Filipe Freitas

Hi Filipe!

Great job keeping an active schedule and playing a lot of short games. Reviewing your last sessions I noticed clear strengths but also some habits that are costing you points – often on the clock rather than on the board. Below is a concise, actionable report.

Your current strengths

• Sharp tactical eye – you find tricks such as 22…Qxh2# in your latest win very quickly.
• Confidence with the initiative – you are happy to push pawns and sacrifice material if it opens lines.
• Familiarity with certain off-beat systems – e.g. French with …Bc5 and Van ’t Kruijs (1.e3 2.Bc4).

Recurring problems

1. Time-trouble collapses – 4 of your last 6 losses were on time in still playable or even better positions.
   ➜ Goal: reach move 20 with ≥ 55 sec on the clock.
2. Early queen adventures – moves like Qf3/Qh5 on move 3 invite …g6/…Nc6 and you often lose tempi or the queen gets trapped.
   ➜ Rule of thumb: do not move the queen before three minor pieces are developed unless there is a concrete tactic.
3. King safety – you occasionally delay castling (e.g. Kf1 on move 5 vs elmagoserg1o); this works against weaker opposition but strong players punish it.
4. Opening consistency – playing sidelines is fine, but switching between 1.e3, 1.e4 and 1.c4 without clear plans leaves you in unfamiliar structures.

4-week improvement plan

• Opening cleanup (Week 1-2)
  • With Black keep your French but drop 2…Bc5 against strong players; study the simple Rubinstein set-up (2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4).
  • With White pick one main move (1.e4 or 1.d4) and build a compact repertoire you can blitz out quickly.
• Clock discipline drills (Week 1-4)
  • Play 10 games daily where you must move before your time dips below opponent’s –10 s.
  • After every game write the move number at which you fell under 1 min; aim to push that number higher each day.
• Tactics + calculation (Week 2-4)
  • 20 Puzzle Rush survival attempts per week.
  • Annotate every missed tactic using the questions “What was the threat? – Which defenders could I add?”.
• Endgame conversion (Week 3-4)
  • Solve 30 basic rook-endgame studies; this will also boost confidence to trade queens and play simpler positions where flagging is harder.

Highlighted example – your tactical finish

Track your progress

Use the charts below to verify that the new habits translate into results:

• Hour-by-hour performance – spot fatigue zones.
• Win rate by day – are weekend marathons hurting quality?

Quick reference

• Your peak blitz rating: 1442 (2018-12-30)
• Revisit the concept of zwischenzug – several missed chances came from ignoring in-between moves.
• Sparring partner suggestion: play a training match with bilonczyk if possible; their solid style is a good test of your new openings.

Stay disciplined with the clock, stabilise your openings, and your attacking flair will shine without the self-inflicted wounds. Good luck in your next session!