Velimir Ivic GM

Hi Velimir!

Congratulations on maintaining a 3000-level blitz rating – your recent victories against strong GMs such as Rudik Makarian and Mikhail Demidov show excellent opening preparation and tactical sharpness. Below is a concise performance review, followed by practical training advice.

What’s working well

• Dynamic opening choices. Your use of both 1.e4 and 1.c4 keeps opponents guessing. With Black you handle …d6/…e5 Reversed-Sicilian structures confidently (see the first game in the viewer below).
• Piece activity & bishop pair. In several wins you willingly part with pawns to activate bishops (…Bxh2+, …Bf4–h2+) and convert the resulting initiative efficiently.
• Conversion of extra material. The win vs. HrvatskiMaher007 (Four Knights, 27…Rxf2+) shows you convert rook + pawn endgames with precision.
• Peak form. 3038 (2024-03-26) highlights just how high you have pushed your rating – terrific achievement.

Targeted areas for improvement

• Time management. Three of the five recent losses were on time when you still had playable or even winning positions. Consider adding a simple “move every 5 seconds” internal metronome until 20 moves are on the board.
• Defence vs. Smith-Morra Gambit. In the loss to Borna Franc you accepted the pawn but drifted (20…Qc5?, 23…Bc5?). Review modern antidotes such as 7…e6 8…Nf6 9…Be7 lines or the immediate …d5 breaks.
• Ruy Lopez with d3 against …Bc5. Your set-up (g3–Ng3–Nh5) looked promising, yet Black’s …Rg8/…g5 resource caught you. Add the 8.a4 d6 9.Nc3 anti-…Bc5 line to your repertoire, or explore the modern 9.Bxc6 compromise-variation.
• Prophylaxis under pressure. In several defeats (e.g. English-Defence loss) you allowed …d4/…g4 breaks. Adopt a quick checklist: “What does my opponent want next? How can I limit it?” Prophylaxis.
• Kingside safety. Even in wins you sometimes castle into pawn storms (e.g. …g5/h5 lines). When you sense a pawn roller developing, consider delaying castling or counter-striking in the centre sooner.

Suggested training plan

1. 90-minute weekly opening patch-up. Pick one painful loss and repair the line deeply with an engine and database.
2. Defensive calculation drills. 15-minute daily sets of “best defence only” puzzles at 3200-3400 Lichess rating; limit yourself to being the side under attack.
3. Bullet → Blitz transfer. Play a few 1|0 games only focusing on never dropping below 20 seconds. This will hard-wire quick, safe moves for blitz time scrambles.
4. Model game study. Annotate two games by Kramnik (Black vs. Smith-Morra structures) and two by Caruana (Ruy Lopez Bc5) – both are great defensive technicians in these lines.

Visual performance snapshots

Game for review

Study the critical moments (17…Ng4!, 19…Bxh2+) and compare with similar motifs in your losses – consistency is key.

Next steps

Feel free to share any specific positions you found unclear, and we can dive deeper. Keep up the great work, Velimir, and good luck in your climb toward 3100!