Elijah Emojong IM

Personalised Feedback for Elijah “emojong”

Strengths to Keep Building On

• Dynamic openings with Black. You handle sharp Sicilian and Modern setups confidently (e.g. B76 Dragon win). Pieces flow naturally to active squares and you are comfortable with opposite-side castling attacks.
• Initiative-oriented middlegame play. In several wins you sacrificed material (22.g6+ vs svilson23; 25.Rxe7+ vs svilson23) to keep the initiative. This shows good tactical vision and fighting spirit.
• Piece activity over material. Even in complex positions you value active pieces, often converting into persistent pressure that provokes errors.
• Versatility. You switch comfortably between 1.d4 and 1.e4 as White and defend both 1.e4 and 1.d4 with multiple systems, avoiding predictability.

Key Improvement Areas

1. Time Management

Your most recent loss was a won position that turned into a timeout. Blitz is unforgiving—strong play is wasted if the clock runs out.

• Adopt a “critical moments” routine: spend extra time only when the position changes noticeably (tactics, transitions, endgames).
• When clearly winning, simplify quickly. In the loss vs jesenski55 you chased the Black king with repeated checks (31.Nf6+, 34.Nd7+) instead of forcing a trivial finish, burning 90 seconds.

2. End-game Technique

Several games reach favorable endgames that linger. Tighten your conversion skills:

• Study basic rook-endgame checklists (cutting the king, the Lucena, the Philidor). They occur often after your middlegame exchanges.
• Practise converting extra passed pawns against engines on low depth—aim to win within 30 seconds.

3. Over-expansion & King Safety with White

In the loss to Computer4-IMPOSSIBLE (A05) you advanced pawns on both wings, leaving the king exposed and dark squares weak. Balance aggression with structure:

• Before pushing flank pawns, ask “What squares become weak? Can they be occupied immediately?”
• Add the Classical Exchange Slav and solid Catalan lines to your White repertoire for occasional calmer games.

4. Transition Choices

In the Grünfeld loss you traded into a queenless position where Black’s a-pawn became unstoppable. Evaluate pawn endings more critically:

• Count outside passed pawns & king distance before exchanging heavy pieces.
• Use (T)empo – (A)ctivity – (M)aterial – (P)awn structure as a quick checklist.

Opening-Specific Tips

Below are quick tweaks that will score fast points:

• Dragon Sicilian: After …h5 in the Rauzer line, consider 13…Nc7 (instead of 13…Ne8) to keep pressure on e6/g5 and prep d5.
• Old Benoni: When White locks the center with d5-c4, strike with …b5 only after …a6 so the rook recaptures on b5 with tempo.
• Modern/Pirc: Your early …c5 is good; remember typical break …e5 as an alternative when White plays c4-d5.

Action Plan (next 4 weeks)

1. Daily: 10 tactical puzzles under 2 minutes each; log accuracy.
2. Every other day: Play one 10|0 rapid game focusing on time discipline. Annotate without engine first.
3. Weekly: End-game drill session (rook + pawns) vs engine set to 1600, starting with an extra pawn.
4. Sundays: Review five of your own blitz games specifically for time-pressure errors; create a “clock blunders” flashcard deck.

Quick Reference Stats

Peak blitz rating: 2043 (2012-07-31)
Hourly performance trend:

Motivational Snapshot

Your tactical flair already stands out at the 2000+ level. With steadier clock management and cleaner endgames, breaking 2200 blitz is realistic within months. Keep the energy, add structure, and results will follow!