DPardoS IM

Hi DPardoS!

Congratulations on maintaining a high-2200s blitz rating (2467 (2022-06-18)) and scoring wins against strong opposition such as rtutic and IMUffeVinther-Schou. Below is personalised, constructive feedback based on the sample games you shared.

1. What you do well

• Dynamic piece play. In your recent win against rtutic you steered the Scotch into complex waters, then created double-edged play with 15…Ng4! and 18…Ne5!, forcing difficult practical decisions.
• Central counter-punching. As Black you often meet f-pawn thrusts with …f7-f6/f5 and …d7-d5 strikes at the right moment, showing good understanding of the centre-versus-wing principle.
• Time management in winning games. When you have the initiative you keep the clock under control, finishing several victories with 40-50 seconds still in hand.

2. Priority improvements

2.1 Opening discipline

Your repertoire is sharp, but some lines look less prepared:

• Urusov Gambit (C24). In the loss vs branimir, the sequence 11…Ng5–12…Ne4 allowed White to gain tempi with f4/f5 and Qc4+. Consider the calmer 11…Be6 or the modern 11…d6 setup to avoid the knight dance.
• Anti-Sicilian structures as Black. Games vs Raud100 and b1gbawz97 show early …e5/…f5 ideas that left weak squares. Reviewing model games in the English Rat and Danish Declined will help.

2.2 Defensive technique

Strong opponents try to overload your pieces. Two patterns keep recurring:

1. Same-Side Castling Attacks. In several defeats (e.g. vs branimir and G10De_Arrascaeta) you played …h6 or …g5 without a clear follow-up, allowing pawn storms. Train recognising when to keep the pawn shield intact and instead redeploy a knight to g7/f7.
2. Endgame resilience. Games lost on time often reached defensible R+P endings (see 58…d4?? flag fall). Drill technical positions so you can blitz out the best moves and save precious seconds.

2.3 Clock management in worse positions

Your wins show good pace, yet you flagged three lost games from drawn or equal endings. Adopt a “minimum thinking time” rule: aim never to sink below 5-10 seconds while a roughly balanced position exists. Practising 1-minute bullet sessions can help automate simple conversions.

3. Concrete training menu

• Opening tune-up. Build a living file for each critical line you face regularly. After every session add one fresh idea or computer improvement.
• Shield & King Safety drills. Use a tactics trainer filtered by the tag “exchange-sacrifice” to practise defending when the opponent sacks on h7/h6 or e6/f6.
• Practical rook endings. Spend 15 minutes daily on Lucena, Philidor, and “rook +4 vs rook +3” races. The goal is to play them, not just know them.
• Monthly self-review. Export your last 50 blitz games and tag: “opening error,” “calculation,” “time trouble.” The distribution will tell you which skill to emphasise next month. (Tip: use a simple spreadsheet + colours.)

4. Sample moment to revisit

Try replaying this mini-sequence from your loss to branimir. There was an in-between move (zwischenzug) that could have equalised:

5. Performance heat-maps

Use the charts below to spot patterns in your results. Do you play better at certain hours or on specific days?

6. Motivational close

You are already converting against 2300-2400 players; ironing out a handful of structural errors and clock mishaps can push you well into the 2500 blitz range. Keep your fighting spirit, refine the weak spots, and enjoy the climb!

Good skill at the board,
Your Chess Coach 🤖