Michael Fedorovsky IM

Hi Michael!

Congratulations on maintaining a strong blitz rating of 2544 (2019-10-19) and for regularly battling titled players. Your games show impressive strengths and some clear areas where a little work will yield big rating gains.

What you already do very well

• Dynamic opening choices. You often steer the position into sharp territory early. In your win against Francesco Bentivegna the enterprising 16.Qxa7! followed by 17.d5! ripped open lines and decided the game.
  
• Tactical alertness. Motifs such as discovered attacks (19.Rd1!) and mating nets (12.Qc8# vs MMK1977) appear frequently in your victories.
• Confidence in sacrificing material for initiative. Moves like 8.e6!? in the Advance Caro-Kann or 25.Rxe5! in the Tango game demonstrate fearless calculation.

Key areas to focus on next

1. Clock management
   Five of your last six losses were on time. Adopt a “checkpoint” rule: aim to keep ≥ 1:40 at move 20 and ≥ 0:40 entering simplified positions. Playing 3 + 2 sessions where the goal is simply to finish with ≥10 seconds will build the habit.
2. End-game technique
   Equal endings against roughage and valhalla_SK slipped away. Spend 15 minutes a day on rook-and-pawn and basic pawn races. Interactive drills from “100 Endgames You Must Know” fit nicely into a blitz schedule.
3. Handling central counter-breaks
   In the Advance Caro-Kann you sometimes meet …c5 or …f6 unprepared (loss vs Vuk2000). Study typical pawn-break ideas and the concept of prophylaxis—for example restraining …c5 with c3/c4 before Black is ready.
4. Modern Slav/Chigorin coverage
   Opponents who use early …Nc6, …a6, or …g6 sidestep your preferred lines. Adding a crisp antidote (9.Qc2 or 5.cxd5 followed by g3) will save precious clock time and avoid unfamiliar middlegames.

Four-week training blueprint

Progress trackers

Motivation corner

Your attacking instincts already put you in the top bracket; tightening clock control and polishing endgames should convert another 5-10 % of games. That alone is about 50 rating points—enough to break 2500+ blitz consistently.

Keep the energy on the board, Michael, but save a little on the clock!

Good luck with your training—see you in the next Titled Tuesday!