Bruno Makovec FM

Summary — what you're doing well

Nice work — your recent results show a clear upward trend and healthy win rate in blitz. Your rating slope and the +28 change over the last month echo consistent improvement. Your opening choices (several aggressive systems and a very strong record with niche lines like the Dőry Defense and Amazon Attack) are paying off: you get play from move one and create imbalances that cause opponents practical problems.

• Good opening preparation and practical repertoire — you score well in your chosen lines (French Defense, English Opening and many aggressive setups).
• Strong tactical sense in sharp positions — you convert complex middlegame chances and win on the clock when opponents crack under pressure.
• Positive momentum — strength-adjusted win rate ≈ 51.2% and recent rating trends show you’re improving, not plateauing.

Key mistakes to fix (from the most recent games)

Across the sessions there are recurring themes you can clean up quickly for big gains:

• King safety after material grabs — in your recent loss you accepted a sequence that left your king exposed (taking on g7 led to a decisive knight fork). Pause to ask: “Does my king have safe squares after captures?”
• Tactical awareness on the fly — forks, discovered checks and knight jumps caused trouble. Slow down a hair on forcing moves and check for enemy forks and discovered checks before committing a capture.
• Over-reliance on flag wins — a few recent wins came from the opponent running out of time. Flagging is useful, but aim to convert more on the board so your results don’t hinge on clocks.
• Time management in 3|0 — you often get very low on time. Keep a 10–15 second buffer in complex positions and practice fast, safe moves so you don’t blunder in the final phase.

Concrete improvements — short plan (next 2 weeks)

Small, focused daily habits that give outsized returns in blitz:

• Daily tactics: 10–15 minutes of puzzles emphasizing knight forks, pins and back-rank motifs. Goal: spot the fork before making the capture.
• Endgame drills: 3x per week, 15 minutes on king + pawn endgames and simple rook/knight endings. Convert an extra pawn 1/5 times and your blitz win-rate jumps.
• Speed practice: play 10 games of 3|0 trying to keep 10s+ on the clock at move 20. Focus: safety-first moves (prophylaxis), not maximal optimization.
• Review one loss per day: pick the critical turning point and ask “what did I miss?” — write one sentence action (e.g., “Next time don’t capture on g7 if Nxe6 forks my king”).

Game-specific notes (one tangible takeaway)

From your recent loss vs mattack9999: the decisive sequence started after you captured on g7. That capture opened lines and allowed a tactical Nxe6+ fork. In similar positions ask: does my capture open rank/diagonal for enemy pieces? If yes, calculate the check/fork motifs first.

Here’s the relevant sequence you can replay and annotate to internalize the idea:

Opening & practical play suggestions

• Keep the lines where you score highest — your success with the Amazon Attack family and the Dőry Defense shows you know their pawn structures and plans. Don’t abandon them for marginal novelty.
• For Caro‑Kann and other more defensive responses, add one or two short practical plans (where to put rooks, typical pawn breaks) so you can play quickly in blitz without calculating from scratch.
• Create a short “danger checklist” to use when your opponent offers an exchange or sac: (a) king safety, (b) tactical forks/checks, (c) piece activity. If any answer is risky, choose the safer option.

Weekly practice template (easy to follow)

• Mon/Wed/Fri — 15 min tactics (mixed), 10 min endgames.
• Tue/Thu — 30 min focused opening work: learn 1 new idea in a line you play.
• Sat — 10 blitz games 3|0; review 2 losses immediately.
• Sun — 1 longer rapid (15|10) or 30–45 minutes study of a model game in an opening you use.

Final encouragement & next steps

You're trending up and your repertoire gives you real practical chances in blitz. Tighten the small tactical and time-management leaks and you’ll convert more of the games you currently only win on time. Pick one theme (forks/back-rank) to hammer this week and you’ll see immediate improvement.

• Start today: replay the short PGN above, pause at the capture on g7 and ask “what am I allowing?”
• If you want, send one more loss or a specific position and I’ll give a line-by-line coach-style critique.