Bojan Maksimović GM

Quick summary for Bojan Maksimović

Nice work — you're converting advantage cleanly in the win and staying tactically sharp. The loss shows a recurring vulnerability when the center and kingside open against your king after castling long. Short actionable plan below so you keep the positives and stop repeating the same leak.

Games referenced

• Win vs Jval Saurin Patel — good conversion and clean endgame technique.
• Loss vs Stelios Halkias — lessons on castling choices, pawn storms and passed pawn technique.
• Also review a sharp loss vs Dennis Wagner where a mating net finished things quickly; useful reminder to watch back-rank and rook checks in attacking positions.

What you did well (so keep doing it)

• Turning small advantages into a big one: in the win you forced favorable exchanges and simplified into a winning king-and-pawn ending instead of overcomplicating.
• Tactical alertness: picks like Nxf5 / Rxd7 showed good calculation and awareness of tactics in the position.
• Active piece play — rooks and queen were used aggressively to create targets and force concessions.
• Practical defense under pressure in several positions — you found defensive resources instead of panicking.

Recurring issues to fix (from the loss and other games)

• Castling long into an open or half-open center can be risky. In the loss you ended up with your king on the queenside while central/ kingside pawns advanced — avoid long castling if the opponent can open the center quickly.
• Allowing connected passed pawns to advance without timely blockade or king activity. Work on identifying the right moment to exchange/block those pawns early.
• Pawn structure mis-evaluations: exchanges that leave you with isolated or backward pawns in the face of enemy piece activity cost you time and initiative. Look for pawn breaks that help your side rather than weaken it.
• Time management spots: you had several intense tactical moments — try to keep a little more time for complex middlegame decisions (practice with the same time control and focus on 2–3 key candidate moves, not more).

Concrete next-week training plan (practical and short)

• Daily: 6–8 tactics (focused on deflection, overload, and knight forks). Pick puzzles that finish with a material gain or decisive simplification. 20 minutes total.
• Every other day: 15–20 minutes of pawn endgames — king-and-pawn versus king, outside passed pawn technique and opposition. These convert many blitz wins.
• 3 sessions this week: 20-minute mini-workshop on castling decision-making — practice three positions where you must choose kingside vs queenside vs keep king in center. Learn a simple checklist: center locked? open file toward your king? opponent has attacking pawns? If yes, favor king safety over activity.
• One game/day at your usual blitz control but immediately annotate two moments: the turning point and one mistake. Keep it to 5–10 minutes of post-game reflection.

Opening / middlegame fixes

• Your repertoire shows strong results with gambits and sharp Sicilians — continue those lines because they fit your tactical style and practical chances.
• Against setups that aim for a pawn storm (King's Indian / Modern), prioritize king safety — prefer short castling or delay castling until the center is clarified.
• When you trade queens early (as in one loss), evaluate the resulting pawn structure carefully — queen trades often turn into pawn races or minor piece endgames where passers decide the game.

Simple in-game checklist (use before each critical move)

• Who attacks my king next? (If opponent can open a file or push pawns, reassess castling.)
• Do I have a passed pawn risk / are they creating one? (Plan to block or exchange it.)
• Can I force a favorable liquidation to an endgame I know how to win? (If yes, go for simplification.)
• Do I have time to calculate the tactic? If not, pick a safe, improving move instead of speculative complications.

Short drills you can do at the board

• 5-minute session: find the best way to stop an enemy passed pawn (block, exchange, or attack the base).
• 10 puzzles: only solve positions where winning material required a sacrifice or intermediate move — this improves pattern recognition for Nxf5/Rxd7 style combos.
• Endgame drill: start from the position after your win (capture the h-pawn and advance kingside pawns). Practice converting king+rook+pawn vs king positions.

Longer-term focus (next month)

• Reduce blunders in critical moments by training 3x/week with slow (10+0) games and analyzing them — get used to the decision checklist above.
• Solidify one anti-King’s-Indian plan so you don’t get surprised by pawn storms; choose a setup that you can play both as White and Black.
• Keep the tactical sharpness (it's a strength). Combine it with endgame conversion practice — that combo will raise your win conversion rate fast.

Performance & trends — short takeaway

Your strength-adjusted win rate is almost 50% — you're playing at the expected level for your opposition. The last month shows a small dip (-40) but three- and six-month trends are positive. Treat the recent losses as fixable pattern errors (king safety & pawn races) rather than a form issue.

Fast checklist before you play blitz

• Pick openings that lead to positions you enjoy and where you know typical pawn breaks.
• Warm up with 5 tactics and one short endgame position.
• Decide your castling policy for the opening — commit mentally to either safe king or flexible center play.

Want me to drill a position with you?

Tell me which game/position you want to work on (move number or FEN) and I’ll give a 5–10 minute training routine or a concrete plan for the critical moments.