Carlos Burgos IM

Hi Carlos, here’s a focused review of your recent Blitz performance

1. Quick Snapshot

• Peak rating: 2402 (2018-05-10)
• Typical play time:

2. What you’re doing well

• Dynamic piece play. In several wins (e.g. vs. rasalianza) you seized space with ...b5 or ...f5 and followed up energetically.
• Fianchetto expertise. Your Modern / Pirc structures feel natural to you; the g-bishop often becomes the game-winner.
• Practical speed. Most victories were achieved with 20-40 s still on your clock, so you’re balancing calculation and intuition well for Blitz.

3. Priority fixes

1. Loose tactics on the 7^th rank.
   In the loss to mavericksV you allowed Re7 followed by the penetration of both rooks. Your back-rank pawns stayed on g7 & h7 too long.
   Drill: Set up puzzles where your king is on g8 and an enemy rook lands on e7/e8; practice finding defensive resources within 15 s.
2. Transition from advantage to conversion.
   Against Carlos Roberto Ibarra (see diagram move 29…) you were an exchange up but drifted into passive play. When ahead in material, simplify toward winning endings instead of repeating queen moves.
   Try: Annotate your games and write “Plan to trade?” at every move after you gain material.
3. Central pawn tension.
   Several games feature early ...d6/e6 without clarifying the center. Versus English setups you exchanged on d4 too soon, leaving yourself with a backward d-pawn.
   Watch: GM games in the Pirc where Black delays ...cxd4 until White is less ready to recapture with a piece.

4. Opening recommendations

5. Endgame checkpoint

Your king activity is generally good, yet basic rook-pawn endings cost you two games this month. Work through 10 positions from “100 Endgames You Must Know” covering rook + pawn vs. rook and rook + two connected passers vs. rook.

6. Illustrative game fragment

Below is the critical phase from your latest win—note how the ...Ne5–c4 idea overran White’s queenside.

7. 14-day action plan

• Day 1-4: 15 tactical puzzles daily focused on back-rank and fork motifs.
• Day 5-7: Review three of your wins and three losses—write one improvement note per game.
• Day 8-10: Play 20 blitz games limiting yourself to one tempo loss in the opening; track results.
• Day 11-14: Endgame drill set (rook vs. rook + pawn) 20 positions, aim for 80 % accuracy.

8. Motivation boost

“When you see a good move, look for a better one.” –Emanuel Lasker

Keep refining your calculation depth just one extra move—that alone can convert many of your near-wins.

See you at the board, and good luck in your next match!