Konstantin Kazakov IM

Hi Konstantin, here’s some focused feedback based on your latest blitz games.

Snapshot

Peak blitz rating: 2853 (2022-06-06)

Activity overview:

What’s working well

• Initiative-first mindset – Early pawn storms (h4-h5, g-pawns) routinely put your opponents on the back foot.
• Tactical alertness – You convert complications cleanly, e.g. the exchange-sac sequence against Sourath Biswas:
  
  
• Piece activity – By move 12 most of your pieces are in play; very few passive setups.

Recurring headaches

1. Queen sorties (...Qb6/…Qa5) vs. the London
   Recent loss vs. ChessWeebs:
   
   
   • 4.Qc1?! burns a tempo and invites …g5/…Qa5 tricks.
   • Try 4.Nd2, 4.c4, or the Jobava-London (Nc3 first) to sidestep this trap.
2. Over-extended h-pawn
   In the loss to Miroslav Markovic the h-file push left dark-square holes. Delay h4 until you’ve castled or at least played h3/Bh2.
3. Clock management
   You flagged from a drawable position vs. OlegKrivonosov. First 10 moves often consume 40-50 s. Aim for a 15-second opening cap.
4. Endgame conversion
   Against 1Nichi you needed 47 moves from a winning rook ending. Review Lucena & Philidor to finish faster.

Opening tune-ups

14-day action plan

1. 30 tactical puzzles daily – focus on forks & double attacks.
2. Create a mini-file with three anti-…Qb6 lines; drill them in 20 blitz games.
3. Play five 10|0 games, no resigning before move 60, to sharpen endgame play.
4. Use the opponent’s clock: decide on your reply before their move lands.

Final thought

Your aggressive style already beats 2700-rated blitz opponents. Patch the early-queen issue and tighten time usage; 2800 is well within reach. Good luck!