Sergey, here’s some focused feedback based on your latest blitz session.
What’s already working
- Stable repertoire. 1.d4/ 2.c4 as White and the Nimzo/Queen’s-Indian family as Black give you familiar structures every game – a big practical edge in 3-minute.
- Dynamic pawn play. Your h-/g-pawn storms (e.g. 25-Apr vs. RafaelVaganian) regularly catch opponents off guard.
- Practical endgame skills. The Lucby game shows you can squeeze 0-1 endings under time pressure when the clock cooperates.
1. Clock & Conversion – your main growth lever
Five of the seven recent losses were won-or-equal positions lost on the clock.
• Set a move-15 benchmark: aim to keep ≥1 : 50 left.
• When clearly ahead, simplify immediately (trade queens, cancel complications, start pre-moving checks).
Example: vs. Squad1647 you repeated Bc7 ↔ Bb6 instead of fixing the passed a-pawn and bringing the king; the time burn cost the game.
2. Finishing Technique
Even with a material edge you sometimes “hover” instead of executing a straightforward plan.
- Plan awareness: In rook + pawn endings adopt a two-stage routine – create a passer → activate king.
- Drill suggestion: 20 Lucena/Philidor positions daily this week.
3. Opening micro-tweaks (keep the repertoire, sharpen the details)
| Colour | Moment | Upgrade |
|---|---|---|
| White | Lucby game, move 9 …a5 | Consider 10.c4 c5 ideas instead of b-pawn advance; you keep the tension and seize space without fixing queenside pawns. |
| Black | Kmoch line with g4 (E20) | After 9.g4, test …e5 …Nh7–g5. You punish the over-extended pawn chain faster than in the game where White organised all rooks. |
4. Tactical alertness
Missed chance: vs. Squad1647, 14…Qe8 ! would have pinned the c6-knight and solved coordination.
Daily dose: 3 puzzles ≥2700 rating until solved – insist on full calculation, no intuition glances.
Key patterns to revise: deflection, zwischenzug, back-rank tricks.
5. Weekly action plan
- Play one 10-game blitz streak aiming to finish each game with >15 s.
- Annotate one win + one loss per day – focus on why the position became easier/harder to play.
- Endgame trainer: 20 rook-pawn studies daily (see section 2).
- Puzzle rush survival until 35 each morning to prime tactics.
Your trend at a glance
Peak blitz rating so far: 2633 (2025-04-16)
Model game to revisit
The endgame squeeze versus Lucby is a perfect template for patient play when material is level but the pawn structure favours you.
Keep the momentum!
Your strategic foundation is solid; tightening clock discipline and conversion technique will push you through the next rating band.