ibon arreche

Overview

Nice session — your recent +117 in one month and positive trend show clear improvement. From the games you shared I see strengths (passed pawn play, active pieces, practical endgame technique) and a few recurring leaks: king safety (back‑rank/ mate nets), tactical oversights in sharp moments, and occasional time trouble. Below are focused, high‑impact recommendations to keep climbing in blitz.

What you're doing well

• Converting passed pawns — you push and support passers effectively and convert them at the right moment.
• Keeping pieces active — queens and rooks often penetrate and create practical threats.
• Comfortable simplifying to winning endgames — you steer trades when the pawn endgame favors you.
• Momentum and consistency — your rating slope and recent month gains show training is working.

Highest‑impact fixes

• King safety / mate awareness — priority
  • Before grabbing material or trading down, check your king’s escape squares and whether the opponent can generate checks or back‑rank threats. A quick mental checklist: checks, captures, threats (3Cs).
  • Create luft or activate a rook when the back rank is closed and the opponent still has heavy pieces.
• Time management
  • Avoid scramble losses: spend a few extra seconds in the opening/middlegame to build a time buffer for complex positions later.
  • Use a practical decision rule in blitz — if a move is solid and doesn’t lose material, play it instead of hunting for the perfect continuation.
• Reduce tactical oversights
  • When taking pawns or entering tactical lines, do a 3‑second scan for forks, skewers, discovered attacks and checks. Many losses stem from an opponent getting a tempo or forcing tactic after you grab material.

Opening & repertoire focus

You play the Four Knights Game and similar lines frequently with decent results. Instead of long theory, focus on plans and typical pawn structures.

• Four Knights / Three Knights: study typical piece placements, a few model endgames from the lines you play, and one reliable anti‑surprise answer for the main sidelines.
• Scandinavian / Scotch: drill tactical themes around early queen moves and pawn breaks so you don’t fall into traps when the position opens quickly.
• Keep the repertoire small and practice the recurring plans — that saves time on the clock and reduces blunders.

Practical weekly plan (high ROI)

• Tactics: 10–20 puzzles daily, focusing on forks, discovered attacks, pins and back‑rank mates.
• Endgames: two short sessions per week — king+pawn conversion, basic rook endgames (Lucena), and opposition technique.
• Openings: two 20‑minute sessions per week studying the plans (not just moves) in your main lines.
• Blitz practice: 6–10 blitz games/week with a specific goal (e.g., "no pre‑moves", or "play first 10 moves in 30+ seconds total").

In‑game checklist (one glance)

• Always scan for opponent checks/captures/threats before you move.
• If you take material, ask: "Does opponent get a countercheck or piece infiltration?"
• Under 30 seconds: reduce complexity; trade a piece or simplify if position is already good.
• Back rank risk? Make luft or exchange a rook before getting greedy.

Targeted exercises for 2 weeks

• 5 back‑rank mate puzzles each session — build instant recognition.
• 10 conversion exercises with a single passer (set up winning side and convert from both sides).
• Daily 10 tactical puzzles emphasizing discovered attacks and promotion tactics.

Games to review (placeholders)

Revisit a few specific games: the win vs uou17 (promoted passer), the close technical wins vs vishald17 and the mate loss to funymagic. Studying those three will give immediate, actionable insights.

Final encouragement

Your overall record and recent gains show you’re on the right track. Keep the habits that produce passed pawns and active pieces, and apply the simple fixes above (king safety, timed decision rules). If you want, send 2–3 of your most painful losses and I’ll annotate key moments move‑by‑move.