gareth666

Quick summary

Nice recent run — you're converting endgames and promotion chances, and your opening choices (especially the Bishop's Opening / Vienna Hybrid and several gambit lines) are scoring well. The losses show a pattern: tactical shots against your king (back‑rank and mating nets) and some time-pressure errors. Small, focused fixes will give you an immediate rating boost in blitz.

What you're doing well

• Creating and converting passed pawns — your win vs nahidhasanraju is a textbook conversion (you promoted and finished accurately).
• Opening choice and preparation — good results with Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid, Hromádka Variation and several aggressive lines (Amar Gambit, Barnes Defense).
• Practical resourcefulness in complications — you keep fighting in unclear positions and often get practical winning chances (flag wins like vs gregoose13).
• High game volume and steady improvement — your 6‑month and 3‑month rating slopes are positive, so study is paying off.

Recurring issues to fix

• Back‑rank / mating threats: in the loss vs Avi Kaplan you were mated quickly — always ask “Does my king have an escape?” before every move (see Back rank).
• Tactical oversights when castling long / opening files toward your king: watch queen checks and diagonal tactics arising after pawn pushes.
• Time management in blitz: you often get to single-digit seconds on critical moves — that increases blunders and flags even in winning positions.
• Susceptibility to mating nets and queen forks in open positions — clean up your piece coordination and shrink the number of loose squares around your king.

Concrete drills & weekly plan (2 weeks)

• Daily 15 minutes of tactics (focus: back‑rank mates, pins, skewers, forks). Use mixed puzzles and force yourself to check king safety first.
• 3× per week: 20 minutes reviewing one loss and one win — replay moves slow, ask “what was my threat / theirs?” and write 3 improvements per game.
• Weekly opening check: pick 2 critical move orders in your main lines (eg. common replies in Bishop’s Opening) and memorise 1 safe plan for the middlegame.
• Play 10 blitz games with a specific goal each (e.g., “no move below 5 seconds,” “always create luft before pawn pushes on the kingside”).

Short, high‑impact tips you can use in blitz now

• Before any pawn push in front of your king, check for immediate back‑rank and diagonal/queen checks.
• When ahead materially or with a passed pawn, trade into a simpler winning endgame — fewer tactics, fewer time problems.
• If you're low on time: simplify (exchange queens if safe) and make one clear plan (activate king and passers).
• Use the increment — spend 2–3 seconds to calm down and scan the board for checks and captures before moving.
• If you castle long, keep one pawn in front of your king or plan an escape square (gives fewer immediate mating net possibilities).

Opening advice (practical)

• Keep the lines you already score well in — your Bishop's Opening / Vienna Hybrid is producing results. Tighten one or two theoretical replies rather than overhauling your repertoire: try a short repertoire card for the most common responses.
• Avoid sharp sidelines you haven’t fully studied in blitz unless you’re using them as surprise weapons with clear plans.
• For weaker-performing openings (e.g., Italian Two Knights in your stats), either study the common tactical traps or switch to a safer alternative in blitz until you’ve mastered the lines.

Endgame & technique focus

• Practice king + pawn and rook endgames for 10–15 minutes twice a week — you already create passers; converting them faster will win more games without risk.
• Work tablebase finales of single‑queen promotions and basic rook endings — small technique gains turn close games into wins.
• After winning material, pause and ask: “Can I force queens/exchanges to reduce tactical risk?” If yes, do it in blitz.

Action plan (next 30 days)

• Daily: 15 min tactics (target 60 correctly solved per week) — focus on back‑rank and forks.
• Weekly: 2 post‑mortems (one loss, one win) — annotate 3 improvements each game.
• Play 100 rated blitz games but with self‑goals (time control, king safety, or opening discipline) — track progress.

Examples & study resources (quick)

• Review these recent games: win vs nahidhasanraju (nice conversion) and win vs gregoose13 (practical flag). Analyse the loss vs Avi Kaplan to find the exact tactical moment that decided the game.
• Study the pattern: before every move, check for checks, captures, and threats (the classic “CCC” routine).
• Replay a key finishing sequence here (final promotion and mate sequence):

[[Pgn|h7|Rb8|h8=Q|Rxh8|Rxh8|Kb4|Ke5|Kxb3|Kxd5|Kc3|g4|Kd3|g5|Ke3|g6|Kf4|g7|Kg5|g8=Q+|Kf6|Qf8+|Kg5|Rh7|Kg6|Rg7+|Kh6|Qh8#|fen|7Q/6R1/7k/3K4/8/8/8/8 b - - 8 78|orientation|white|autoplay|false]

Final note

You're on a strong upward track (positive slopes and recent peak ratings). Tightening basic tactics and time management will convert many of your current losses into wins. Do the small drills consistently for two weeks and you'll see tangible improvement in your blitz performance — then we can tune deeper strategic work.

GL — keep the momentum. If you want, tell me one recurring mistake from your own view and I’ll give a 2‑week targeted plan for it.