Mersad Khodashenas IM

Quick summary

Mersad — nice session. Your blitz games show strong tactical vision and an ability to finish quickly when opponents give you targets. You convert when the opponent weakens around their king, and your practical attacking sense is a real blitz strength.

Notable recent games (click to review)

• Sharp tactical win vs simply_parsa — decisive mating net after active piece play.
• Quick game vs amir_saffari — opponent abandoned early (you keep the pressure simple).
• Clean finish vs sajjadroozafza — exploited back-rank/queen tactics.
• Attack versus mo30do — strong queen/rook coordination to end with mate.

Openings that came up: Petrov's, Center, King's.

What you're doing well

• Recognizing tactical motifs quickly — examples: the knight sacrifice into the opponent's camp and finishing with a decisive fork or mating net.
• Piece activity and coordination — you bring heavy pieces into the attack at the right time instead of slow maneuvers.
• Practical decision-making in blitz — when an opponent blunders or creates weaknesses you punish immediately rather than overcomplicating.
• Comfort in sharp open positions — your blitz games show you enjoy tactical skirmishes and tend to out-calculate opponents under time pressure.

Where to focus for improvement

• Opening consistency: your Petrov lines perform well, but there's room to reduce surprise transpositions. Pick a few reliable move orders and drill typical trades and plans so you don't drift into unfamiliar middlegames in blitz. See the theory for Petrov's.
• Avoid speculative material grabs in unclear positions — in blitz it's tempting to snatch pawns; only do so when you know the resulting piece activity or safe escapes.
• Time management: in several games you spent more time on early middlegame moves. Try to keep 20–30 seconds in reserve for the critical tactical phase (moves that decide the attack or defense).
• Watch for back-rank and mating patterns from the defender's side — some wins came from opponents missing a simple defensive resource; make sure you don’t miss the reverse when you defend.
• Endgame technique: when you transition from an attack to material up, simplify into endgames you know well (rook + pawn vs rook patterns, basic king + pawn races).

Concrete drills and training plan (1–3 week blitz-focused)

• Tactics blitz: 15 minutes/day on puzzles emphasizing forks, discovered attacks, and mating nets. Focus on pattern recognition rather than finding the longest calculation.
• Opening micro-sessions: 10 minutes daily on your top two defenses (Petrov and Caro‑Kann). Learn typical piece placements and one thematic plan for each side. Try a short notebook: one page per line with plans and one key tactical trap.
• 10 rapid review games (3+0 or 5+0) where you practice keeping 20–30 seconds on the clock after move 10. Consciously spend less than 10 seconds on routine developing moves.
• One endgame video or chapter per week on basic rook endgames and king+pawn races — these often decide blitz matches after the fireworks.

Practical tips to use right now (game-to-game checklist)

• Before you move: ask "Is any piece hanging?" — quick 2–3 second scan each move reduces sudden tactical losses.
• If you see a sacrifice, spend an extra 5–8 seconds to check immediate tactical refutation — many wins come from double-checking the forcing line.
• Keep a reserve of ~20 seconds for the middlegame — use increments to build time but avoid spending it on book moves.
• When ahead in material, simplify and exchange queens if the opponent has counterplay — a safe win in blitz is worth more than stylistic play.
• When ahead on time, simplify the position and avoid creating counter-tactics. Use the clock edge to push safe, forcing moves.

Example position to study

Review the finishing sequence from your sharp game with simply_parsa — the knight jumps and final mating net are instructive. Replay the critical run of moves to internalize the pattern:

Follow-up plan (next 30 days)

• Week 1: Daily 15 min tactics + 3 rapid games practicing time reserve.
• Week 2: Add three 10-minute opening micro-sessions (Petrov + Caro-Kann) and review one loss each day for tactical reasons.
• Week 3–4: Play focused blitz sessions where your goal is to convert 3 out of 5 winning positions — force yourself to simplify and win cleanly.

When you want, I can prepare a short opening crib for your Petrov lines and a 10-move trap checklist you can memorize for blitz.

If you'd like next

Tell me which area you want a workout for — tactics, Petrov openings, or endgames — and I’ll create a tailored 2‑week drill plan with positions and a couple of annotated games from your recent play.