Jim Blackwood NM

Hi Jim, here’s some constructive feedback based on your latest blitz (180 + 2) games.

1. Quick Snapshot

• Current form: several convincing tactical wins balanced by a few painful collapses.
• 2180 (2022-11-29) – keep an eye on how close you are to your personal best.
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  – use these to spot when you play your sharpest chess.

2. What you’re doing well

1. Piece manoeuvring ▶ The win against Alexandrovski shows excellent rerouting (…Nf8–g6, …Qc7–c8) and patient pressure before striking with 33…Qa1+ and 36…Qg6#.
2. Dynamic openings ▶ You handle flexible structures (Modern, Queens-Indian, Fianchetto set-ups) comfortably, often outplaying opponents out of book.
3. Tactical awareness ▶ Finishes such as 46…Qb2# (vs disoku) highlight good calculation when the initiative is yours.

3. Repeating trouble spots

1. King safety before pawn storms
   In several losses you opened your own king with …g6 / h4-h5 without being fully developed.
   Example: against maafernan you never castled and after
   the open diagonal + g-pawn hook was decisive.
2. Over-extension in the centre
   Pushing …d4 or …c5 too early (London loss, Caro-Kann loss vs Vlad-93) left targets behind your pawns. Ask “Can my opponent lock or undermine this pawn in one move?” before advancing.
3. Time management
   Four of the last ten results were decided on the clock (two wins, two losses). You often spend 60-70 % of your time on the first 15 moves and then rush critical endings. Try the “40/40 rule”: aim to keep ≥40 % of your clock for the final 40 % of moves.

4. Targeted recommendations

• Early castling habit – make it automatic unless there is a concrete reason not to. Delayed castling cost you in both London and English games.
• Structured middlegame plans
  • Queens-Indian / Modern setups: review classical plans with …e5 break only after completing development.
  • As White vs Sicilian: when you choose 9.f4 (Magnus variation) keep an eye on the b4-square – Black’s …Nb4 in your win vs ODYSSEUS shows why.
• Prophylactic thinking drills – after every candidate move ask “What is my opponent’s most annoying reply?” (see Karpov’s games for model examples).
• Endgame refresh – the won rook ending you flagged vs giza1 would be trivial with a rehearsed conversion routine (cut the king, push passer, use checks from behind).

5. Practical study plan (4 hrs / week)

6. Motivation corner

You’re already beating 2100-level players with tactical flair. Shoring up king safety and clock control could realistically add 80-100 rating points in the next month. Keep the creative spark – just give it a safer home!

Good luck in your upcoming games, Jim. I’m always here if you need deeper opening files or game annotations.