Yurii Khodko FM

Quick summary

Nice run — your bullet play shows strong opening preparation, clean tactical finishing, and good ability to convert small advantages under time pressure. Below I highlight concrete patterns to keep and a short checklist you can apply right away.

What you're doing well

• Opening preparation pays off: you consistently get playable middlegames out of lines like the French and the King‑side setups you play — keep forcing opponents onto your book lines (see French Defense: Exchange Variation and King's Indian Defense).
• Tactical awareness in messy positions: you finish combinations and convert passed pawns (example: the quick mate in the short game vs chessmaster0013).
• Practical endgame technique in blitz: promoting a pawn under time pressure and converting with limited material is a repeating strength.

Concrete examples (review these)

Study these short moments — they show both strengths and teachable errors.

• A clean tactical finish — rook mate after active rook play (game vs chessmaster0013). Replay the final sequence to see how pieces coordinated to force mate:
• A loss that shows a tactical oversight — a back‑rank / queen infiltration finished the game. Replay the critical sequence and focus on king safety and loose back rank squares:

Main weaknesses to fix (fast wins in bullet)

• Time management: avoid spending too long when the position is straightforward. In bullet you often win by technique — make quick, safe moves earlier so you keep time for tactics later.
• Back‑rank and queen checks: in the loss you allowed a decisive infiltration. Habit: before each move, ask “any direct checks or back‑rank tactics for either side?”
• Loose pieces / hanging tactics: when the position gets sharp, do a 3‑second scan for undefended pieces and forks before you move or premove.
• Premoves: use them selectively. Premoving captures into unknown checks or pawn breaks can lose instantly. Safe premove rules: only premove exchanges or non‑forcing pawn pushes when the opponent is unlikely to create a tactic.

Practical drills (15–30 minutes total)

• Warmup (5 min): 1‑minute tactic rush — focus on mates and forks to build pattern recognition under time pressure.
• Opening economy (5–10 min): pick two pet lines (one for White, one for Black). Drill the first 8 moves until you can play them quickly and safely. For example work the move orders you used in Scandinavian Defense and your French lines.
• Endgame mini‑drills (5–10 min): simple rook + pawn vs rook endings and promoting a single pawn vs king — practice converting with the active rook and king centralization.
• Clock game (10–20 min): play a 1+0 or 1+1 match with the goal of making no “mouse slip” premoves that lose material; focus on speed + no blunders.

Bullet checklist (apply each game)

• Before you move: identify checks and captures for both sides (3‑second scan).
• Count opponent threats: how many moves to mate or win material? If 1–2, address immediately.
• If ahead on the clock: simplify by exchanging into a won king‑and‑pawn ending or active rook endgame.
• Premoves only when safe: no premoving into open files or unknown checks.
• Keep king safety first: avoid walking into back‑rank ideas — give your king a flight square where practical.

Next steps & practice plan (weekly)

• 3 tactical sessions x week (5–10 minutes each) — focus on mating nets, forks, skewers.
• 2 opening review sessions — pick the two worst performing lines (review the Scandinavian loss and reinforce typical reply ideas).
• 1 annotated quick game per day: save one bullet or 1+1 game and annotate 3 mistakes you made (time, tactic, coordination).

Want deeper analysis?

Send one game you want a full post‑mortem on (include the PGN or link). I can break it into: 1) 3 key moments, 2) alternative lines, 3) a short drill to fix the exact mistake. If you want, we can review the Scandinavian loss in detail or the Catalan/Centre games where you convert passed pawns.

Opponent references: heavyclue12345 • caboya