Milan Gagic FM

Hi Milan – constructive feedback after reviewing your latest blitz sessions

Your current form

• Overall you are holding a solid ≈2700 blitz level (2804 (2025-06-15)). • Your score-sheet over the last two days shows sharp, fighting chess – 5 wins, 5 losses. • Activity pattern:

 

What you are already doing well

• Tactical awareness. The win vs b0103232338 (Bishop’s Opening) featured several accurate forcing moves – 27…exf4+, 31…Rd3+, and the precise mating technique with both passed pawns. Nice calculation under time pressure.
• End-game conversion. Against Witik you converted K+R+P vs K+R with confidence, maintaining winning zones and triangulating the king until resignation.
• Flexible opening repertoire. As Black you switch between …e5, …c6 and …c6/…d5 structures; as White you handle both open Sicilians (O’Kelly, Rossolimo) and closed Ruy Lopez positions. This keeps opponents guessing.

Recurring themes that cost you points

1. Early queen adventures – In the French Winawer loss vs deniss_dunaveckis you played 10.Qxg7?! and 11.Qxh6, allowing …cxd4 and …Ba6 with tempo. You soon fell behind in development and never recovered. – In the Jaenisch loss vs Sl4werThanYou the queen visited g3 twice (13.Qg3, 20.Qg3) giving Black free tempi for …Rae8, …Bd6 and central breaks. Tip: before playing an h-pawn grab ask, “How many tempi will my queen need to return to safety?” If the answer is >1, look for a quieter continuation.
2. Pawn-structure neglect – Against Stellungspech you exchanged into an Isolated d-pawn but never secured the square d4; Black’s …d5 break dissolved your center and exposed the king. – Several games feature early …c6/ …c5 holes (e.g. Slav vs Deeper44, you allowed d5–d4–d3 passer). Drill: study typical plans in IsolatedQueenPawn and HangingPawns structures; aim to either push the pawn at the right moment or liquidate it before the end-game.
3. Time management – Several losses came after 25-30 moves with <15 s on the clock while your opponent kept >1 min. Even when the position was playable (e.g. vs username239759821) you resigned under time/pressure. Practical tip: adopt a “checkpoint” strategy – at moves 10, 20 and 30 glance at the clock and aim to stay >65 %, >40 %, >20 % of starting time respectively.

Opening-specific advice

Opening	Observation	Action
Ruy López (White)	You like the Rio/Exchange gambit lines but sometimes drift after 10.Bd3 / 11.Bf4.	Add a main-line anchor (9.Re1 or 9.Nc3 systems) to reduce early queen moves.
Sicilian c3 & Rossolimo (White)	Great attacking chances, yet you occasionally over-push h-pawn.	Review model games by Carlsen (c3) & Nepo (Rossolimo) to see timely h-breaks.
Slav/Carlsbad (Black)	Pawns on d5-c6-e6 leave weak dark squares.	Study the …dxc4 & …c5 breaks to equalise faster, or switch to Semi-Slav setups.

Critical moment to revisit

Below is the turning point of your Ruy López loss – after 18…Nxe4 you must avoid exchanging queens into a lost pawn-ending. Instead consider 19.Re1 retaining pressure.

[[Pgn|1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Bd3 Re8 11. Bf4 b6 12. Rxe8+ Nxe8 13. c3 Bb7 14. Nd2 d6 15. Ne4 Be7 16. Qh5 Bxe4 17. Bxe4 Nf6 18. Qf3 Nxe4?]

Training plan for the next week

• 15-min opening audit: each day pick one loss, annotate until move 15, identify the first improvable decision.
• 30-min calculation sprint: solve 12-15 tactical puzzles with the theme “Queen traps & over-extended attackers.”
• 10-min end-game drill: play out K+R+2P vs K+R from both sides vs engine set to 2700 strength; aim for flawless technique.
• Blitz diet: Two 3|2 sessions per day, capped at 5 games each, ending with a quick self-review rather than jumping into the next lobby.

Encouragement

Your creativity and fighting spirit are clear strengths. By adding a touch of discipline in queen placement, pawn-structure awareness and clock handling, you can transform several of those narrow losses into wins and push beyond the 2800 blitz mark. Keep up the hard work and enjoy the journey!

— Your Chess Coach