David Reyes

Quick summary

Nice work on your recent bullet mini‑session — you converted multiple wins with strong queen play and clean finishing. Your most instructive victory finished with an accurate queen invasion and mating net; the loss came on time against Jonathan Corbblah, a useful reminder that clock management decides more bullet games than most tactical issues.

Here is one game I recommend reviewing first (focus on the transition to the queen/endgame phase):

Game viewer:

What you're doing well (strengths to keep)

• Strong queen activity in the endgame — you use checks repeatedly to herd the enemy king and force decisive tactics.
• Good tactical instincts — you find forcing continuations (captures, forks, checks) quickly in messy positions.
• Comfortable converting material and pawn advantages into mating nets or winning pawn races once the position simplifies.
• Wide opening knowledge — variety gives practical chances against many opponents; keep the lines that score for you.

Main weaknesses to tackle (high-impact fixes)

These patterns show up in recent games and are quick wins to improve your bullet score:

• Clock management: your loss to Jonathan Corbblah ended on time. In bullet the clock is often more decisive than a single blunder — avoid long thinky positions without increment.
• Premoves and automatic replies: in sharp moments you sometimes make instinctive moves that allow tactical refutations. Slow down one extra click on captures or checks.
• Specific openings: lines like the Caro-Kann Defense show a lower win rate — review typical pawn breaks and plan templates so you spend fewer seconds in the opening.
• Rook coordination in simplified middlegames: trading at the wrong moment gave opponents counterplay. Watch for back-rank and rook lift motifs and keep rooks active.

Concrete drills to improve (15–30 minute sessions)

• Tactics sprint (10–15 min): 1–3 move mates, forks, skewers. Speed builds pattern recognition — do this daily before play.
• Endgame drill (10 min): king-and-pawn basics, queen-check sequences to force mate, and basic rook endgames. Practice converting simple advantages under time pressure.
• Opening refresher (10 min): pick one problematic opening (start with the Caro-Kann Defense) and memorize 2 typical plans for each side — knight/ bishop squares, pawn break, and a safe queen outing.
• Flag‑avoidance routine (5 min): play 5 bullet games where you enforce a personal rule — no >3s per move unless the position is clearly critical. This trains speed and reasonable decision making.

Micro checklist to use in bullet games

• One-second scan before you move: any loose pieces, incoming checks, or opponent threats?
• If there's a forcing win (capture/check), take it — forcing lines are highest practical value.
• If the clock is low and the position is unclear: trade pieces and simplify to reduce blunder risk and time trouble.
• Avoid premoves when the opponent has checks, captures, or promotions available — premove traps are the usual time sink.

Specific moments to review from recent games

Two focused study targets from the PGNs you provided:

• Win vs Tushar Anand — replay the sequence where you traded into a queen + pawn endgame and used checks to herd the king. Note which checks forced favorable king routing and how you created the mating net.
• Loss vs Jonathan Corbblah — study the final phase (moves ~30–40). The key takeaway is timing simplifications earlier and choosing safe moves when your clock is low. Example critical sequence (plain moves): Black played Rxg3, White replied Ra1, then the game continued with h6, f5, Kh7, Ng6, Be4, Nf8+ (check), Kg8, Ra8, Bxf5, Rf2, g6, Nxg6+ (check), Kg7, Ne7, Kf6, Rxf5+ Rxf5, and finally Rf8+ — the position and clock swung fast. Replay those moves and pause at each to ask: could I have simplified earlier or used a safe waiting move?

Practical 3‑day training plan

• Day 1 — 15 minute tactics sprint + 10 bullet games with the "no >3s per move" rule.
• Day 2 — Opening review (Caro-Kann key lines) + 15 minute endgame drill (queen checks and rook mates).
• Day 3 — Play a 10‑game bullet block focusing on one concept (e.g., simplify when ahead). Review one loss in detail afterwards.

Short motivational close

Your recent trend is positive — your rating slopes and monthly changes show real progress. With a small focus on clock habits, a quick opening cheat-sheet, and short tactical/endgame sprints you’ll convert more winning positions into wins instead of time losses. Play smart and fast.

Want an annotated move-by-move review of a single game? Tell me which opponent (e.g., Jonathan Corbblah or Tushar Anand) and I’ll mark 3 critical moments and give exact alternatives.