Gennadi Ginsburg GM

Hi Gennadi!

Congratulations on reaching 2506 (2022-01-13) — clearly you have solid offensive skills and a wide opening repertoire. From your recent PGNs I’ve spotted recurring patterns that can help you climb even higher.

What you already do well

• Tactical alertness. In the win vs. icystun you exploited pins (17…Rd2!), activity (21…Rdd2!) and later converted a pawn-up rook ending with confident calculation.
• Piece activity out of the opening. Your Sicilian positions frequently feature an active …Nc6–d4 jump or an early …f5/f4 lever that keeps opponents on the back foot.
• Clock handling when ahead. You routinely keep 30–40 seconds in reserve during conversions, forcing opponents to flag in worse positions.

Key areas to sharpen

1. Central tension & pawn breaks.
   • In the loss to Bubachess1608 (…d4 on move 6) you released the tension too early, giving White a stable e4–d3 chain and a long-term d4 outpost.
   • Guideline: before pushing a central pawn ask, “Does this fix, open, or weaken anything?” Try the two-move test: visualize the board after both sides’ most forcing replies.
2. Pawn-storm timing on the flank.
   Games vs. chessmate095 show early …b5/…g5 thrusts while your king is still in the centre or your minor pieces sit undeveloped. Remember the classical rule: “Storm the wing only when the centre is closed or safely under control.”
3. Endgame conversion technique.
   Even in winning rook-and-pawn endings you sometimes allow counterplay (e.g. 40…Ke5 in the win vs. icystun). Spend 15 min/day on rook-endgame drills (Lucena, Philidor, Vancura). The payoff in blitz is huge.
4. Prophylactic thinking.
   Several losses feature a late realisation of simple threats: Nxe5, Nd5, or a back-rank mate. Add one extra question to every move: “What does my opponent want next?” Even a 3-second scan will cut the blunders.
5. Piece coordination in the Sicilian Kan / French structures.
   When you play …e6 & …d5 breaks, ensure your light-squared bishop has an exit. Study 3-4 model games by Vachier-Lagrave; note how he reroutes the bishop via d7–c6–e4 or sacrifices a pawn to open it.

Opening snapshots

• As Black you score best in the Nimzowitsch-Sicilian B29 lines. Keep this as a mainstay.
• Versus 1.e4 c5 2.c3 consider adopting the immediate …d5 and delaying …Nc6; this equalises more cleanly and avoids the cramped structures seen in your losses.
• As White your English Attack setups against the Kan are lethal — keep refining them with a database but also add a positional alternative (e.g. 6.g3 lines) to stay unpredictable.

Training plan (4 weeks)

Progress trackers

Quick motivation

“Small improvements compounded over many blitz games add up faster than one giant revelation.”

Keep the energy high, stay curious, and don’t hesitate to share your next set of games for deeper analysis. Good luck on the board!