Alexander Lupian NM

Hi Alexander!

Congratulations on maintaining a high blitz rating of 2466 (2025-02-08). Below are a few observations from your latest session followed by concrete training ideas.

What you are already doing well

• Dynamic piece play in the Sicilian. Your wins against 2300+ players show good feel for ...Nd4 …g6 set-ups and timely pawn breaks such as ...f5 (see the critical sequence 20…gxf5 21.Qe2 in your win vs uykan).
• Confidence in sharp king hunts. 16.Rxh7!! in the MiguelMejiaE game was courageous and objectively sound. That attacking instinct is a strength—nurture it.
• Practical opening choice. With Black you keep positions unbalanced (Kan, Accelerated Dragons, English symmetrical with early ...c5). That gives you winning chances against any rating group.

Recurring issues to address

1. Clock management – Four of your last six losses ended on time in playable or even better positions.
   • Develop a mini check-list (king safety, loose pieces, opponent threats) and force yourself to move once that is complete.
   • Practise bullet (1|0) occasionally; the faster cadence helps automate easy decisions so you spend time only on critical ones.
2. Converting advantages. In the loss to wombatboard1 you entered a won rook ending (two pawns up) but could not finish the game. A simple technique such as “cut the king & push the passer” would have done the job. Schedule 30 min/day on rook-vs-rook endings in Lichess trainer or any table-base app.
3. Central outposts left undefended. Twice you allowed Nd4/Nf4 to land (e.g. 20…Nf4 vs octavianmorda). Add the theme “Remove the outpost knight” to your tactics set.
4. Responding to d5 breaks. In multiple English/Queen’s Pawn games opponents equalised with ...d5 or ...d6-…d5. Review model games by Kramnik on flexible pawn structures so you know when to meet the break with exd5, cxd5 or a quiet retreat.

Opening micro-advice

Illustrative tactic (from your win vs uykan)

Spot the finish after 24.Rh5?!

Training plan for the next two weeks

• Daily: 20 tactical puzzles focused on Intermediate move Zwischenzug and Outpost Knight motifs.
• Alternate days: 1 annotated classical game in your opening repertoire; create a one-page summary of plans.
• 3 sessions of 15-minute end-game drills, especially R+P vs R and Q vs passed pawn.
• Twice a week: play a 10|0 rapid game to practise slower, accurate conversion.

Your activity trends

Use the interactive widgets below to spot when you perform best:

Final encouragement

You are already competing at a very high level—small improvements in time handling and end-game technique could push you well past 2300. Keep the energy, keep the tactics sharp, and remember: good positions win games, but good clocks save them.