Hi Bjorn (“Hunninn”)
You have put together an impressive run of wins against 2700-level opposition. Below is a concise review of the most recent games and an action-oriented plan to squeeze out the next rating jump.
What you are doing well
- Initiative first. In the win vs Agoking701 you seized space with 17 …Ne5! and 18 …Nc4, forcing White onto the back foot.
- Tactical alertness. The marathon conversion against Roy Vagman showed accurate calculation deep into the endgame.
- Psychological pressure. Your early …g5/…g4 pawn storms in the Giuoco Piano score well in blitz and often knock opponents out of book by move 9.
Typical causes of recent losses
- Premature pawn storms against a castled king (e.g. Torre loss to Vladimir Petkov: 11…h5 13.e6 fxe6) left weak dark squares. Work on prophylaxis before committing pawns.
- Central-tension mismanagement. In the D02 loss to binhminh2000, 14.Qxd8+ traded queens into a worse pawn structure; keeping tension with 14.Bb5+ was safer.
- Greed vs development. Against Crazychess2800 you grabbed b-pawns but fell behind in piece activity and king safety.
- Clock pressure. Three of the last five defeats featured <10 s on the clock while still in a playable position.
Targeted action plan
| Phase | Exercise | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Create one-page “cheat sheets” for Torre & Italian sidelines | Save 15 s in the first 10 moves |
| Middlegame | 15 tactic motifs per day (fork, pin, deflection, zwischenzug) | Cut blunder rate below 10 % |
| Endgame | Rook-vs-pawn & RB-vs-R drills (5 per session) | Convert won endings faster |
| Clock | Adopt “Move-Evaluate-Move” routine; pre-move in winning positions | Avoid resigning on time |
Your playing rhythm
Quick opening notes
• Torre players often rush g-pawn pushes; instead, wait until Black commits …c5.
• In the Italian, study the model game Gufeld – Kavalek 1963 for the safe
…g5 idea followed by …Kg7, …Nh7.
• Against the English, after …c6 & …e6 consider an early …d4 to seize space.
Illustrative moment
After 11…h5 you correctly sensed the attacking chances, but 12.h3 Nh6 13.e6?! opened files near your king. Consider 13.O-O-O! with a safer structure and a future g-pawn push.
Stats snapshot
Blitz peak: 2850 (2025-03-19) | Rapid peak: 2596 (2019-08-18)
Next opponents to study
- Vladimir Petkov – review Torre classical defenses.
- Roy Vagman – practice long rook-and-pawn endgames.
Final encouragement
Keep combining your tactical flair with a dose of prophylaxis and clock discipline; 2300 blitz is well within reach. Consistent micro-improvements beat sporadic brilliance—30 focused minutes a day will get you there. Good luck!