Quick summary
Nice run of blitz recently — you converted active chances, you press opponents well in the middlegame, and your opening choices are working (especially French/Alapin lines). A few tactical oversights and some time trouble cost you in sharper moments. Below are concise, practical suggestions you can use in the next week of training.
Recent game examples (replayable)
Two short replays you can step through on your phone — one clean win and one instructive loss.
-
Win vs yantakarta — French (Advance)
Good handling of central tension and queenside counterplay. Review the final queen sortie and how you used piece activity to force resignation.
-
Win vs kesakes — Sicilian (Alapin family)
You created a passed pawn and kept the initiative, then converted under time pressure. Good endgame instincts.
-
Loss vs kuba2503 — instructive mating pattern
The opponent punished holes around your king and advanced a decisive pawn/knight combination — good to review the sequence where a knight penetrates and the g-pawn advance finishes the game.
What you’re doing well
- Strong opening choices for blitz — your lines in the French and the Alapin give you comfortable, active positions (French Defense: Advance Variation, Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation).
- Good ability to create and press passed pawns — you turn small structural edges into real targets.
- Solid conversion technique in simplified positions; you don’t panic when pieces come off.
- High volume play and consistent upward rating trend — your training and practice are paying off (recent month gains). Keep that consistency.
Key areas to improve (fast wins)
Focus on these and you’ll see quick rating gains in blitz.
- Tactical alertness: a few games show the same pattern — a knight or minor piece jump followed by forks or mating nets. Do 10–20 quick tactics every day (forks, discovered attacks, back-rank).
- King safety in sharp middlegames: avoid creating holes on the kingside (pushing pawns around your castled king unless you have clear compensation).
- Time management: you sometimes drift into severe time pressure. Practice making a simple plan in the first 10 seconds and then 5–10 second increments per move. If you’re up on the clock, trade to simplify; if down, keep complications but be pragmatic.
- Avoid inviting knight forks: in your loss the opponent got active knights that created decisive threats — watch out for squares like f2, e4, g4 when your pawns and king align poorly.
Concrete weekly plan (blitz-focused)
- Daily: 12–20 tactics on a tactics trainer (focus: forks, pins, discovered attacks) — 10–15 minutes.
- 3× per week: 20 minutes of endgame work — king + pawn vs king, basic rook endgames, and the Lucena position. This increases conversion rate in time scrambles.
- 2× per week: 30 minutes of opening review — pick one tiny home prep line in your main French/Alapin and learn typical plans (one model game + 5 common mistakes).
- In-session habit: when the clock drops below 30 seconds, switch to simple rules — 1) check opponent threats, 2) pick the safest active move, 3) avoid long calculations unless forced.
Short tactical checklist (before you move)
- Are any of my pieces undefended or en prise? (quick scan)
- Does my opponent have a fork, pin, or skewer next move?
- If I capture, what is the immediate reply — is a tactic unleashed?
- Can I simplify (trade) and keep a clear win if I’m ahead on material or pawn structure?
Personalized notes from these games
- Win vs yantakarta: good central control and timing of queenside play — keep using that pawn break sequence you chose.
- Win vs kesakes: you built a passed pawn and used it practically; nice endgame awareness — review the moments you kept the king active instead of passive defense.
- Loss vs kuba2503: the decisive theme was a knight invasion combined with a pawn storm to g2 — next time prioritize removing the enemy knight’s outpost and be careful pushing kingside pawns prematurely.
Next 3 actions (start today)
- Do 12 tactics right now (forks + discovered attacks mix).
- Watch one 10-minute video on "king safety in the middlegame" and note 3 concrete pawn moves you’ll avoid unless justified.
- Pick one opening line from your repertoire and write a one-paragraph plan for typical middlegames (what to do with rooks, which pawn breaks to seek).
If you want a deeper post‑mortem
Tell me which game you want annotated move-by-move (give the opponent or the PGN above). I can produce a short annotated line-by-line coach report with candidate moves and a few alternative plans you can practice.