Daniel Aguiar De Sousa NM

Hi Daniel!

Great job keeping an active tournament schedule and pushing your Blitz rating to 2254 (2024-12-17). Your recent games show a creative style and plenty of fighting spirit. Below is a quick review of what you’re doing well, what to improve, and a step-by-step plan for the next few weeks.

What’s working

• Tactical awareness under pressure – the mating net you set in your win against Fariasov (79.Ra6#) was clean, even with only 12 s left.
• Endgame confidence – in several wins you converted R+queen-side pawn advantages smoothly. Your king activity in minor-piece endgames is a clear strength.
• Flexible openings – you comfortably play both 1.e4 and 1.Nf3, giving you practical surprise value in Blitz.

Main growth areas

• Clock management – three of your last five losses were decided by severe time pressure (or flagging). You often drop below 20 s while still in a roughly balanced position.
• Critical moves after pawn storms – games vs Roedor and handsoffhans show pawn pushes (…b5, …g5, g4) that weakened key squares without a concrete follow-up.
• Handling counter-play in the Sicilian – in several B33 lines you allowed …Nd4 or …Rb8/…b5 breaks too easily, giving Black the initiative.

Illustrative moments

1) Strong idea (vs Fariasov):

Your knight sacrifice dismantled Black’s defence and forced concessions.

2) Missed resource (vs Roedor, move 26…Bd4+):

Here 27.Kg3! Rxb2 28.a5! keeps material near equal and fixes the passed a-pawn as a trump.

Training plan (4 weeks)

1. Time-saving habits
   • Play three 3+0 games daily focused ONLY on moving instantly in known positions. Review the first 20 moves to see if the quick decisions hold up.
   • Use premove for forced recaptures (captures, checks, single legal replies) – you’re currently spending 2-3 s on these; aim for <1 s.
2. Solidify an anti-Sveshnikov line
   • Study 30 minutes of model games with 7.Nd5 and 9.Bxf6 ideas; build a small “move-order cheat sheet”.
   • Play it in non-rated games first, then add to Blitz.
3. Endgame conversion drills
   • Set up R+2 pawns vs R and practice against an engine on <10 s increment until you win five in a row.
   • Repeat with opposite-colour bishops and an outside passed pawn – this mirrors your favourite structures.
4. Tactics with a purpose
   • Daily 20-puzzle streak, but stop after two consecutive wrong answers to avoid bad habits.
   • Focus on intermediate moves and zwischenzugs, a recurring theme in your victories.

Opening notebook snapshot

• White: Reti/English move-order → plan c4/d4 break, keep b-pawn flexible.
• Black vs 1.e4: Caro-Kann main lines (you already handle the Exchange well).
• Black vs 1.d4: Nimzo-Indian but prepare vs 4.f3 & the Catalan to avoid early pawn grabs.

Motivation corner

Your rating graph shows steady progress – keep the momentum!

Feel free to send me two annotated games next week; we’ll refine the plan together. Good luck and enjoy the process!

– Coach