Josh Carew

Quick summary

Nice fighting spirit in your recent blitz set — you win messy, tactical games and you also give the opponent chances by leaving your king and pieces exposed. A few concrete habits (time use, king safety, checking for tactical shots) will convert more of your good positions into wins and stop the quick checkmates you’ve taken.

Games I looked at (high level)

• Win vs malp1994 — you converted by pressuring and then the opponent flagged. Good use of activity and keeping threats going. See the game below.
• Win vs amanramble — you created tactical complications and won material before the opponent flagged; strong attacking instincts.
• Loss vs shrey0908 — you were checkmated on the first rank (back rank / mating net). A few small defensive oversights led to a sudden finish.
• Other losses — repeat pattern: opponent exploits weak squares around your king or lands a decisive queen check or fork.

Key position / win (replay)

Quick replay of the most recent win — step through it to see how you kept up pressure and used piece activity to force errors:

What you're doing well

• Active attacking play — you look for checks, captures and forcing ideas rather than passive moves. That creates practical chances in blitz.
• Willingness to complicate — in equal or slightly worse positions you create tactical messes that often work in your favor (good blitz strategy).
• Opening variety — you use aggressive systems that score you wins when opponents misrespond (keep what works but tidy it up; see tips below).

Recurring problems to fix

• King safety: a few losses came from a decisive queen checkmate on the first rank. Habit: before finalizing a move, scan for back‑rank threats and leave an escape square (make a luft or move a pawn, or keep a piece available to block). See Back rank.
• Time management: many games show you down to single-digit seconds. When you're down on the clock you start making simpler tactical oversights. Plan to spend a little more time in the opening and early middlegame to avoid being in severe Zeitnot later.
• Tactical oversights: you sometimes miss simple captures or checks (especially Qxg7‑style shots delivered to you). Quick tactics training will close these holes.
• Premature sacrifices / unresolved development: in sharp openings you sometimes give material before finishing development or ensuring king safety. If you sacrifice, make sure at least one back‑up defender or escape exists.

Concrete blitz habits to adopt

• Two‑second scan before every move: opponent checks, hanging pieces and back‑rank mates. If you see a possible mate or tactic for them, re-evaluate.
• Make a plan for the first 6–8 moves in each game. If you get to move 8 with no plan, stop and spend 6–10 seconds to pick a route (development, kingside safety, or pawn break).
• When ahead on time, simplify: trade queens or high-value pieces to convert the clock advantage into a win. When behind on time, avoid complex sacrificial lines — steer toward simpler, forcing lines you know.
• Always give your king one escape square (create a luft with h3/h6 or g3/g6 when safe) if you expect heavy piece play on the back rank.

Training plan — 6-week blitz boost

• Daily (15–20 min): tactical puzzles focusing on mates, forks, pins and skewers. Prioritize short mates and winning material in 1–3 moves.
• 3× per week (30 min): 5+0 or 3+0 practice games where you force yourself to keep at least 10–15s on the clock at move 10. Review 1 loss per session and identify the tactical miss.
• Weekly (30 min): opening checklist — pick 2 reliable systems as White and 2 as Black. Learn the typical middlegame plans and one common trap to avoid. Keep the repertoire simple for blitz.
• Once a week: quick post‑mortem on 3 recent games. Ask: “Was there a mate, loose piece or win on the board I missed?” Mark repeating mistakes and track them.

Short checklist to run through before you hit the clock

• Any checks for me next move? Any checks for the opponent?
• Are any of my pieces hanging or undefended (Loose Piece)?
• Does my king have an escape square (avoid back rank weakness)?
• Do I control the centre and have development finished?
• How much time do I have compared to my opponent? (use that insight to simplify or complicate)

Practical drills (5–15 minutes)

• 10 rapid mate puzzles (mate in 1–2) — improves spotting of Qxf1/Qxg7 ideas and back-rank nets.
• 5 games of 3+0 with the rule: spend at least 8s on your first 8 moves. If you violate it, stop and review where you rushed.
• Play 20 practice positions where you must find a defensive resource to avoid mate or loss of material — trains the “one extra scan” habit.

Next steps (this week)

• Run the two-minute scan checklist for every game this week. Mark each game “checked” or “rushed.” Aim for 80% checked.
• Do a 15‑minute tactics session focusing on back-rank mates and forks.
• Choose one opening line you feel comfortable with and write down the 6 common middlegame plans for it — use these during your next five blitz games.

If you want, next

I can:

• Annotate one of the recent losses (move-by-move) and highlight the exact tactical miss.
• Build a 2‑move opening cheat sheet for your favorite aggressive systems so you avoid early traps and unsafe positions.
• Send a 2-week daily drill schedule tailored to 3+0 blitz.

Pick one and I’ll prepare it. Also if you want I can include a short analysis of the losing game vs shrey0908 to show exactly where the mate pattern began.