Quick summary
Nice patch of results — you converted active play and passed pawns into wins, and your recent rating trend is very healthy (+201 last month). That said a few recurring issues (mainly time management and tactical oversights around the king) cost you clear chances. Below I give concrete, short-term actions you can take in blitz to stop bleeding points and turn more advantages into wins.
What you did well (patterns from the recent games)
- Active rook and pawn play — you used rook lifts and a-pawn passed play to create decisive threats (example vs chesstrucker77 where the a‑pawn + rook activity forced decisive checks and a winning sequence).
- Good use of counterplay — in several games you kept pressure instead of passively defending, which helped win on time or create practical problems for the opponent.
- Opening consistency — you repeatedly reach familiar pawn structures (Philidor/Czech-style setups). That gives you practical familiarity and often saves time in the opening.
- Mental resilience — you keep fighting in messy positions and often get opponents into time trouble; that’s a real blitz weapon.
Recurring problems to fix
- Time management — two recent wins were by opponent abandonment / time, and a loss was a quick tactical collapse. You’re getting into critical moments with too little clock. Aim to have 20+ seconds after move 10 in most games.
- King safety and tactical awareness — you let Bxf7+ / Ng5+ type motifs appear (see loss vs chesstrucker77). Against opponents who hunt tactics, small loosenings around the king are punished quickly.
- Opening weaknesses in certain lines — Philidor / Czech positions show mixed results in your database. Some move-orders (…Nd7, …Nxe4 in tactical positions) created immediate tactical opportunities for opponents.
- Conversion and simplification timing — when you have an advantage you sometimes simplify prematurely or miss the smooth technical route to a full point (or allow counterplay that drags you into a time scramble).
Concrete improvements — what to do next session
- Tactics: 15 minutes daily of mixed tactical puzzles (forks, pins, sacrifices, back-rank themes). Focus on patterns that involve king attacks (Bxf7, knight forks, discovered checks).
- Time control drill: play 5 blitz games at the same time control but force yourself to use no more than 10–15 seconds on non-critical moves. Practice the habit of a “fast first 10 moves.”
- Opening fixes: pick 2 trouble lines (Philidor, Czech) and review the common tactical traps and one safe move order. Use one short line of theory and one plan-for-middle-game for each. (See Philidor Defense and Czech Defense as labels for study.)
- Simple endgame checklist: when ahead, ask yourself — are rooks active? Is the opponent’s counterplay contained? If yes: simplify safely; if no: keep pieces and create passed pawns. Drill 10 basic rook+pawn endgames per week.
Short tactical example to study (from your loss)
Review this motif — the Bxf7+ / Ng5+ pattern and the follow-up that wins material or wins time on the clock. Replay the sequence below and ask: was there a defensive move earlier that would have avoided the tactic?
Replay moves:
When you replay: look for the moment before 9...Nxe4 — could you have avoided exposing the king? Often the right remedy is prophylaxis or completing development (or not taking an “inviting” pawn if it opens lines).
3-week blitz training plan (compact & practical)
- Week 1 — Tactics focus: 15–20 min/day puzzles; 5 blitz games practicing fast opening play; review 2 lost games and write 3 concrete improvements for each.
- Week 2 — Time & technique: play 10 games with enforced quick early moves; 20 minutes total studying one endgame type (rook + pawn vs rook). Prepare two short opening lines you’ll play next week.
- Week 3 — Integration: play 20 blitz games using the opening lines you prepared; keep a short log of positions where you went below 10s on clock — fix the causes (calculation vs hesitation vs unfamiliarity).
Quick checklist for every blitz game
- Moves 1–10: keep the clock moving — aim to spend under 1 minute total on the first 10 moves.
- If opponent gives a pawn that opens lines to your king — ask “who benefits?” before grabbing it.
- When ahead: trade into a winning pawn/endgame only after confirming the opponent has no tactical counterplay.
- Use increment: when you get under 10 seconds, switch to fast-pattern recognition and rely on safe plans rather than deep calculation.
Small habits with big payoff
- Spend 2 minutes after a painful loss to write down the single reason you lost (time, tactic, opening novelty, blunder). That prevents repeat mistakes.
- Before each game pick one micro-goal (e.g., "keep 20s on the clock after move 12", or "don't accept pawn if it opens g-file").
- Pick one opening you want to shore up this month — study 5 model games and memorize 2 typical plans.
Personal notes & follow-up
Your Strength Adjusted Win Rate (~49%) and recent +201 one‑month gain suggest you’re doing the right things. Focus on cleaning the two bottlenecks we discussed: time management and the few tactical/king-safety slips that keep converting equal positions into losses.
If you want, I can:
- Annotate one of the recent games move‑by‑move and mark critical moments (send which game).
- Build a one-week tactic pack tailored to patterns you missed (Bxf7+, back-rank, knight forks).
- Create two short opening repertoires (safe and aggressive) for your favorite defenses.
Opponents for quick review: chesstrucker77, Ilja_M, zibbit64ontwitch.