Raset Ziatdinov GM

Hi Raset!

Great fighting spirit in your recent blitz sessions. Your score against 2500-2600 opposition remains impressive (see 2635 (2025-06-25)), yet a closer look at your games shows clear themes you can polish to push toward the next plateau.

What you’re doing well

• Dynamic piece play. In your win vs Feu2000 (Nimzo-Indian) you uncorked …g5 and …Ne4, seizing the initiative and keeping it all the way to the queen ending. Your judgement when the position calls for activity is excellent.
• Pressure under time scramble. Several victories arrive after opponents collapse with <10 s left. Your mouse-speed and calculation under pressure are clear competitive assets.
• Willingness to complicate. Even as Black in the Najdorf you enter sharp …g5 lines and accept structural ugliness in exchange for piece play. This usually works because you calculate concrete tactics well.

Recurring pain points

• Pawn storms that forget the king. Loss to nohisss (B94) started with 12…g5?! creating a hole on f5 and fixed targets on the kingside — your king never found safety afterwards. Ask yourself before every pawn thrust: “If the attack doesn’t work, what squares have I weakened?”
• Conversion in technical phases. Against Massakru you needed 85 moves to convert a winning rook endgame; several faster wins were missed (e.g. 58…Qe6+!). A few hours of focused rook-ending study will pay instant dividends.
• Blind spots to opponent’s resources. In the loss to darkestdungeon1 you allowed 20.f5 when your queen was offside; the follow-up 27…Rg2+? overlooked a simple perpetual break. Practise prophylactic thinking prophylaxis: “What does my opponent want next move? How do I stop it?”
• Time-outs in winning positions. Two losses on time this month suggest clock management can still improve. You often blitz the opening but slow down later; try to keep at least 30 s for the final 10 moves.

Opening tune-ups

As Black vs 1.e4 — Your Najdorf repertoire is razor-sharp but also energy-draining. Add one solid backup line (e.g. Taïmanov 5…Qc7 or Pych 6…e6/…Qc7) for days when you feel less tactical.

As White — You score well with 1.d4 systems but occasionally drift (game vs Claudio2006: QP → pawn storm). Consider a stable “control” line (e.g. Catalan or London) to diversify positions you face.

Suggested training plan

1. Endgame Monday: 30 min on rook-vs-rook+pawn endings (Averbakh & Dvoretsky diagrams).
2. Tactics Tuesday-Thursday: 25 difficult puzzles each day, theme = king safety and intermediate move.
3. Friday sparring: Two 15|10 games with a training partner; annotate immediately, focusing on missed defensive resources.
4. Weekend review: Upload three self-picked games to your database; add one critical comment every three moves. (Short, but forces you to verbalise plans.)

Progress monitors

Check these dashboards monthly to verify that the work sticks:

Quick tactical motif to remember

The missed winner vs Massakru:

Next steps

Pick one weakness above and tackle it this week. Small, focused improvements will stack quickly at your level.

Good luck, keep the pieces flying, and message me any time you’d like a deeper dive into a specific game!