Egehan Yildiz FM

Feedback for Egehan Yıldız

What you are doing well

• Tactical alertness. Games against Bu11et_Pr00f and Strength_and_hon0r show a sharp eye for combinations and the confidence to calculate concrete lines even with very little time.
• Converting initiative into wins. When you gain activity you rarely let go. The a-pawn sprint in your Old Benoni win is a good example (
  
  ).
• Piece activity in endings. Several wins were achieved from materially balanced endings by activating king and rook while opponents drifted into zugzwang.
• Psychological flexibility. Off-beat openings (1.h3, 1…a5, early …Rxa4, etc.) often knock opponents out of theory and into time pressure.

Targeted improvements

1. Opening discipline.
   Unorthodox first moves cost time against masters who simply grab the centre (see the loss vs. Shankland). Keep the surprise weapons, but build one solid main line for each colour so you can play quickly and confidently.
   • With White: consider adding a mainstream d4-system (Catalan / London) to complement the Reti setups.
   • With Black: your early …a5/…a4 Benoni ideas work vs flank openings, but against 1.d4 you need a sound structure; study Slav or Nimzo concepts to avoid the passive piece placement that appeared in the VAT55 games.
2. Time management.
   Five of your last ten losses were on time in roughly equal or even better positions. Try the “30-20-10 rule”: aim to keep at least 30 s on the clock after the opening, 20 s entering any queen-less middle game, and 10 s for technical conversions. Puzzle Rush at 3-minute tempo will help build this habit.
3. Handling positional tension.
   In the Catalan loss you exchanged on c4 and entered a structure (…b5 …Bb7) that left c6/d5 holes. Work on the thematic pawn breaks …c5 and …e5 in Queen’s-pawn openings so you recognise when to maintain, release or transform the centre.
4. King safety vs flank pawn storms.
   Loss to VAT55 (Nimzo-Larsen) showed how h- and g-pawns became targets after you pushed a- and b-pawns. Before advancing wing pawns, ask: “Can my king be hit by opposite-side files/diagonals within three moves?” If yes, slow down and finish development first.

Suggested weekly routine

• 3×20 min opening study: one slot each for White main line, Black vs 1.e4, Black vs 1.d4.
• 3×15 min tactic sessions at 3-minute timer (simulate game pressure).
• 2 rapid (15 + 10) games focussed on clock control – annotate afterwards.
• Endgame drill: rook + pawn vs rook, and queen vs rook, 10 positions each until you can convert within 30 s.

Numbers & trends

Peak blitz rating: 2603 (2025-06-17)
Your best hour to play:

Consistency by weekday:

Micro-goals for the next 30 games

1. Reach move 15 with ≥ 30 s on the clock in at least 25 games.
2. Limit early pawn pushes (a-, h- or f-pawns) to positions where at least two pieces are already developed.
3. Score 70 % or better in positions with an extra pawn or the bishop pair.

Final thought

Maintaining your creative style while adding a layer of positional patience will make you a far more difficult opponent for 2600-level blitz specialists. Keep attacking — just make the board do a little more of the work for you!