Greg Shahade IM

Overall Performance & Trends

Greg, your recent blitz performances show a very positive trajectory. Your strength-adjusted win rate is approximately 50%, which is solid at your level. In addition, your rating changes indicate steady improvement with encouraging upward trends over the last 6 to 12 months. Your 6-month rating increase of 127 points and the positive slopes in rating trend demonstrate continued growth and dedication.

What You're Doing Well

• Opening Preparation: Your handling of openings, especially in complex lines like the Ruy Lopez and French Defense, shows good understanding and practical choice. You maintain solid positions early on and avoid unnecessary risk.
• Endgame Technique: Games such as your win against Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage show excellent endgame proficiency, converting advantages carefully and efficiently.
• Time Management: Your clock usage during games suggests efficient management, balancing speed and quality well in blitz time controls.
• Positional Play: The fights you create with advancing pawns and piece activity are well-judged, delivering you small but consistent edges before converting.

Areas for Improvement

• Handling Chess960 and Unfamiliar Positions: Some recent losses occur in Chess960 games versus strong opponents. Focusing on general principles and flexibility in these variant setups could help you gain an edge and avoid tactical oversights.
• Tactical Awareness in Complex Middle Games: In a few losses, such as those against Vincent Keymer and Aleksei Sarana, missed opportunities and tactical slips allowed opponents to seize initiative. Sharpening calculation and pattern recognition will help.
• Risk Assessment: Occasionally, moves early in the game (for example, capturing in certain openings) lead to positional weaknesses. Evaluating opponent threats and possible counterplay more deeply will pay dividends.
• Endgame Resilience Against Strong Counterattacks: While endgames are a strength, some losses show difficulty holding in aggressive counterendgames by better-prepared opponents; staying alert to dynamic resources in defense is key.

Suggestions for Next Steps

• Continue deepening your study and practice of your favorite openings to build confidence in early phases.
• Include regular tactical training focusing on complex and unfamiliar positions, perhaps from Chess960 games.
• Analyze your recent losses thoroughly, especially those involving strong opponents, to uncover recurring patterns or critical moments.
• Work on mental and practical endurance for converting advantages under time pressure during blitz games.
• Maintain a broad range of game review, combining classical and variant formats to augment adaptability.

Encouragement

Your steady growth over months highlights your work ethic and skillful chess thinking. Blitz is a high-variance format, but your results show you are carving out consistent success. Keep up the focused training and enjoy the beautiful challenges chess presents!