Vladimir Bilic FM

Overall Playing Strength & Recent Trends

Vladimir, your depth of experience and overall game volume show in your play, with a high number of games played and a Strength Adjusted Win Rate just shy of 50%. This means you are competing at a consistently strong level. Recent months show some fluctuations in rating, with a slight rating drop of 74 points in the past month and 102 over three months, yet a positive 30 points over six months indicates resilience and recovery.

The rating slopes reveal a short-term dip but longer-term gains, suggesting you have the tools to improve and adapt over time. Focus on understanding the causes of recent dips to avoid recurring patterns.

Positives from Your Recent Games

• Opening Choice & Preparation: You consistently opt for well-established openings like the Caro-Kann Defense and the English Opening, showcasing good theoretical knowledge and comfort with solid structures.
• Positional Play: In your recent wins, such as the game against RaiDDDooo with the Caro-Kann Defensive System, you demonstrate patience and control, gradually improving your position and capitalizing on opponent mistakes.
• Endgame Technique: The games show resourcefulness, especially your determination in time trouble, as in the win by time against GMBoorchess. This reflects good mental resilience and endgame skill under pressure.
• Calculated Exchanges & Simplifications: You use exchanges well to enter favorable endgames, which is a strength in blitz play.

Areas to Improve

• Handling Opponent Aggression in Sicilian Lines: Your recent losses in Sicilian Defense variations suggest you might benefit from deeper memorization and understanding of critical middlegame themes, especially in the O'Kelly and Maroczy Bind structures. These openings require sharp tactical awareness and preplanned countermeasures.
• Opening Win Rates: Some of your frequently played openings, like the French Defense (winning ~33%) and English Opening (winning ~36%), show room for improvement. Investing time in reviewing critical lines and exploring alternative plans could raise your win percentage.
• Reducing Inaccuracies Under Time Pressure: While your endgame fighting is strong, avoiding small tactical oversights when the clock is low can reduce losses and draws. Practice speed calculation and pattern recognition drills tailored for blitz.
• Balancing Aggression and Safety: Sometimes your exchanges and positional choices might allow opponents counterplay, especially with pawn structure weaknesses. A more cautious evaluation before exchanges or pawn breaks could help maintain stable advantages.

Specific Recommendations

• Study key theoretical lines in the Sicilian variations giving you trouble, especially the O'Kelly and Maroczy Bind, to avoid surprises early on.
• Review your recent losses to identify whether mistakes lie in tactical oversights, strategic planning, or time management, and train accordingly.
• Work on expanding your repertoire around the French Defense and English Opening by integrating new ideas and novelties to increase your practical results.
• In blitz, practice bullet and rapid tactical puzzles focusing on speed and accuracy to enhance your intuition under time pressure.
• Keep analyzing your endgames to polish technique and convert advantages smoothly.

Conclusion

Vladimir, your consistent engagement and solid play form a great base to build upon. Focusing on the openings and scenarios where you concede more losses can yield improvements quickly. Continue balancing your solid positional understanding with sharper tactical skills to maintain upward rating momentum.

Keep up the hard work and thoughtful study — your track record shows you have the potential for further growth!