Jan van de Mortel IM

Quick summary for Jan van de Mortel

Nice run — your recent bullet games show a clear strength in creating passed pawns and finishing in the endgame. You convert advantages confidently and punish opponents who allow counterplay. The main recurring issue is time management: several games became decided by the clock rather than by the position. Below are focused notes and a short practice plan.

Where you're strong

• Passed pawn creation and promotion — you spot and push candidates reliably.
• Endgame technique — converting material and promoting with active king play is a clear plus.
• Practical aggression — you create threats that put opponents under severe clock pressure.
• Consistent opening choices — your setups get you comfortable positions quickly in bullet.

High-impact improvements

• Clock play & Flagging: avoid long calculations when ahead on the clock — pick a simple, fast plan and execute it.
• Simplify when winning: trade into technical endgames earlier to reduce tactical swindles and Loose pieces risks.
• Tactical hygiene — stop leaving pieces en prise; in bullet a single loose piece often decides the game.
• React to pawn breaks: identify whether to stop a break immediately or accept it and blockade — many opponents gained counterplay with central pawn thrusts.

Concrete bullet drills (do these 3×/week)

• 10 minutes tactics: focus on forks, pins and back-rank mates (set a 1–2 min per puzzle cap).
• 5–7 minutes endgame drills: king and pawn races, queen vs rook, and rook + pawn technical positions.
• Clock discipline: play 10 bullet games with the “no move under 2s” rule except for safe pre-moves — trains quick plan selection.
• Post-game 60s review: after each loss/win note one recurring mistake and one successful pattern to repeat.

Practical game tips to apply immediately

• When materially ahead: exchange queens and simplify to an endgame where your passed pawn decides the race.
• When low on time: choose a single, forced-looking plan (e.g., invade with rook, push passed pawn) instead of deep calculation.
• Limit pre-moves — allow them only when the opponent has exactly one legal, harmless reply to avoid costly Mouse Slip losses.
• Opening habit: your flank a4/a5 approach is fine — but don’t delay central development and castling if the opponent opens the center.

Short session checklist

• Warm up: 5 tactical puzzles (5 minutes).
• Main set: 20 bullet games with the “2s rule”.
• Review: pick 1 win and 1 loss — mark one decision that cost/earned you the game.

Mini replay (opening snapshot)

Here’s a short replay of the opening from one of your recent wins — use it to review development and short plans:

Offer

If you want a move-by-move breakdown of a specific game, send the game link or PGN and I’ll mark 3–5 exact moves to change next session. Would you like me to analyse your loss to Miller Rojas next?