Julia Antolak WGM

Hi Julia!

You just finished an intensive streak of blitz games – great fighting spirit! Here is some personalized feedback based on the patterns that appeared in your most recent session.

What is already working well

• Dynamic piece activity. In several wins you seized the initiative early (see the Réti–Sicilian Invitation game against polish_rook). Your willingness to sacrifice pawns for activity is one of your main assets.
• Calculation under time pressure. Even in <10 s situations you converted long tactical lines accurately, e.g. the 41-move queen-race finish versus tytulino.
• Opening variety. You handled both colours of the Sicilian (Najdorf, Kalashnikov, Wing-Gambit accepted) with confidence, which keeps opponents guessing.

Recurring problems worth fixing

1. King safety when you are Black.
   Two losses featured a thematic sac on h7/h2. In the following fragment White’s Bxh7+ triggered a decisive attack:
   
   Guard the sensitive light-squares by:
   • Keeping …h6 in reserve until you are castled short and coordinated.
   • Trading the attacker’s dark-squared bishop earlier (…Be6–g4).
2. Time-management in technical endings.
   The loss on time versus krisovski arose in a drawn rook endgame. Practical rules:
   • Convert a winning advantage before it becomes technical; otherwise simplify to an easily defensible fortress.
   • Use increment moves (…Kg7, …h5, …h4, …Rf5 etc.) to bank seconds.
3. Over-extension of kingside pawns with White.
   In the “Rossolimo & push-pawns” games, g4–g5–h4–h5 left weak dark squares (f4, g3) that your opponent later exploited. Follow the rule of two: for every pawn you push in front of your king, be sure at least two pieces increase their defensive coverage of the newly weakened squares.

Action plan for the next week

Progress tracker

Peak blitz rating: 2722 (2024-12-24)
Hour-by-hour performance:

Mindset reminder

“Pieces attack; squares defend.” – The next time you launch a pawn storm, ask: Which squares will need defenders afterward?

Keep sharpening your calculation while tightening the defensive bolts and you’ll break 2600 soon. Enjoy your training!