Heikki Salo FM

Hi Heikki!

You play lively, tactical chess and have already reached an impressive 2105 (2020-04-08). Below is a structured review of the last batch of games you shared, together with concrete training advice.

1. Strengths to keep nurturing

• Sharp opening choices. With White you score well in the Italian (4. Ng5) and the Queen’s-Gambit-Exchange structures. With Black, you handle open e-pawn positions confidently and aren’t afraid of complications.
• Tactical alertness. 16…Nb4! in the loss vs. atenica97 as well as 16…Nf4 in your recent win show that you spot intermediate moves quickly.
• Fighting spirit. Even in slightly worse positions you look for counter-play instead of playing passively. That attitude wins you many games on the clock or by swindle.

2. Recurring issues to address

• Time-management. Five of the six recent losses were on time while still roughly equal on the board. Consider using a simple split such as 25 % of the clock for the opening, 55 % for the middlegame and 20 % for the endgame.
• Converting winning attacks. In your win vs. stupac07 you repeated checks for 20 moves before flagging your opponent. Spotting calmer ideas (e.g. 36…Qd7+ with mate in a few) would finish games faster and save clock.
• Defensive technique. When your own king is under fire you sometimes over-commit on the flank (g- and h-pawns) and forget piece coordination. Example: after 19…Reb8 in the loss to atenica97 your minor pieces were on the back rank while Black’s heavy pieces invaded.
• Endgame conversion. The loss vs. FBatde reached a bishop-vs-pawn ending that was technically holdable. Brushing up on basic endings will turn some of those games into wins.

3. Mini-lesson: choose accuracy over speed

4. Targeted training plan

1. Clock discipline drill. Play three-minute games but force yourself to move every 5 seconds for the first 15 moves. The aim is to learn to trust your openings and save time for later.
2. Endgame routine. Spend 15 minutes a day on king-and-pawn and minor-piece endings. The interactive drills on Chess.com’s Endgame Trainer fit well into short sessions.
3. Model games library. Study at least five annotated games in the Italian, focusing on how GMs convert after the C58 …d5 5.exd5 Na5 line you like.
4. Post-mortems. 24 h after every session, pick one win and one loss and annotate them without an engine, then verify with an engine. This will sharpen your self-diagnosis.

5. Progress tracking

Use these interactive widgets to monitor improvement over the coming weeks:

• When you play:
• Which day is hot:

6. Final encouragement

You have already built a strong, tactical style; polishing the practical aspects (clock, conversions, defensive resilience) will very likely push you well beyond the 2200 barrier.
Keep the board on fire—but finish the game before the clock does it for you!