactive) Chess.com ♟♟
47.6%- 45.0%- 7.4%
Rapid 2110 21W 13L 8D
Blitz 2280 2172W 2130L 352D
Bullet 2068 237W 153L 16D
Coach Chesswick's Profile Photo
Coach Chesswick

Hi Allan — personalised feedback on your recent blitz run

Quick snapshot

  • Current strength: aggressive 2300-level tactical play.
  • Peak blitz rating so far: 2336 (2021-03-15).
  • Activity trends:
    Win Rate by Hour100%75%25%0%50%0:00 - 52.0%1:00 - 50.2%2:00 - 45.8%3:00 - 50.0%4:00 - 51.0%5:00 - 52.8%6:00 - 41.2%7:00 - 50.0%8:00 - 46.1%9:00 - 52.4%10:00 - 48.4%11:00 - 44.6%12:00 - 52.5%13:00 - 43.3%14:00 - 43.2%15:00 - 44.8%16:00 - 48.0%17:00 - 44.5%18:00 - 49.7%19:00 - 47.5%20:00 - 49.2%21:00 - 49.8%22:00 - 46.7%23:00 - 47.1%01234567891011121314151617181920212223Hour of Day (UTC)
     
    Win Rate by Day100%75%25%0%50%Monday - 47.6%Tuesday - 43.8%Wednesday - 45.2%Thursday - 50.0%Friday - 49.4%Saturday - 47.4%Sunday - 51.3%MonTueWedThuFriSatSunDay of Week

What’s working well

  1. Dynamic Caro-Kann handling. In the win vs. marsella66 you followed the Classical / Spassky line, then broke with …b5 & …a5, netting a textbook attack.
    Reference PGN:
  2. H-pawn spears. Early h4-h5 (sometimes h5-h6) keeps opponents on the back foot and has already yielded several material gains.
  3. Tactical vision. Forks such as 21.Nf5!! (Przemek_Cyluk game) or mating nets beginning with 40.Qxf7+ show sharp calculation skills.

Recurrent issues in the recent losses

  1. Time management. Three of your last five defeats were flagged or resigned with <10 seconds on the clock while still objectively defensible.
  2. End-game conversion. Equal or slightly worse endings (Slav vs. Komot209) slipped due to passive king and unfamiliarity with rook-pawn nuances.
  3. Over-extension. Pawn thrusts (…f6 vs. Komot209, …g5 in the KIA loss) left long-term holes once the initiative faded.
  4. Development lag. In the Scotch Gambit you spent nine moves with one knight; meanwhile White mobilised everything and won on the clock in a clearly better position.

Action plan

  1. Fix the clock first.
    • Adopt a “30-second safety net” rule — move instantly once you dip below it and rebuild the position later.
    • Premove only forced recaptures.
  2. Caro-Kann refinement.
    a) Memorise the modern plan after 13…Qa5 14.Kb1: …b5, …b4, …Rb8 (as in your win).
    b) Prepare a solid response to the 7.Nf3 / 10.Nf3 line that troubled you against Przemek_Cyluk.
  3. Anti-Slav structures. Replace 11…Na5?! with the classical setup …e6, …Bd6, …0-0, …Qc7 before daring …Na5.
  4. End-game drills. Ten minutes a day on basic rook endings, opposite-coloured bishops, and converting an extra pawn will pay huge dividends.
  5. Prophylactic checklist. Before every move ask, “What is my opponent’s next threat?” This five-second pause would have prevented 34…Qe6?? in the Exchange Slav.

Suggested two-week schedule

  1. Days 1-3: Annotate your own recent wins slowly.
  2. Days 4-7: Study one classical Caro-Kann game (Karpov, Andersson, etc.) per day.
  3. Days 8-10: Pure end-game practice.
  4. Days 11-14: Play 10 games of 5 + 5 focusing purely on time usage & king safety.

You already beat 2300-plus players consistently; merely eliminating time-pressure blunders should push you 50-70 Elo higher and set a new PB soon.

Remember: in blitz the clock is a piece too. Good luck!


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