Vaidas Sakalauskas IM

Constructive Feedback for Vaidas Sakalauskas (asas71)

At-a-Glance

• Peak blitz rating: 2565 (2023-01-17)
• Typical session performance:
• Weekly rhythm:

Your Strengths

1. Dynamic opening choices. You comfortably handle both flank systems (Reti) and sharp counter-attacks (Alekhine, Pirc). This keeps opponents guessing and often leads to imbalanced middlegames that suit your style.
2. Tactical alertness. In the 2023 win against letsgoband you spotted 22.Rd6! and 24.Bxh6!, seizing the initiative with precise calculation.
3. Piece activity over material. You willingly part with pawns to keep pieces active—an excellent habit when supported by concrete calculation.

Key Improvement Areas

1. King safety after pawn grabs.
   In your recent loss to NmJonathanTan you captured on a7 and b7, but after 21…Nh4! the exposed king became the decisive factor.
   
   Ask “what are my opponent’s attacking chances?” before taking side pawns.
2. Time management.
   Several losses (e.g. vs IGMI_NguyenKePhat) were flagged or decided in frantic scrambles. Avoid burning clock in the opening; aim to enter the final 30 seconds with a simpler position or a clear plan.
3. Endgame conversion.
   Games such as your 2020 QGA win show excellent middlegame play but slightly shaky technique once queens come off. A few missed technical wins cost valuable seconds.
4. Consistent repertoire.
   Against 1.e4 you alternate between Alekhine, Pirc and Philidor structures. Consider specialising in one line for a month so you can study typical plans, endings and “automatic” manoeuvres—freeing clock time for critical moments.

Action Plan

1. Structured opening study. Pick one reply to 1.e4 and one to 1.d4 for the next 30 games. Build a mini-file with five model games each; focus on plans, not just moves.
2. Tactical defence drills. 10 minutes/day of puzzles where your side is already worse. This balances your natural attacking flair with better defensive vision.
3. “Three questions” routine. Before every move ask: 1) What does my opponent threaten? 2) What changed in the position? 3) Which of my pieces is worst placed?
   This habit adds automatic Prophylaxis to your game.
4. Endgame technique. Weekly practice of rook-and-pawn endings on a board or trainer. Add thematic studies on rook on the sixth vs passed pawn and basic Zugzwang positions.
5. Post-game routine. After each session:
   • Mark one critical moment (win or loss) and replay it without an engine.
   • Only then verify with the engine to see the objective evaluation.

Target Milestones (next 6 weeks)

• Maintain 55 %+ score in chosen openings (track with a simple spreadsheet).
• Reduce average “opening phase” time to <45 seconds in 3-minute games.
• Finish 10 annotated endgames from classic players (e.g., Capablanca, Karpov) to improve conversion skills.

Encouragement

Your creative style already scores aesthetic wins. By adding a layer of caution around your king and polishing your endgame technique, a 2500+ blitz rating is well within reach. Enjoy the journey and keep the pieces active!