Nahun Gavarrete FM

Hi Nahun Gavarrete!

You have been playing energetic, tactical chess recently, especially in blitz. Your willingness to push the initiative with early pawn storms ( f-pawn and g-pawn advances in the Closed Sicilian, Kings-Gambit–style e-pawn sacs, etc.) is a clear trademark. Below is a concise, practical review built from the latest games.

Your Numbers

• Peak blitz rating: 2451 (2023-06-19)
• Favourite opening colour: White ( 56 % of your games)
• Average time used per game: 2 min 38 s (with +1 s increment)

What’s already working

1. Early Initiative. You consistently seize space and create threats (e.g. 16.f6!! in the win against Antonio Micaias Silva de Sousa).
2. Tactical Awareness. Your 23…Nxf3+!! against Ivan Andrade shows excellent calculation and courage.
3. Piece Activity in the Middlegame. In several wins you kept your pieces on optimal squares even while under time pressure.

Top three priorities

1. King Safety in Double-Edged Lines. Many losses stem from exposing your own king while attacking (e.g. the Closed Sicilian loss). Re-evaluate whether each pawn thrust genuinely opens lines for you or for the opponent.
2. Converting Material Advantages. Games vs. Jonas Wyss & Tyrell Harriott show extra pawns turning into counter‐play for the opponent. Train technical rook-and-pawn endings.
3. Time Management. In lost games your clock often dipped under 15 s before move 30, leading to blunders. Adopt a “10 s saved is a half-pawn earned” rule: aim to hit move 20 with at least 1 min.

Snapshot: A tactical highlight

Black to move and strike (you are Black). Can you spot the breakthrough?

[[Pgn| 20...Nxc1 21.Qxc1 Bxa2 22.Bxa2 Nd4 23.Qf4 Nxf3+ 24.Qxf3 Qd4 |fen|r4rk1/4bpp1/p6p/1p6/5q2/PP6/5PP1/R4K2 w - - 0 25]]

Snapshot: Turning point of the recent loss

A promising position slipped away after 29…Bf5 ?. Compare your move with the engine’s recommendation ( 29…Qc6! ) and note how it keeps the a-pawn rolling while defending f7.

[[Pgn| 27.h6 g6 28.Qf4 Bh8 29.Ne4 Bf5 30.Nd6 Qe6 31.Bd5 |fen|r5k1/5p1p/3Nb1pP/5b2/1pPQr1K1/2r5/8/7b w - - 0 32]]

Action plan for the next two weeks

• Daily 15-minute session of rook-endgame drills (use the “Lucena” & “Philidor” templates).
• Play at least five 10 | 5 rapid games focusing on time control—annotate one game afterwards, highlighting moments where you spent >20 s on a single move.
• Review the concept of “critical positions” CriticalPosition: pause, calculate three candidate moves, choose.
• Add a solid alternative to your 1.e4 repertoire—consider the London System as White or the Caro-Kann as Black to balance your tactical style with a strategic option.

Keep the fighting spirit, but remember: a well-placed king and a healthy clock are the best attacking pieces you will ever have. Good luck, and I look forward to your next batch of games!