Mariya Bruyatskaya WFM

Hi Mariya, here is some personalised feedback based on your recent games.

😊 What’s working well

• Dynamic piece play. Your games often feature active minor pieces and initiative-grabbing pawn breaks (e.g. g-pawn pushes in the Sicilian Dragon set-ups and the thematic d5/…d5 break in QGD structures).
• Opening variety. You comfortably switch between 1.d4 and 1.e4 and as Black you handle both the Sicilian and Indian-type defences – good for keeping opponents guessing.
• Resilience under pressure. Several wins (e.g. vs albabcreators) show that you can defend worse positions and strike back when the chance appears.

🚀 Biggest improvement levers

1. Clock handling. Two of your last three losses and your latest win were decided on the clock. Adopt a move-to-move routine (quick blunder-check – candidate – commit) and aim to stay at ≥50 % of the starting time after move 15.
2. Convert the initiative. When you gain space with pawn storms you sometimes over-push (e.g. 29.g4 vs fdufay) and allow counterplay. Before advancing ask: “What does my opponent threaten after my push?” – a useful zwischenzug mindset.
3. End-game technique. In several games the transition from middlegame to endgame cost material (see diagram on move 55 vs fdufay). Work on basic rook-endgame plans (Lucena, Philidor) and on keeping rooks active behind passed pawns.

Opening pointers

• As White – Queen’s Gambit Exchange. After 12…h6 you routinely retreat Bh4; consider Bf4 or Bxf6 to fight for the e5 square.
• As Black – Sicilian versus 4.Bc4. In the loss to fdufay the move order 6…g6 7.d4?! allowed White comfortable central play. Study the line 6…e6 7.d4 d5! to challenge the bishop immediately.
• English Symmetrical. Your win vs DuhKurt shows you understand …d5 breaks; add the plan …b5  → …c5 to broaden your repertoire.

Illustrative tactical moment

The following sequence from your latest win highlights your ability to keep the initiative while material is in flux:

Notice how every Black move chases a concrete target – keep aiming for this level of clarity when ahead on the clock.

Structured next steps

• Play three 15 + 10 games this week focusing only on staying above 5-minute reserve time.
• Solve 20 endgame studies that start with rook and four vs rook and four – annotate your winning plan.
• Analyse one loss without an engine, then check with the engine; write down the first moment the evaluation swung.

Your numbers at a glance

Peak blitz rating: 2389 (2024-09-05)
Activity trends:

Keep up the energy and sharpen those endings – a 2200+ blitz rating is within reach!