berkdg IM

Hi berkdg! 🎯 Key take-aways from your recent blitz sessions

What you are already doing very well

• Active piece play from the very first moves. Your win against Maksa Max shows crisp development (c4–d4–Bf4) and an instructive c6-c7 breakthrough. You convert small edges with admirable energy.
• Comfort in Slav / QGD structures. You handle the central pawn tension smoothly, often forcing …cxd4 / …exd5 decisions on your terms.
• Tactical alertness. In several victories you spotted tactics such as 25.Rb8!! (queening the c-pawn) or 37.Rc8+ in the Babuto game. Your calculation speed is a clear strength.

Three high-impact improvement targets

1. Time-management in the late middlegame.
   • Five of the seven listed losses were decided by flag or last-second blunders. You are often ahead on the clock after move 15, but slip under 10 s while “looking for the cleanest win.”
   • Action item: practice the “30-second rule” – if you have been staring at the position for half a minute without changing your evaluation, play the safest reasonable move and keep 15-20 s in reserve for defense.
2. Fine-tune your Modern / Pirc repertoire as Black.
   • In the loss to ck_russ, the line 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d5 4.exd5 Nf6?! 5.Bb5+ left you with an awkward king and pawn on d5.
   • Suggestion: either (a) adopt the concrete move 4…c6 (the ‘Gurgenidze’) instead of 4…Nf6, or (b) switch to the solid 3…d6 Pirc move-order where …Nf6 hits e4 before White can exchange on d5.
3. Handling pawn breaks against the English.
   • Two defeats stem from the same pattern: …c5/…cxd4 followed by …f5 without completing development (see housdav games). The kingside pawn rush let White open lines against your king.
   • Training plan: study model games in the Symmetrical English where Black delays …f5; practice reacting with …e6, …Nge7, …d5 first.

Illustrative moment to review

After 15.d5 in your loss vs ck_russ:

Black must avoid the tempting 15…Qb6?! (played in the game). Theory recommends 15…e6! keeping the position closed until development is finished.

Micro-goals for the next 25 games

• Finish each game with at least 10 seconds on your clock  →  track with
  .
• Play 10 rapid (10 + 0 or 10 + 5) games strictly with the Modern / Pirc to test the improved move-order.
• Create a mini database of five model Symmetrical English games featuring …e6, …d5 setups; review one each day (see
  after a week).

Your progress so far

Peak blitz rating: 2506 (2020-02-08)

Keep the momentum!

Your tactical eyesight and energetic style are elite-level assets. A small investment in clock discipline and opening refinement will push you beyond the 2500 barrier. Good luck, and feel free to share any new games for further feedback!