Josh Yun

Quick overview — what I see at a glance

Nice run lately: +70 in the last month and a clear upward trend. Your strength‑adjusted win rate (~52.3%) and the mix of clean wins show you understand both practical blitz ideas and how to convert advantages. You also have a couple of openings that score very well for you (notably the Amazon Attack and Modern).

Recent games to review (short picks)

Here are a couple of recent games worth a quick post‑mortem. Open them, replay the critical moments and ask: “What did I miss? What was my plan?”

• Compact win vs rafiquzzatin — short, clean technical win. Replay:
• Loss vs joshing_around20 — time loss after getting into a sharp tactical melee. Good lesson for time control and simplification under pressure.
• Classic middlegame win with kingside play (see the Qe2# and king‑hunt patterns in your other wins) — reuse the attacking motifs that worked well.

What you're doing well

• Opening familiarity — you get playable positions quickly and steer the game into lines you know (lots of games in Nimzo-Larsen Attack / Modern / Amazon Attack).
• Converting advantages — many wins show you can trade into favorable endgames or finish with tactical shots instead of overshooting.
• Practical decision making in blitz — you pick clear, active plans rather than slow maneuvering that burns time.
• Good recent form — consistent positive slope and a +70 rating month shows improvements are sticking.

Biggest areas to improve (fast wins in strength)

Focus on these 3 first — they will give the biggest ROI in blitz:

• Time management: several games end with you flagged or in severe time trouble. Practice with increment (3+2 or 5+3) and force yourself to take an extra second on candidate moves. Tip: in messy positions trade when you’re low on time if the resulting endgame is easier to play.
• Back‑rank / king safety patterns: you have wins and losses where the king becomes target or gets mated quickly. Drill common back‑rank mates and make a habit of creating a luft (escape square) when you start attacking or when castled.
• Tactical sharpness in transitions: you often win by a tactical punch — keep sharpening pattern recognition (forks, pins, overloaded defenders). But also double‑check tactics before committing in time trouble.

Concrete drills & practice plan (weekly)

Short, repeatable routine that fits blitz players:

• Daily (10–20 minutes): 10 tactical puzzles focused on forks/pins/x‑ray tactics. Use puzzles that give you a 5–10 second timeout to simulate blitz pressure.
• 3× per week (30–45 minutes): Play three 3+2 blitz games and do a 5–10 minute post‑mortem after each — at least identify the single critical mistake per game.
• 2× per week (30 minutes): Endgame basics — rook vs rook, king+pawn vs king, simple queen+rook vs mate patterns. These pay off heavily in blitz conversions.
• Weekly (30–60 minutes): Opening review — pick 2–3 lines you play often (Nimzo-Larsen Attack, Scandinavian Defense, Modern). Prepare a short 2–3 move “refutation” plan for opponent sidelines and a typical middle‑game plan for each.

Practical blitz tips you can apply immediately

• When low on time, simplify if you can keep the evaluation roughly equal — fewer pieces = fewer tactics and fewer practical threats.
• Set a “2‑second rule”: if you don’t see a clear forcing tactic in 2 seconds, make a safe improving move (develop, protect, reduce opponent’s threats).
• Use pre‑moves only when captures are forced and checks are impossible — saves time but can lose material in chaotic positions.
• If you spot a winning tactical sequence, pause and count checks/captures/promotions (1–2–3) before playing — that removes many mouse slips/oversights.

Opening advice (small actionable changes)

• Double down on what works: your Amazon Attack lines have high win rates — expand one reliable sub‑system and learn one typical pawn break and one plan against the main reply.
• Trim low‑return lines: the Australian Defense appears weaker for you — either study a concrete improvement or replace it with a line that leads to comfortable, familiar structures.
• Memorize 2–3 tactical motifs in your favorite openings (e.g., sacrifices for the open g‑file, typical knight forks in the centre) so you can execute them fast in blitz.

Sample 2‑week micro plan (what to do next)

• Week 1: Daily tactics + five 3+2 games with 10‑minute post‑mortems. Focus on not losing on time once.
• Week 2: Add two endgame sessions (rook endgames), and prepare one opponent reply to your main opening. Track how many wins you convert when you’ve more than a +1 advantage.

Final notes — motivation & checkpoints

You’re trending up — keep the discipline on post‑game review and time management. Small targeted practice (tactics + endgames + 3 opening plans) will likely push your blitz score consistently higher. Revisit your progress in two weeks: is time trouble improving? Are you converting more +1 positions?

Want, I can:

• Make a 2‑week personalized tactics list based on mistakes from the loss vs joshing_around20 and your recent wins.
• Produce a one‑page blitz cheat sheet for your top 3 openings (Nimzo-Larsen Attack, Modern, Scandinavian Defense).