blazingbanana WFM

Hi blazingbanana – Performance Review & Improvement Plan

What you already do well

• Killer Instinct: Many of your victories (e.g. vs neolin92) end with direct mating attacks. Your tactical radar is sharp and you rarely miss an immediate shot once the opponent’s king is exposed.
• Dynamic Play with Black: In the Sicilian & Semi-Slav structures you willingly seize space with ...b5, ...c5, or ...d5 breaks, keeping the initiative. This is a key reason your Black score is slightly higher than your White score.
• Piece Activity over Material: Exchange sacrifices such as 22…Rxg3+ against neolin92 show healthy appreciation for initiative versus material. That flexibility is a valuable strength at the 2100–2200 level.

Recurring Issues holding you back

1. Time-Trouble Addiction
   Seven of your last ten losses are on time, often in equal or even better positions (see games vs ITENSE, RondoFootball, SerbiaMove). 60-second games reward fast pattern recognition, but your clock handling is costing you ~25 elo on average.
   
   Fix:
   • Adopt a minimum move speed: never let the clock dip under 55 s before move 10.
   • Use pre-moves for forced recaptures.
   • Practice 30-second berserk puzzles to train “blitz reflexes”.
2. Conversion Technique in Simplified Positions
   After winning material you sometimes keep hunting pawns instead of completing development (loss to ITENSE: 14…Qxa3 & 18…a4 let the initiative slip).
   
   Fix:
   • Adopt the 3-step checklist once ahead: Consolidate – Centralize – Simplify.
   • Play weekly 10 | 0 games focusing on converting extra pawns without tactics.
   • Study “Karsten Müller: Basic Endgames” – 20 min/day.
3. Over-extension in the opening with White
   Quick f-pawn pushes (English, Englund Gambit decline, etc.) leave weak squares and cost time. Notice how 5.f3 (vs SerbiaMove) or 2.f3 in King’s Fianchetto let Black equalize instantly.
   
   Fix:
   • Streamline repertoire: choose one mainline structure (e.g. London or Catalan) and grind it to automatic level.
   • Memorize the first 10 moves only; afterwards rely on plans, not moves.

Opening Snapshots & Quick Tips

Opening	Tip	Typical Blunder
Sicilian (Black)	After ...c5 ...d6 ...Nf6 consider ...d5 break only after king is castled.	18…Ne5 vs neolin92 was strong; avoid chasing pawns like ...Qxb2 too early (game vs Hyper-Donut).
Slav / Semi-Slav (White)	In Anti-Meran 12.Ne5 exchange, remember follow-up 14.e4! to open the centre.	After 17.Ne2 you missed thematic minority attack b4–b5.
Englund Gambit (vs the7knights)	Decline with 2.dxe5 is fine, but speed = survival. Practice the 0-0-0 + cxd5 line so you can blitz it out.	10.Bc1 wasted tempo; retreat to Bg3 keeps pressure.

Key Concepts to Drill

• prophylaxis – anticipating the opponent’s threat before seeking your own.
• zwischenzug – insert an in-between check to improve trade sequences.
• Endgame “zone of the king” & opposition (lost vs ITENSE on move 46).

Action Plan (4 weeks)

1. Week 1: Solve 50 tactics/day under 30 s each, aiming at ≥80 % accuracy.
2. Week 2: Play ten 3 | 2 games focusing only on time management; annotate them yourself.
3. Week 3: Watch one video on the Semi-Slav each day; update repertoire file.
4. Week 4: Endgame ladder: king-pawn, rook-pawn, minor-piece vs pawns (30 min/day).

Motivation Corner

Peak blitz rating: 2432 (2020-11-11) – you’re not far from 2300! Stick to disciplined clocks and cleaner conversions and you’ll get there soon.

Keep pushing pieces with purpose – and don’t forget to push the clock too!