Kami Leoné

Quick summary for kami

Nice spike — your recent form is trending up (big one‑month gain and positive slopes). Your repertoire has clear strengths (London/Colle/Amazon lines) but many games are recorded as "Unknown", which suggests inconsistent opening selection or experiment-heavy blitz. Below are focused, practical steps to convert that momentum into steady rating gains in blitz.

What you're doing well

• Strong short-term momentum — big rating jumps recently; you know how to win when you're sharp.
• Reliable wins in system-based setups like London and the Colle variation — these give you a practical edge in messy blitz positions.
• Comfort with aggressive/uneven positions (you have successful lines like the Amazon Attack and some gambit experience) — useful in blitz to pressure opponents early.
• High game volume: you have a lot of practice, which is the single best way to improve pattern recognition in blitz.

Recurring issues to fix

• Time trouble (zeitnot) and late‑game collapses: you flag or make avoidable mistakes under pressure. Zeitnot Flagging
• Many games labeled "Unknown" — inconsistent opening choices lead to unfamiliar middlegames and avoidable errors.
• Tactical oversights and hanging pieces in transitions from opening to middlegame — this lowers your conversion rate vs higher rated opponents.
• Weakness in some Sicilian lines and the Four Knights Cobra variation — those lines show a below‑average win rate and need either shelved or studied.

Immediate (next 7 days)

• Pick a compact blitz repertoire: stick to 2–3 openings you feel good in (e.g., the London system line you already score well with and a solid response vs 1.e4). Use those for all games to build pattern memory.
• One tactic session per day (10–15 minutes): focus on forks, pins, skewers and basic mates. Blitz wins come from quick pattern recognition.
• Control pre-moves and mouse habits: turn off or limit risky pre-moves in complex positions to avoid Mouse mistakes and auto-flags.

Short term (2–6 weeks)

• Analyze 5 lost blitz games per week — not every loss, just the instructive ones. Ask: was it time trouble, opening unfamiliarity, a missed tactic, or an endgame slip?
• Practice 3|+|2 or 5|+|3 games (increment) to reduce flagging risk and train practical endgame technique under some clock pressure.
• Drill one weak opening line each week (e.g., Sicilian Four Knights Cobra): learn the main ideas, typical pawn breaks and 3 model games. If the line stays poor, drop it from your blitz repertoire.
• Play occasional slower games (15|+|10) to clean up recurring positional mistakes — this will carry over to faster time controls.

Mid/long term (2–6 months)

• Build an endgame checklist: king activity, rook behind passed pawn, opposition. Spend one study session per week on basic rook and pawn endgames.
• Create an opening "cheat sheet" with 6–8 typical middlegame plans for your main systems so you don’t rely on move‑by‑move memory in blitz.
• Work on practical decision making: when ahead exchange pieces and simplify; when behind look for complications and tactical chances.
• Keep tracking metrics: monthly rating delta and win rates per opening. Favor lines where your win rate is >52% and cut lines below ~40% unless you enjoy them.

Time management tips for blitz

• Use the opening to save time: play known moves quickly for the first 8–10 moves to bank time for tactics later.
• In simplified positions, switch to a “make reasonable moves fast” mindset rather than searching for the perfect move — practical is usually sufficient.
• Set micro-goals per game: e.g., “keep at least 1 minute on clock after move 15” — it changes how you approach the middle game.
• When you spot a forcing sequence, slow down; when position is quiet, speed up.

Concrete drills

• 10 minutes daily: tactics puzzles (mixed themes). Increase difficulty gradually.
• 3 practice games per session: play with your trimmed repertoire only and save each PGN for quick review.
• Endgame sprint: 5‑minute review of one rook endgame idea, then one quick practice game aiming for the theoretical technique.
• One weekly game with post‑mortem: annotate mistakes and save the top 3 recurring mistakes to focus on next week.

Opening advice (practical, not encyclopedic)

• Double down on the lines where you already score well: London, Colle variation, Amazon Attack and the Australian Defense. Make short thematic notes for each.
• For bad lines (e.g., Sicilian Four Knights Cobra with a ~36% win rate) either study the typical plans or stop playing them in blitz — it's fine to be selective.
• Keep a one‑page response guide vs 1.e4 and 1.d4 so you don't get surprised and burn time early.

Post-game routine (5 minutes)

• Quick self-check: Was the loss due to time, tactic, opening, or endgame? Tag the game mentally.
• Save 1 screenshot/PGN of instructive games and add one note: “missed fork on move X” or “castled into open file”.
• Once a week, review 10 tagged games and extract 3 patterns to fix.

Motivation & mindset

You have shown you can climb quickly. Focus on consistency: choose a small set of openings, keep drilling tactics, and stop the easy losses caused by time pressure or simple tactical oversights. Treat blitz as training for intuition and pattern recognition rather than perfect calculation.

Sample checklist before pressing "resign" or "offer draw"

• Do I have any tactical resource or perpetual? (look for checks, captures, threats)
• Can I simplify into a won endgame by trading pieces?
• How much clock do I have — can I flag my opponent or do I risk a Mouse?

Next steps for this week

• Create your 2–3 opening cheat sheets and use them for every blitz game this week.
• Do 5×10 minute tactic sessions spread across the week.
• Play 10 incremented blitz games (3|+|2 or 5|+|3), review the top 5 instructive losses.

If you want, I can:

• Review 5 recent games and point out the recurring tactical/positional issues.
• Create 1‑page opening cheat sheets for your favorite lines (you name which ones).
• Set up a 4‑week training plan with daily drills and checkpoints.

Tell me which option you want and paste 3 recent game links or PGNs (or just say “review my last 5 losses”) and I’ll make a focused plan.