Austin Jacob Literatus FM

Quick summary

Nice work — your games show strong opening familiarity and a sharp tactical eye. The main limiter in recent bullet play is clock control: you convert well when you keep a time margin, and you lose or flag when you get into long technical fights. Below are practical steps to turn more of your play into wins.

What you're doing well

• Opening repertoire: you steer games into lines you know (for example Nimzo-Larsen Attack and the Modern setups), giving you early comfort and tempo.
• Active attacking play: fast pawn pushes and king hunts create concrete threats that finish games quickly in bullet.
• Tactical awareness: you regularly spot forks, discovered checks and winning pawn breaks — you convert these well.
• Practical decision-making: when a clear tactic or promotion path appears you take it instead of dithering.

Key areas to improve

• Time management (top issue). Several games end with low-clock blunders or flags — avoid long thinks in the opening/middlegame.
• Endgame technique under time pressure: avoid long king-and-pawn marathons when your clock is low; trade into simple winning endgames instead.
• Back-rank and king-safety checks: a loss came from a mating net — routinely make a luft or scan for back-rank tactics before simplifying.
• Premove discipline: only premove when the reply is forced (single legal move or guaranteed recapture).

Concrete drills & short plan (2 weeks)

• Daily 15–20 minute routine:
  • 5 min — fast tactics (pattern recognition, 1-minute puzzles).
  • 5–10 min — 1|0 practice: goal = finish with ≥10s on the clock (prioritize speed over perfection).
  • 5 min — quick endgame drill (basic rook or king+pawn technique).
• Openings: keep the lines you excel at, but memorize a 6–8 move "safe line" for each opening to save time early.
• Premove rule: premove forced recaptures only. Turn off risky premoves in chaotic positions.
• Goal: reduce average think time in moves 1–15 by ~30% — if a move takes >6s in the opening, play the book line instead.

Short, actionable checklist for your next session

• Before each move: 5–7 second scan for opponent threats, hanging pieces, and back-rank mate possibilities.
• If clock <10s, simplify or trade to a clear plan — avoid long pawn races unless you have time.
• Use premoves for forced recaptures / single replies only.
• When ahead materially, trade queens to simplify conversion if you still keep a time edge.

Practice example — replay a recent win

Study this short sequence from a recent win: fast development, a central pawn push, then decisive tactical exchanges. Pause on positions where you could premove safe replies or where a small speed-up would keep time margin.

Situational advice (common game types)

• Imbalanced middlegame with attack chances — keep the clock margin and press quickly; your strengths shine here.
• Locked pawn-structures / long endgames — avoid unless you have comfortable time; look for tactical ways to simplify to a winning endgame.
• Against flaggers: stay solid early and force them to play — they often crack under pressure and you convert tactically.

Who to study & next steps

• Review losses vs Bui Tuan Kiet and Piotr Jagodzinski — both highlight time and tempo issues.
• I can build for you:
  • a 7-day training pack (daily drills + opening short-lines),
  • a premove & time-management checklist you can keep on your phone,
  • a 1-page cheat sheet for the Nimzo-Larsen Attack with a defensive short-line.

Closing — immediate priorities

• Priority #1: fix time management — avoid sub-5s except when flagging a losing opponent.
• Priority #2: create simple conversion routes after a material edge (trade queens when helpful).
• Priority #3: drill — 5-minute tactics bursts + targeted 1|0 practice.

If you want, tell me which opening you'd like a 6-move "safe line" for and I'll produce a compact study pack you can drill before your next session.