Dilhara Ishini Wickramasinghe WFM

Quick summary

Nice run — you showed sharp tactical awareness and the ability to convert material into a decisive attack. Your recent wins highlight good queen/rook activity and willingness to grab tactical opportunities. Main area to clean up: time management and some endgame technique under pressure.

Highlights — what you did well

• Spotting concrete tactical chances: you punished hanging pieces and back-rank weaknesses quickly (example: the game where you captured on the back rank and converted into a winning rook+queen/endgame plan).
• Active rooks and queens: when you reach open files and the opponent’s king is exposed you convert decisively — good instincts there.
• Creating and queening passed pawns: in one game you pushed a pawn all the way and used it as a decisive force (promotion + mating net).
• Strong opening preparation in some lines — you get playable middlegames from your preferred openings and often force imbalances to play for a win.
• Good resilience — when a position got messy you kept looking for concrete winning ideas rather than giving up.

Main areas to improve

• Time management (big one). Several games drifted into severe time trouble. In 180+2 blitz you often allow your clock to fall too low — that increases blunders and flag risk. Try simple practical fixes (see drills).
• King safety and calculation in sharp lines — in a loss you allowed an opponent tactic that opened lines near your king. Slow down one extra second when the opponent sacrifices or opens a file toward your king.
• Endgame technique under pressure — some late-game conversions (rook vs pawns, king-and-pawn races) became messy. A few basic endgame patterns and opposition knowledge will turn many of those into wins or clean draws.
• Avoid grabbing material that costs you development or king safety. Trading into favourable material should be followed by consolidation (centralize king/rooks, remove opponent counterplay).

Concrete example (study this sequence)

Here is a clean replay of your promotion + mate game — study how you convert a passed pawn into a decisive mating net and how you coordinate rooks and queen after promotion:

Daily/weekly drills (practical)

• Tactics: 8–12 puzzles per day focused on forks, pins, x-ray and back-rank patterns. Time yourself — solve faster each week.
• 10-minute endgame routine: rook+pawn v rook, basic king-and-pawn endings, opposition and Lucena basics. 15–20 minutes, 3× weekly.
• One slow training game per day (15|10 or 25|10) where you deliberately practice not getting low on time. Try to keep 1–2 minutes on the clock after move 20.
• Blitz with focus: play 5 blitz games and force yourself to use the increment (avoid pre-moves unless safe). After each game, note one decision you rushed.

Practical tips to apply immediately

• In winning positions: simplify when you're ahead in material and the opponent has counterplay — trade down into a won endgame rather than hunting checkmates.
• In equal/unclear positions: prioritize king safety and keeping a few seconds in reserve. If you see an unclear tactical line, add one or two seconds to your calculation before you move.
• When facing passed pawns or pawn races: count the tempo and king routes. If opponent’s passed pawn can queen faster than you can stop it, trade it off or create a counter-passed pawn.
• Use the increment: with +2 you can safely spend 6–8 seconds calculating key forcing sequences and still keep time for the rest.

Opening checklist

• Keep building on your successful lines (you have good win rates in some Sicilian and Queen’s Gambit lines). Solidify 3–4 main continuations so you reach middlegames you know well.
• For Bird-type and flank openings, watch for central counterplay — if you win a flank skirmish, don’t forget to finish development and secure the king.
• If an opponent offers a material shortcut (early rook/queen grab), pause and double-check: will your king face open files or a fast attack? If yes, decline or consolidate first.

Short plan for your next session

• Warm-up: 5 minutes tactics, focus on back-rank and forks.
• Training: one 25|10 game — practise keeping >60 seconds after move 20.
• Endgame drill: 15 minutes rook vs rook+pawn scenarios (Lucena/Rosen technique).
• Review: 10 minutes post-game review of any game you lost on time; note where you could have simplified or used increment.

Opponent references & study targets

• Review your win vs nicolas_islag — the queen grab and promotion sequence is instructive for converting material into a mate.
• Study the game vs sergiomeira for how the opponent opened lines to your king; note where a slower, safer move would have improved your defence.
• Look for patterns from opponents who beat you on the clock — often they won by creating long-term threats that forced long calculation and sapped your time.

Final encouragement

Your recent trend is very positive — you’re finding tactical shots and converting chances. Fixing time management and a few endgame routines will turn many of those close losses into wins. Keep the momentum, focus on the simple drills above for two weeks, then reassess.