Fabrice Fiol CM

Quick summary for Fabrice Fiol

Nice patch of wins recently — your practical play and opening familiarity are paying off. The things to sharpen for faster improvements in blitz are: time management, simple endgame technique, and a few concrete defensive reflexes (especially against pins and bishop/rook invasions). Below I break that down with concrete actions you can take.

Replay your most recent clean win

Study this short game to see how you turned a small advantage into resignation — notice piece activity and target-hunting rather than fancy sacrifices.

• Game viewer:
  
  
• Opponent: valeriamoony
• Opening: Nimzo-Indian Defense (Three-Knights / Duchamp family)

What you’re doing well

• Opening knowledge: you reach playable middlegames from many common systems instead of getting lost early — your opening win rates reflect that.
• Practical instincts: you convert tactical chances quickly in blitz and punish opponent inaccuracies (good against weaker players and in short time controls).
• Active piece play: you prefer placing pieces on useful squares and creating multiple threats rather than passive maneuvers.

Recurring weaknesses to fix

• Time management in the late middlegame/endgame — several recent losses (including vs TheBrainCrusher) were decided by flag or drifted into long repeating maneuvering while the clock ran low. Practice finishing faster.
• Defensive reflexes around back-rank and diagonal vulnerabilities — in the Nimzo game you allowed a decisive enemy bishop/rook to invade and win material on the back rank/h1 square. Look for simple defender moves to stop these tactics.
• Endgame technique under time pressure — you had winning-ish or balanced endgame moments but didn’t simplify to clear winning plans while managing the clock. Tighten basic rook + pawn, rook vs rook, and king + pawn endings.

Concrete fixes — what to practice this week

• Daily 15–20 minute tactics (blitz pace) focused on mates, forks and pins — these appear often in your games and you already capitalize on them; increase accuracy further.
• 10-minute endgame routine: 20 rook endgames and 20 king+pawn fundamentals. Train simple conversion patterns (cutting off the king, using the active rook).
• Clock drills: play 10 games at 3+2 and force yourself to spend at most 30–40 seconds on quiet moves. Learn to make safe, forward-moving “practical” moves when low on time.
• One-minute post-game check: when you win or lose, note the single turning move (in words). Habitual short post-mortems fix blind spots faster than long ones you never do.

Practical blitz tips to apply immediately

• When ahead in material go for straightforward moves that simplify (trade queens/major pieces) — avoid long maneuvers that let the opponent complicate while your clock ticks down.
• When defending against a bishop/rook battery aiming at your back rank or a corner pawn, force a pawn move or a luft (pawn up one square) early to avoid tactical discoveries.
• Use pre-moves sparingly — only for obvious recaptures or forced checks. Premoves in unclear positions cost you games and flags.
• If the opponent probes with a knight or outpost idea, neutralize it immediately with a pawn break or a forced exchange rather than waiting for it to consolidate.

Review targets from the loss vs TheBrainCrusher

That game ended by flag in a long endgame with many repetition/maneuvers. Key takeaways:

• You created counterplay but let the opponent’s passed pawns and rook activity dominate the final phase. Against active rooks, prioritize returning to the file that reduces their mobility.
• When both sides repeat checks or drives, switch to a plan that forces a pawn race or a quick simplification — you want clear winning conditions before time becomes critical.
• Work on converting marginal endgame advantages while keeping the clock in mind (practice with a running clock!).

Short training plan (4 weeks)

• Week 1 — Tactics (30 min/day) + 10 quick rook endgames (30 min total). Play 15 blitz games with explicit clock rules.
• Week 2 — Openings: drill two lines you play most (for example Sicilian Defense and one anti-Sicilian response). Work 30 minutes on common tactical themes in those lines.
• Week 3 — Game review: annotate 10 of your recent wins/losses quickly, find the turning move, and practise the “what I should have done” alternative in 5-minute analysis sessions.
• Week 4 — Simulate tournament conditions: play 5 games at 10+5 and 5 games at 3+2, applying your quicker finishing and defensive checks.

Next steps & quick checklist before your next session

• Warm up 5 minutes of tactics to sharpen pattern recognition.
• Decide beforehand which two opening lines you’ll stick to this session — reduce decision time in the opening.
• Set a personal clock rule: on simple moves spend ≤20s, on critical positions take 30–45s; if under 30s remaining, simplify where reasonable.
• After each game, write one sentence: “I won because...” or “I lost because...” — this builds fast learning habits.

If you want, I can…

• Annotate one of your recent games move-by-move and highlight 3 recurring errors.
• Generate a 2-week tactic + endgame micro-plan tailored to the Sicilian Defense and common middlegame themes you face.
• Run a short quiz (10 positions) focusing on the exact tactical motifs that cost you material in the Nimzo and Sicilian games.

Closing

You have strong foundations: keep the opening stability and practical attacking instincts, but treat clock and endgame technique as the quickest win areas to raise your blitz score. Small, consistent drills will pay off fast.