Jomz Santos

Hi Jomz Santos – Personalised Chess Feedback

1. What you already do well

• Flexible opening repertoire. You comfortably switch between the Modern (…g6 Bg7) as Black and the Larsen/Nimzo-Larsen (1 b3) or Queen’s-pawn systems as White. This variety makes you hard to prepare for.
• Fianchetto expertise. You understand typical plans after a kingside fianchetto: delaying …e5/…d5 until the centre clarifies, and rerouting knights to e5/f6.
• Conversion technique when ahead. In several 60-second games you showed good composure converting extra pieces or pawns, even with seconds on the clock (e.g. vs maxi-boom).

2. Main growth areas

1. Time management.
   • 4 of the 6 recent losses were on time while the position was playable.
   • You frequently enter critical positions with <5 s, forcing “hope chess” moves.
   ➜ Action: Mix in 5 | 5 or 10 | 0 games each week. Quick thinking still matters, but you’ll get enough time to calculate one extra move deep.
2. Early queen adventures.
   Loss vs igagankalra (move 5 Qh5⁺) shows that an early queen sortie can backfire once pawns (…f6 …g5) gain tempo.
   ➜ Action: Before moving your queen in the opening, ask “Can any minor piece hit it on the next move?” If yes, reconsider.
3. Pawn-storm discipline.
   Pushing g- and h-pawns without full development left your king airy (see loss vs thereisnomeaning – 31 g4? and 38 g5?).
   ➜ Action: Rehearse three classical attacking models (Greek gift, minority attack, kingside pawn storm). Recognising standard cues helps you decide when pawn pushes are truly justified.
4. End-game fundamentals.
   In the lost K + P ending vs thereisnomeaning you missed the drawing plan of bringing the king in front of your passed pawn sooner.
   ➜ Action: Play 5 “King & pawn vs king” studies every session; then graduate to “rook vs rook + pawn” endings.

3. Concrete training plan (4-week sample)

4. Quick opening tips tailored to you

• Larsen Attack (1 b3): After 1…e5 you can transpose into a reversed Nimzo-Indian with 2 Bb2 Nc6 3 e3 d5 4 Bb5, aiming for light-square pressure.
• Modern Defence: If White closes the centre with e4-e5, strike back with …c5 quickly. The …c5 …d6 …Nc6 setup scores well in master practice.
• Queen’s-Gambit structures: When you play 5 e5 (space-gain line) remember the manoeuvre Nbd7-b6-c4 to eject White’s strong d5-knight.

5. Useful metrics to watch

Peak Blitz rating: 1218 (2023-01-24)
Performance rhythm:

6. Motivational end-note

Your tactical eye and willingness to play dynamically are big assets. Combine them with steadier clock usage and disciplined pawn play, and you’ll be knocking on the 1600-blitz door soon. Happy training!