Diego Pretto FM

Quick summary

Nice run in recent blitz — your games show consistent attacking instincts, a willingness to simplify into winning endgames, and clear opening choices you’re comfortable with. Below I highlight what you’re doing well, recurring weaknesses to fix, and a short, practical training plan you can apply in the next two weeks.

What you do well

• Sharp attacking play: you look for tactical chances and mating nets — the win vs mjlaps04 ended with a clean queen invasion and mating finish. That aggression pays off in blitz.
• Good use of passed pawns and advanced pawns: advancing d- and a-pawns at the right time creates concrete threats and often forces your opponent into passive moves.
• Opening clarity: you repeatedly reach positions from a small set of openings (Closed Sicilian, Caro-Kann, Vienna Gambit, Scandinavian). That gives you practical chances because you know typical plans.
• Ability to convert: when you get a clear attacking advantage you often convert it rather than drifting into a tactical mess.

Recurring problems to fix

• King safety after aggressive play — castling long then launching pawns can be powerful, but sometimes leaves your king vulnerable to counterplay. Slow down one move earlier to check opponent counterthreats.
• Tactical blindspots in defense — a couple of losses ended in sudden mating nets (or queen checks). When your position looks safe, do a quick opponent-check: "what forcing checks/captures do they have?"
• Back-rank and coordination issues — in complex middlegames you sometimes leave rooks and back ranks insufficiently defended. Practice simple back-rank awareness (luft, rook retreats, trades).
• Time management in 3|0 blitz — several games finished with very low clock values. Save a little time in quiet opening moves (use fast, familiar moves) to avoid panic in tactical middlegames.

Opening notes (practical)

• Keep the lines you already play: your results in the Caro-Kann Defense and the Scandinavian are strong — keep them in your blitz repertoire and deepen one or two key lines.
• Patch weaker Sicilian lines: your Openings Performance shows lower winrate vs specific Closed/Anti-Sveshnikov and Four Knights cobra lines. Focus one session on typical pawn breaks and the right knight/rook maneuvering in those lines.
• Short checklist before leaving the opening (3 items): piece development complete, king safety ok, opponent has no immediate tactic. If any fails, spend an extra 10–15 seconds to remedy.

Blitz-specific tips

• Use templates: memorize 2–3 go-to plans for each opening you play (e.g., Closed Sicilian king-side pawn storm, Caro-Kann minority/central break). In blitz, plan beats calculating from scratch.
• Two-check rule: before every move, ask "Does my opponent have a forcing reply?" If yes, calculate; if not, play your plan quickly to save time.
• Avoid emotional moves: when a variation looks unclear, prefer simplifying trades or safe consolidating moves instead of speculative sacrifices that cost time if they fail.
• Mouse/clock hygiene: if you notice frequent time trouble, practice 3|0 for short sessions but force yourself to play first 6 moves in < 30 seconds total to build speed in openings.

Concrete 2-week plan

• Daily (15–20 minutes)
  • 10 minutes tactics (mix of forks, pins, discovered checks). Use short-timed sets to mimic blitz pressure.
  • 5–10 minutes review one loss: write down the moment you think you went wrong and the refutation (focus on defensive misses and back-rank issues).
• 3× per week (30–45 minutes)
  • Opening drills: pick one troublesome Sicilian line and play 6 training games vs that line or review master games in that line.
  • Endgame bite-size: 10 minutes on basic king+pawn vs king, rook endgames essentials — these pay off in blitz conversions.
• Weekend session
  • Play a 20–30 game sprint of 3|0 and immediately analyse 5 decisive games (3 wins, 2 losses). Keep notes on recurring mistakes.

Practical checklist to use during games

• After opponent move: 1) any check/capture/threat? 2) any tactic for me? 3) where is opponent’s queen aimed?
• Before castling long: ensure pawn storm on the side won't open against your king immediately.
• When ahead: trade queens if opponent gains counterplay; avoid unnecessary pawn pushes that open lines to your king.

Study resources & examples

• Replay your most instructive win: use the viewer below to step through the decisive sequence and note the tactical themes (queen infiltration, passed pawn advance).
• Opponent study: occasionally glance at common responses from players who beat you — e.g., caudosefalico97 had a successful mating finish recently — look for their tactical motifs.

Replay the winning game:

Final note & next steps

You have a strong base: your attacking sense and opening familiarity are big assets in blitz. Tighten up defensive checks, practice time management drills, and study a couple of targeted opening weak spots. If you want, tell me which Sicilian line or one specific loss you want a deeper annotated post-mortem on and I’ll break it down move-by-move.

• Want a focused post-mortem of a loss? Reply with the game link or “analyze loss vs caudosefalico97” and I’ll annotate key moments.