Hi Nikola!
Congratulations on maintaining a very high blitz level (2817 (2024-04-07)). Your recent match-day shows a healthy +6 / −5 score against 2600+ opposition. Below are some focused observations and suggestions that should convert a few of those narrow losses into wins.
1. What you are already doing well
- Dynamic French/Scandinavian handling with White. In both wins vs GiulioBorgo and sacov you steered the game into space-gaining Nc3–e5–f4 structures and punished over-expansion later.
- Queens-Gambit structures with Black. Your game vs sacov (0-1, D37) shows deep familiarity with …dxc4 & …Rd4 motifs—excellent opening prep.
- Conversion technique once material up. Several wins finished cleanly even with ≤60 s on the clock—e.g. the technical RB vs pawns win vs twofoxniel.
2. Recurring pain-points
- Time-pressure collapses. Four of the five recent losses were on time from winning or equal positions. Classic Zeitnot!
- Over-ambitious pawn thrusts in Ragozin setups. In both losses vs RadioactiveWalrus65 & sacov you played …g5/h5 early; the resulting dark-square weaknesses became targets when the attack fizzled.
- Loose piece play in Benoni/Benko-type pawn structures. The resignation vs UNDERTAKER2001 stemmed from sending a knight to a6 & a rook to a7 without coordination.
3. Quick wins for rating gain
- Adopt a universal time routine.
- Play the first 12 moves almost instantaneously when still in your repertoire—bank 20–30 s.
- Set an internal “red-zone” at 45 s. From that point, switch to safe-move mode: no deep think, keep the hand moving.
- Refine the early …g5/h5 plan.
If you haven’t provoked h2–h3/g2–g3 first, delay …g5. Instead:
- Insert …c5 and …Qb6 (Ragozin) so that White must decide on cxd5 before you commit kingside pawns.
- When you do play …g5, follow immediately with …Ne4 or …g4 to justify the space grab.
- Benoni move-order tweak.
After 1 d4 c5 2 dxc5 e6 3 Nc3, prefer 3…Bxc5 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 e3 O-O! delaying …d5. You avoid the exact central pawn break 5 e4! that hurt in the UNDERTAKER2001 game.
4. Endgame snapshot
The position below (from your timeout vs RadioactiveWalrus65) is objectively drawn with correct technique:
Practice similar Q + K vs Q + K fortress drills; it will save critical seconds.
5. Practice menu for the week
- 15-minute session of bullet visualization: set the board, cover it, calculate 5-move lines blindfold; uncover to verify.
- Review 10 model Ragozin games by Ding Liren focusing on pawn-storm timing.
- Endgame sparring: start from queen endgames with 10 s each, play vs engine until you can hold draws under time pressure.
6. Momentum tracker
For motivation, watch your performance graphs grow:
Keep up the fighting spirit, Nikola. A small adjustment in clock management and pawn-storm selectivity should comfortably push you into the 2700 blitz bracket.