Michael Concio Jr. IM

Hi Michael!

Here is some constructive feedback based on your most recent games. Keep in mind that the sample size is small, but clear patterns are already visible.

What you are doing well

• Strong tactical alertness. Your wins against Rolando Nolte and AntonChigurh13 both featured sharp tactics (e.g. 16…b4! and the powerful exchange-sac 27…Rxe3). Your calculation speed remains a major asset.
• Healthy opening repertoire. The Ruy López with Black and the Advance Caro-Kann with White give you positions you clearly understand. Your move orders are crisp and you rarely drift into passive set-ups.
• Conversion technique. In the longest win you slowly converted an extra pawn in a queen + pawn ending—excellent patience and accuracy.

Areas to focus on next

• Time management. Three of the recent losses (e.g. vs. Marioti1993) were caused or heavily influenced by clock pressure. Aim to keep at least 30–40 seconds on the clock when you enter critical middlegame positions.
• Over-extension with flank pawns. In the loss to Farid Tamer you played h4, g3, g4 very early. The pawns became targets once the centre opened. Try to finish development before committing both wing pawns.
• King safety in Dutch/Réti structures. Against BadApp_le you accepted an early …f5 and then moved your queen several times (18 Qe2, 19 Qf2). Meanwhile Black’s attack came faster. Consider meeting the Dutch with simpler lines (e.g. 2 c4 followed by g3 but without early queen sorties).
• Critical moment recognition. In the Semi-Slav loss you allowed 15…Nxf3+ without a concrete follow-up. Whenever an opponent offers a forcing sequence, pause and calculate one extra ply; often there is a hidden tactical resource.

Concrete homework

1. Play ten 3 + 2 games where you explicitly allocate your time:
   • Opening (moves 1–10): max 30 seconds.
   • Middlegame (critical decision): invest up to 20 seconds on two positions of your choice.
   • Leave ≥40 seconds for the final 15 moves.
   Review whether the result improves.
2. Analyse the following miniature and spot where White’s structure collapses:
   
   . Try to propose a safer plan on moves 4–7.
3. Build a quick Dutch neutraliser file: prepare one line against the Leningrad (7…g6) and one against the Stonewall. The goal is to reach a position you can play on “autopilot” when opponents surprise you with 1…f5.
4. Endgame drill: set up the pawn endgame from move 69 of your win vs. RolandoNolte_PCAP (after 69 Kd5 …). Practise against an engine until you can win it in under 30 seconds.

Progress dashboard

Below are quick snapshots you can revisit any time:

Peak Blitz rating: 2920 (2024-05-23)

When do you score best?

Key concept of the week

Work on prophylaxis – anticipating your opponent’s plans before executing your own. See if you can spot at least one prophylactic move every game (tip: write “Stop plan?” on a sticky note near your monitor).

Keep up the excellent work, Michael. Small refinements in time usage and early pawn decisions will convert many of those narrow losses into wins. Good luck!