Jay Shah

Quick summary

Nice session — your attacking intuition and pawn‑racing ability are carrying many wins. Rating metrics show a strong, sustained upward trend. Biggest gains will come from clearer time management and targeted endgame practice.

What you did well

Concrete strengths to keep leveraging:

• Active heavy pieces in attack — you consistently use rook lifts and open files to bring rooks/queen into decisive roles (see the finish vs theblazingbishop).
• Pawn play and promotion awareness — in the game vs sankatmochana you pushed connected pawns precisely and turned a material advantage into two promotions.
• Opening choice discipline — you steer many games into structures you like (notably in the Caro-Kann Defense and Scandinavian lines), which simplifies decision‑making in blitz.

Replay the key attacking sequence (clear of numbering):

Key weaknesses to fix

Small, specific fixes that will raise your win rate quickly:

• Time trouble: you lost games on the clock more than once. When below ~30s, prioritize safe/simple moves and avoid long calculations.
• Endgame technique: conversions and defensive technique in rook/knight endgames need polishing. Practice basic rook endgames and pawn‑racing scenarios.
• Tactical oversights / loose pieces (LPDO). You win with tactics but sometimes drop material when switching focus. Before each move, do a quick scan: "Is anything hanging?"
• Avoid speculative complications when behind on time or material; simplify when safe to reduce blunder risk.

3‑week training plan (high impact)

Short daily habits tuned for blitz improvement.

• Daily (15–25 min):
  • 10–15 tactical puzzles (pattern recognition: forks, pins, discovered attacks).
  • 5 minutes: quick endgame drills (king+pawn vs king, basic rook endings).
• Every other day (30–40 min):
  • Play 3–5 blitz games with one focused goal (e.g., don’t lose on time; convert rook endgames).
  • Post‑mortem: pick one loss and write 1–2 sentences on the turning point.
• Weekly (60 min):
  • Study one opening line you play often (3 typical plans, 1 tactical trap, a common endgame arising from it).
  • Do one time management session (play a few 3|2 or 5|0 games to practice different clock rhythms).

Practical checklist for blitz games

• Before you move: one‑second scan for hanging pieces and checks.
• If <30 seconds: simplify (trade queens/heavies) unless a forced tactic wins immediately.
• When you see passed pawns: calculate the promotion race quickly — count tempi, not long variations.
• Use preplanned mini‑plans from your openings: they save time and reduce calculation mistakes.
• Don’t flag‑chase unless you have a clear path; chasing the clock often causes blunders.

Micro‑drills (5–10 minutes)

• Tactic sprint: 20 tactics aiming for ≥90% accuracy.
• Rook endgame drill: 4 common positions practiced until conversion technique is reliable.
• Pawn‑race practice: set up pawn vs pawn race positions and play both sides to learn timing.

Motivation & small goals

Your strength‑adjusted win rate (~54%) and strong recent slope show you're on the right path. Focus on time control and one endgame theme for the next month and you should see a noticeable rating uptick.

• Use LPDO as a quick mental checklist before every move.
• Keep playing the openings that suit you, and add one endgame pattern to your toolbox each week.