Björn Andersson FM

Quick summary

Björn — good energy in your recent blitz block. You create chances, you play actively and you keep the initiative in many games. At the same time the biggest leaks are time management in the last 10–15 seconds, converting/defending in pawn races and some opening lines that give you awkward endgames. Below are concrete, actionable things to keep and to work on.

Highlights — what you do well

• Active piece play: you consistently put rooks and bishops on aggressive squares (rooks on open files / seventh-rank ideas). That creates practical pressure in blitz.
• Willing to simplify when it helps you practical chances — you trade into endgames that often give you real winning chances.
• Tactical alertness: you find intermediate tactics and checks that change the course of the game — good pattern recognition under time pressure.
• Opening choices with high win rates: your results with the Amazon Attack and French Defense show these are reliable weapons for you. Lean into what works.
• Resilience: you play on to the end (many games go deep), which gives training value for endgames and time-trouble decisions.

Main weaknesses to fix (priority order)

• Time trouble tendency — you frequently reach single-digit seconds. That makes “mouse slips / flagging” and rushed blunders a recurring problem. Aim to keep a 10–15 second buffer for tricky moments.
• Pawn-race and passed-pawn handling — in your recent loss you allowed a passed pawn to decide the game (promotion threat). Be stricter about stopping opponent passers early or exchanging them when you're behind on activity.
• Endgame technique under the clock — when the position simplifies you sometimes miss the simplest winning method or the drawing resource. Work standard rook and queen endgames so decisions are automatic in blitz.
• Opening lines with poor results — your data shows weak performance in certain Sicilian lines (Four Knights / Cobra). Either prune those lines from your blitz repertoire or learn one sharp, practical system you know by heart to avoid early discomfort.
• Occasional positional passivity — when the opponent trades pieces you sometimes end up with passive, cramped positions instead of fighting for squares. Keep asking “how can I improve my worst-placed piece?” each move.

Concrete, short-term drills (this week)

• Tactics sprint: 20 minutes every day — 15 medium puzzles (3–4 mins each) focused on forks, skewers and discovered checks. That reduces tactical misses in time trouble.
• 10 rapid (5+3) games where you deliberately enforce a rule: stop the clock if you have under 12 seconds and take 2 extra seconds to breathe before moving. Train the habit of “slow down when low on time.”
• Endgame sprint: 3×10 minute sessions on rook endgames and basic queen vs pawn promotions (practice the defense and conversion). Make the winning plan automatic.
• Repertoire clean-up: play 5 training games where you choose only your best-scoring openings (e.g., Amazon Attack or French Defense) and avoid the Sicilian lines where your win rate is low.

How to change habits in-game

• Two-move rule in time trouble — if you have under 10 seconds, aim to make only "safe" moves (no long forcing calculations). Exchange when equal material and simplify when behind on time.
• When you see a passed pawn on the board, identify two plans: stop it now or create a faster counter‑plan. If stopping costs you long-term piece activity, trade into an equal endgame instead.
• Before each move ask: “What is my opponent threatening?” — in blitz many blunders happen because the last move’s threat is missed.
• Use increment — if available, play slightly faster earlier to bank seconds for the critical phase rather than burning time on low-impact decisions.

Study plan (4 weeks)

• Weeks 1–2: Tactics + 5+3 practice. 30 minutes tactics, 1 hour of 5+3 games focusing on time control and technique in rook endgames.
• Weeks 3–4: Repertoire focus. Cut or simplify the poor-performing Sicilian lines; prepare 5 typical blitz plans for the main lines you keep. Add two 15-minute sessions on converting rook vs pawn and queen vs pawn endgames.
• Tracking: keep a simple log — date, time control, win/loss, main error (time trouble / tactic / opening). After 20 games the pattern becomes clear and fixable.

Notes from the two most recent games

Win vs adadard — good active play; you reached a position with passed pawns and your opponent flagged. You created counterplay and used the initiative to force simplifications. Review the final pawn race to see whether the win was more practical (flag) or objective (promotion).

Loss vs boonkaitong — opponent created a passed pawn and promoted. In that game you had multiple moments where a small trade would have neutralized the passer. Also time went very low. Prioritize faster, safe trades when facing a fast-advancing pawn.

PGN snapshots (for quick review):

• Win (final position):
• Loss (final phase):

Repertoire & study suggestions

• Keep the openings with very high win rates (Amazon Attack, French) as your blitz mainlines — they give you quick comfort and familiar middlegames.
• Prune or simplify the problematic lines in the Sicilian (Four Knights / Cobra). Either learn one short, forcing plan you always play or avoid those branches in blitz.
• Make a 1‑page blitz checklist for your main openings: typical pawn breaks, one tactical motif, one simplifying exchange to aim for. Use it before each game to reduce opening drift.

Practical next steps (this session)

• Do a 20‑minute tactics sprint right now (focus forks and discovered checks).
• Play 5 blitz games at 5+3 using only two opening systems you feel comfortable with. After each game, write one sentence about the biggest time-management mistake.
• Pick one recent loss (the game vs boonkaitong above) and replay it at 1.5x speed — pause only on critical moments and ask “did I have a drawing exchange?”

If you want, I can

• Annotate one full game move-by-move (pick the win or the loss).
• Build a 2-week blitz plan with daily tasks and puzzle sets tailored to your openings.
• Run a short training session where I quiz you on best moves in typical endgames that show up in your games.

Closing / motivation

Your rating history shows you can climb and has climbed — small, consistent fixes (time control, one endgame theme, and simplifying poor lines) will pay big dividends in blitz. If you want, tell me which game you want annotated first and I’ll do a full post‑mortem.