Giovanni Capuano

Quick summary

Good energy in this blitz block — you created dynamic positions, attacked actively and won a sharp game by converting an attack into a mating net. The pattern across several recent games is clear: you get into messy middlegames and often run low on time. Fixing clock habits and tightening a few technical areas will turn many of those close losses into wins.

Highlights — what you're doing well

• Active piece play and willingness to trade into favourable tactical lines — your win vs quinntonam0 shows you can find forcing continuations and use them to exploit the opponent's king safety.
• Good opening variety and experimentation — your Openings Performance shows you're comfortable in many lines, and you get reasonable results from sharp choices like the Amar Gambit and Philidor-related structures.
• Resilience in complex positions — you keep pressing and look for concrete continuations instead of immediately simplifying.

Main weaknesses to fix

• Time management: several losses were on the clock rather than by checkmate or decisive material loss. In blitz, that costs many points — practice pacing and use increments more effectively.
• Endgame technique and simplification decisions: when the position becomes simplified you sometimes leave active tasks incomplete (king safety, pawn structure), which lets attackers mount counterplay.
• Opening consistency: you play many openings which is great for variety, but keeping a tighter 2–3 line repertoire for blitz will reduce early mistakes and save time on move selection.

Concrete, short-term plan (next 7–14 days)

• Daily: 10–15 tactics (focus on mates, forks and discovered attacks). Short and focused — speed + accuracy matters. Example target: 12 correct in a row at a 3–6 second average.
• 3 practice games with increment (5+3 or 3+2) — aim to finish each game with at least 30 seconds on the clock. If you flag, make a note: where did you spend extra time and why?
• Endgame drills (3× per week): basic rook endgames and king + passed pawn technique. Work the Lucena and simple cutting-off ideas — these convert more wins and avoid surprises.
• Opening focus: pick 2 reliable umbrella systems for d4 (for example the lines you play with Bf4 and one Philidor-like reply). Learn 3 typical plans/pawn-breaks for each (where to put knights/bishops, when to push e4/c4).

Game-specific notes (useful moments)

• Win vs quinntonam0 — key ideas:
  • Black castled long and used central pawn breaks to open lines; you exploited the opponent's weak back rank and uncoordinated pieces.
  • Nice tactical sequence: you traded into a position where rook infiltration mattered — Rb7 and the later Rb1 mate show you spotted the back-rank theme and executed it.
  Try replaying the final phase to internalize the pattern: centralize queen/rooks, remove defender(s), and use a rook on the first rank to finish. View the game:
• Losses on time — examples: isabelle451 and others.
  • Positions often remained playable but the clock dropped dangerously low. Flagging erased practical chances. In longer endgames you must either simplify earlier (and play fast) or keep complexity but consciously allocate time for the critical endgame phase.
• Tactical moments to review:
  • When you have an active attack, count checks/captures before committing — several winning tactics are there if you calculate that sequence completely.
  • Avoid impulse trades that hand the initiative back to the opponent; ask: who benefits from the simplification, and do I need to spend time to make it safe?

Practical training routine (example week)

• Mon/Wed/Fri — 15 minutes tactics + 10 minutes rook endgame practice.
• Tue/Thu — 3 × 5+3 blitz games, post-game review: mark the top 3 turning points and add short notes (1–2 sentences each).
• Weekend — 1 longer rapid (15|10) focusing on applying one opening plan and converting a small advantage.

Checklist to use during games

• After each move ask: “Is my king safe?” — this prevents back-rank and mating-net surprises.
• Track the clock every 10 moves. If below 30s, switch to fast mode: make safe, practical moves and avoid deep calculations unless decisive.
• Before simplifying, confirm you are improving your position or removing opponent’s counterplay — don’t trade when you’re behind in activity unless you’re saving time.

Small wins to aim for this week

• Convert one game from a +1 or better material advantage without flagging or blundering.
• Finish a 5+3 session with at least 20 seconds on the clock in every game.
• Improve tactical streak: reach 15 correct tactics in a row on the trainer you use.

Final encouragement

Your Strength Adjusted Win Rate (about 50.5%) and the recent +70 rating change this month show clear potential. Focus on clock discipline and targeted endgame drills — with that you’ll convert the “close losses” into steady gains. Keep the fighting spirit; the results will follow.