Juan Sebastian Melian FM

What I noticed from your recent blitz games

You showed good willingness to fight for dynamic, tactical chances. In your most recent win, you pressed with active pieces and looked for forcing moves to open lines against the opponent’s king. That kind of initiative is valuable in blitz, where the clock rewards decisive moves and sharp, purposeful evaluations.

Your most recent loss highlighted the importance of time- and square- discipline in middlegame collisions. When the position opened, there were moments where simplifying or choosing a safer plan could have helped you keep practical chances. Your draw indicates you can balance aggression with solid structure, but tightening up in the late middlegame can convert more of those holds into wins.

What you do well and should keep developing

• Active piece play: you maximize your rooks and queen to create direct threats against the enemy king.
• Pattern spotting in tactical sequences: you identify forcing moves and initiations that lead to concrete outcomes.
• Resilience under pressure: you recover from difficult middlegames and keep chances alive through practical, resourceful play.

Key areas to improve for stronger blitz results

• Time management: allocate a clear plan for the first 10–15 moves and stick to it. If a tactical line isn’t clear after two forcing options, simplify to a safe, playable position instead of overcomplicating.
• Endgame technique: practice converting common rook endings and simplified positions. In blitz, a small edge in the endgame often decides the game when the clock is tight.
• Defensive consistency: after trading pieces, confirm your king safety and watch for back-rank or overloaded-queen motifs that your opponent can exploit.
• Decision quality under time: when you’re short on time, prioritize forcing moves, checks, and captures that clearly improve your position rather than speculative ideas with uncertain payoff.

Opening tendencies and practical drills

Your openings data shows solid engagement with a mix of tactical and flexible systems. In blitz, you tend to perform well in sharp, tactical lines, and you have reasonable results with dynamic variations like Sicilian-based setups. To build consistent results, consider the following focused practice:

• Choose two reliable blitz-ready openings to specialize in for the next 6–8 weeks. For example, you could deepen lines in a dynamic Sicilian approach and pair it with a solid, flexible system like the London or Colle, depending on your comfort with piece play in the early middlegame.
• Study 2–3 typical middlegame plans for each chosen opening (e.g., typical attack motifs against a particular structure, standard breaks you should aim for, and common defensive resources you must anticipate).
• Practice short, timed sessions focusing on tactical motifs that arise in those lines (back-rank ideas, overloaded pieces, and typical king-attack patterns).

Recommended practice plan and next steps

• Daily: 15–20 minutes of tactical puzzles targeting common blitz motifs (checks, captures with a purpose, forcing sequences).
• 2–3 times a week: 30–40 minutes of focused opening study on your two chosen tournament blitz openings, including at least 5 practice games per opening to build familiarity.
• Weekly: review your last 3 blitz games with a focus on one decision from each game you would change in hindsight, and why you would choose the alternative.
• When you’re unsure about a line in a blitz game, aim for a safe, slightly simplified middlegame rather than a risky tactical shot that you haven’t vetted.

Short annotated moment from a recent win (example)

To help you visualize a practical takeaway, consider a compact line from a recent win:

. The idea is to practice recognizing when to strike with active piece play and when to step back and consolidate, especially under time pressure. You can review the move sequence and identify the key turning points where a safer continuation would have preserved initiative without risking material.