Quick summary
Nice run — you’ve been crushing a lot of common systems and converting wins consistently. Your openings are working: you reach playable middlegames with active pieces and you win a lot of short tactical fights. Below are focused, practical points to keep that momentum and shore up the one weakness that cost you a recent game.
What you’re doing well
- Reliable opening repertoire — you consistently get comfortable positions from lines like the Nimzo-Larsen Attack and several Colle setups. That saves time and generates good middlegame chances.
- Piece activity and tactics — you actively place knights and rooks and win or create tactical chances quickly, which is crucial in bullet.
- Finishing — when you get a material or initiative edge you tend to convert it rather than get greedy and blunder it away.
- Confidence in simplification — you trade into favorable endgames when appropriate, which reduces the risk of time scrambles.
Key mistakes to fix (from recent games)
- Allowing a passed pawn to run free — in your most recent long game the opponent’s pawn promotion decided the game. When opponent’s pawns are advancing, prioritize blockades, piece trades that remove blockers, or active king routes to stop promotion.
- Loose king safety in time trouble — near the end you spent time and let checks around your king. In bullet, when your clock is short pick a safe square early (or simplify) and avoid risky walking-king plans unless forced.
- Pre-move and rush decisions in complex positions — pre-moving in unclear positions can lose material. Only pre-move in clean captures or forced recaptures.
- Tactical oversight around pawn pushes — central pawn breaks (d- and e-pawn) created forks and passed pawns for the opponent. Watch for the opponent’s pawn lever and calculate the one immediate reply that changes structure.
Bullet-specific practical tips
- Use a short opening toolkit — stick to 2–3 reliable replies per color so you get automatic, fast development in the first 8–10 seconds.
- Default safe moves under 10 seconds — have a go-to safe move (develop, castle, or force a queen trade) when you’re under pressure on the clock.
- Trade when the opponent gets a dangerous passed pawn — if they’re about to promote, swap queens or rooks to reduce mating/promotion chances unless you see a forced win.
- One-tactical-threat rule — before making any “clever” move, ask: does this allow a pawn push, fork, or promotion next move? If yes, re-evaluate.
- Practice 1-minute tactics daily — 5–10 minutes of puzzles forces pattern recognition you need in bullet.
Concrete 2-week training plan
- Days 1–4: 15 minutes/day tactics (fast puzzles, focus on pawn promotions and blocking ideas).
- Days 5–8: 10 minutes/day endgame drills — king+pawn vs king, rook endgame basics, stopping passed pawns.
- Days 9–12: 10–15 minutes/day blitz practice using only your main openings; force yourself into the opening repertoire you want to keep.
- Days 13–14: Review 5 recent games (including this PGN below). Identify one recurring mistake and one recurring strength; write them down and apply.
Example: review the last game
Open this game and step through the critical moments. Focus on the phase where the opponent’s pawn began to march — could you have traded queens or rerouted a piece to block? See the promotion as a signal to simplify.
Opponent profile: krupljanin
Clickable game viewer (tap to open and replay):
Quick checklist before your next bullet game
- Decide your opening within 3 seconds and follow it.
- If the opponent starts a pawn storm, ask: can I trade queens or rooks next move?
- When below 10 seconds, prioritize king safety and simplification over fancy tactics.
- Don’t pre-move in positions with counterplay or passed pawns.
Final note
You’ve got an excellent conversion and opening base. The biggest gains will come from targeted practice on stopping passed pawns and tightening time-trouble habits. Keep the training plan short and consistent — 10–20 minutes a day will give visible improvement in your next set of games.
If you want, I can produce a 10-move drill specifically to stop passed pawns or annotate that last game move-by-move.