Jean-Claude_Vandal FM

Summary

Nice stretch of wins — you convert clean attacks and have clearly mastered the Nimzowitsch‑Larsen set of ideas. Your rating trend and strength‑adjusted win rate (~55%) show steady improvement. Below are focused, actionable points from your recent games (win vs Michal Obrusnik and loss vs justchessqueen), with a short micro‑plan you can use next session.

What you're doing well

• Opening consistency: you play the Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack a lot and know the typical plans — quick flank development, early Bb2 and flexible pawn breaks.
• Tactical finishing: in the win vs Michal Obrusnik you built a decisive attack and finished with a clean mating net (Rh8#). You spot forcing sequences under pressure.
• Practical play in the middlegame: you routinely create imbalances (passed pawns, rook lifts) and punish passive replies — great for bullet, where practical chances matter.
• Resilience: you recover well after odd moves and turn small advantages into wins instead of letting them fizzle.

Recurring problems to fix

• Time management / flagging: several games end on time (both wins and losses around the 1 minute mark). You often get into a time scramble where accuracy drops. Work on decision templates so you don’t burn seconds on trivial moves.
• Pre-move safety: in bullet, pre‑moves are useful but dangerous. Avoid automatic pre‑moves when checks, captures, or discovered attacks are possible on the next move.
• Occasional loose pieces and tactics against you: you punish opponents who leave pieces hanging well, but sometimes you allow forks/pins (watch knight jumps and back‑rank tactics).
• Less success in some openings (Caro‑Kann lines): your WinRate there is low (~31%). If you face that line often, add one or two reliable anti‑Caro replies so you don’t get out of book quickly.

Concrete, short drills (15–30 minute sessions)

• Tactics sprint: 10 minutes of 1‑minute puzzles — focus on forks, skewers and back‑rank motifs (common causes of sudden losses in bullet).
• Pre‑move test: 5 minutes of 1|0 games where you force yourself to never pre‑move unless you have a simple capture only — trains discipline.
• One opening patch: 10 minutes reviewing the critical Caro‑Kann lines you face. Learn one reliable reply (swap a risky line for a simple plan).
• Convert & simplify: play 3 minute games where your goal after +1 pawn is to simplify to a winning endgame — practise safe conversions under clock pressure.

Game‑specific takeaways (quick)

• Win vs Michal Obrusnik — positive: you used piece activity and rook lifts to force decisive concessions. Tip: once the attack is clear (rook on the 7th/8th, queen invasion), trade down into a simple conversion plan if the mate is not immediate.
• Loss vs justchessqueen — main issue: time and tactical reprisals. You reached active positions but the time scramble and a subsequent tactic cost you. Tip: in complex positions, make one “safe” move (improve piece, safe king) if you’re below ~10s to avoid blunders.

Short checklist to use in your next bullet session

• First 10 seconds: get pieces developed and king safe. If you’re ahead on development, trade down to reduce tactical risk.
• When under 20s: prioritize “no blunder” moves — keep checks and captures in mind before pre‑moving.
• If you see a forcing sequence, calculate only the forcing part (captures/checks) — don’t try to calculate long quiet variations under very low time.
• Against Caro‑Kann: choose one straightforward setup and play it 5 times in a row to memorize typical pawn‑break timings.

Micro study plan (this week)

• Daily: 12 minutes tactics (mixed themes), 8 minutes focused on back‑rank and knight forks.
• 3 sessions: 15 minute review of three recent losses — find the one moment where the evaluation swung and note the alternative.
• 1 session: 30 minutes of 3|0 games practicing conversion and flagged positions with no pre‑moves.

Quick wins you can apply immediately

• Turn off automatic pre‑moves when you have less than 10 seconds.
• When ahead materially, aim to exchange queens if the opponent has counterplay (simplify and convert).
• In the Nimzo‑Larsen, keep the b‑file under control — many opponents try b4/c5 break ideas; be ready to contest those squares.
• Before each bullet session, 3 minutes of targeted tactics is higher ROI than warming up with casual games.

Example winning finish (loadable)

Open the final sequence from your recent win vs Michal Obrusnik to replay the mating sequence.

Parting note

Your rating trends and recent results show you’re improving — keep the opening stability, sharpen the pre‑move / time management habits, and add a little targeted endgame / Caro‑Kann prep. If you want, I can make a 2‑week tactical drill plan tuned to the motifs that cost you the most in the losses.