Orkun Efe Alumert FM

Hi Orkun Efe Alumert!

You are playing most of your 3-minute games at an impressive level around 2372 (2020-05-21), and the sample shows a healthy mix of sharp positional ideas and concrete calculation. Below is a concise assessment of your recent games together with an actionable study plan.

What you are already doing well

• Opening repertoire is coherent. As Black you stick to the French and as White you prefer 1.d4 systems (Catalan/Torre ideas). This gives you a stable framework and allows you to reach middlegames you understand.
• Piece activity & central control. Most of your wins feature rapid development (e.g. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 c5) with knights hopping to d6/d5 and rooks seizing open files.
• End-game technique under pressure. In the win versus big_iguana you converted an equal rook endgame by creating an outside passed pawn and steadily improving the king.

Main themes to improve

1. Time management.
   Three of the five recent losses were caused or heavily influenced by time trouble. You often reach <15 seconds with complicated positions still on the board. Blitz favours practical decisions; when you reach the last 30 seconds, switch to “increment-only” chess: avoid long thinks, keep threats on the board and use premoves in forcing lines.
2. Tactical alertness to knight forks and queen traps.
   In the French loss to Chan Eng Wai you allowed 12…fxe5 13.Nxe6! and the follow-up 15.Nc7+, losing the exchange and any counter-play. Similar oversight occurred against “falarotate” when 13…Nxf4 overlooked the back-rank exposure.
   👉 Suggested drill: 15 minutes of “knight-fork” puzzles every day for a week (search for Forks theme).
3. Over-reliance on early queen moves in the French.
   The classical line (Qb6/Nf5/Bd7) works but requires accurate calculation. Both recent losses show that a well-prepared opponent can gain tempi by chasing your queen with Nc3-b5-d4 or Ne2-f4. Consider adding a solid alternative such as the Rubinstein (3…dxe4), which hides your queen and keeps the position sound.

Opening snapshots

Middlegame checklist

• Ask “What is my opponent’s next threat?” every move – especially before pawn breaks such as …f6, …c5 or …e5 in your French structures.
• When you have the two bishops (common in your Catalan games) don’t rush to trade the fianchetto bishop; keep long-range pressure and probe with pawn levers (b4, e4).
• In blocked French positions, maneuver pieces before pawn breaks. Rooks belong on c and f files; queenside knight often heads to b6/d7/f8-g6.

Endgame & practical play

• Your king activity is good – keep bringing it to the centre even in blitz; it wins you games like the one vs. big_iguana.
• Study a handful of theoretical rook-pawn vs. rook endings; these occur frequently once queens are traded in your Catalan structures.

Weekly training plan (≈3 hrs)

Progress tracking

Monitor your results with the visual dashboards below:

Closing thoughts

Your strategic understanding is already above average for your rating band. By tightening tactics and clock handling you can convert many “almost-wins” into full points and push beyond 2300 blitz. Good luck with your training, and enjoy the journey!