Emilio Hernandez NM

Quick summary

Nice evening — solid conversion and good tactical instincts in your recent blitz run. You won two cleanly (including a game where the opponent flagged) and converted material advantages well, but one game shows a recurring weakness against connected passed pawns and promotion races. Below I highlight concrete moments, patterns to work on, and a short training plan you can start tonight.

Interactive example — key position from your most recent win

Replay the tactical sequence where you won activity and forced simplifications (you went into a favorable rook/queen/endgame and your opponent ran out of time):

Tip: use the viewer to step through 16.Bxc6+ and 17.Rxc6 — those trades gave you active rooks and targets on the queenside.

What you're doing well

• Picking tactical shots: you find active captures and forks (examples: 16.Bxc6+ / 17.Rxc6 in the win vs andres_p0). That wins material or forces favorable simplifications.
• Converting material into simplified positions: when ahead you trade down and remove counterplay — e.g., trading queens or rooks when the opponent has no counterplay.
• Endgame awareness: in the wins you converted passed pawns and used a newly promoted queen or active knight effectively (see the game vs tomioka784 where a passed pawn promotion ended the game).
• Opening consistency: you stick to the London/related set-ups and get positions you know — that's helping you reach middlegame tactics quickly. (See London System: Poisoned Pawn Variation performance stats.)

Key areas to improve (concrete)

• Stopping connected passed pawns earlier — in your recent loss vs papuchotumatador the c‑pawn queened after Black built a free passer. When the opponent’s pawn break is obvious, prioritize a plan to block or trade it off (rook activity or king approach) instead of chasing small gains elsewhere.
• Don't rely on the clock win alone. Winning on time (one game ended by flag) is fine, but try to reduce dependence on opponent time pressure by simplifying safely once you have a clear edge — keep a step-by-step conversion plan: fix a weakness, exchange one defending piece, then restrict king mobility.
• Improve defensive technique vs promotions: practice the motif "rook behind vs rook in front" and active blockading. In the loss the passed pawn marched to promotion with too little resistance — placing a rook on the file or using the king earlier would have bought time.
• Watch tactical backfires after queen adventures. In the first win Black's early queen grabs (Qxb2/Qc3 etc.) gave you targets — be careful when you are the side doing the grabbing. If you grab material early, ensure escape squares and don't fall behind in development.

Practical blitz checklist (use during games)

• First 10 moves: finish development and castle. If ahead in development, look for a simple tactical break — don't go hunting queens unless safe.
• When your opponent creates a passed pawn, ask: can I block it? Exchange it? Attack its base? If not, activate a rook behind it.
• If you gain material, aim to trade down to a won endgame — exchange queens when opponent has counterplay only if it eliminates the counterplay.
• Time buffer: keep at least ~15–20 seconds in reserve in 3-minute games for conversion and unexpected tactics.

Short practice plan (2–3 weeks)

• Daily (20–30 min): 15–20 tactics puzzles focusing on forks, skewers, and promotion tactics (target puzzles with passed pawns and queen promotions).
• 3× week (30 min): endgame drills — rook vs rook + pawn races, stopping passed pawns, basic queen vs rook/pawn techniques. Practice "rook behind the pawn" and Lucena basics.
• Weekly (1 game): a slow 15|10 or 10|5 game where you consciously practice "how to stop a passer" — annotate one loss/win and note the exact moment the pawn became unstoppable.
• Opening (15 min/week): pick 1-2 move orders in your London setup to avoid early queen traps for both sides. Keep the repertoire short and practical for blitz. Use the opening strengths you already have (your London lines have high win rate).

Targeted drills (start tonight)

• 10 puzzles in a row: only ones where the tactic involves a passed pawn or promotion.
• Rook vs pawn endgame practice: set up a king + rook vs king + pawn (passed on the 7th) and play both sides until you can force a stop or convert.
• Play a small match of 5×3' with the explicit aim: “If opponent gets a passed pawn, my plan is X” — practice switching plans under time pressure.

Quick notes & reminders

• Continue using your opening shape — it gives you playable middlegames fast. Keep simplifying when you get the advantage.
• Be mindful of pawn breaks that create connected passers on the c‑/b‑files; these are recurring in the sample games.
• If you want, I can analyze one full game move-by-move (I'll mark critical mistakes and suggest alternative moves). Reply with which game (give the opponent name or paste the PGN).

Opponent references: andres_p0, kxv1n, tomioka784, papuchotumatador.

Pattern to remember: when an opponent’s queen goes hunting (early Qxb2/Qc3 style) — treat it as a potential weakness: attack the queen with tempo or fix the weaknesses it leaves behind. See Loose Piece.