Michael Zaslavsky IM

Short summary

Nice cluster of blitz wins — you consistently find active piece play, strong knight jumps into the opponent's camp, and you keep pressure until the opponent loses on time. Your opening choices lead to middlegames that fit your style: dynamic knights, concrete tactics, and pragmatic simplifications.

What you're doing well

• Active piece placement — you repeatedly get knights to powerful squares (b5/a5/c6 outposts) and follow up with concrete tactics that win material or create decisive threats.
• Exploiting loose pieces — when opponents leave targets, you hit them quickly. That pattern shows strong tactical awareness and threat calculation.
• Safe king play and straightforward plans — early castling and clear plans (open files, piece trades) help you convert advantages without getting counterattacked.
• Practical clock play — you pressure opponents into low time and capitalize on their time trouble. That’s an asset in blitz when combined with sound play.
• Openings that fit your toolkit — systems like the English Opening and Sicilian lines get you the kinds of positions you handle well.

Key mistakes / areas to improve

• Don’t rely on flagging as the primary win method — several victories ended "on time." Solidify conversion technique so more wins are by position or material.
• Blunder checks under time pressure — occasionally you play without a quick scan for loose pieces or opponent tactics. Make a 2–3 second check a habit.
• Avoid creating needless complications when ahead — simplify sooner (trading queens/major pieces) to reduce counterplay and speed conversion.
• Watch for back-rank and knight-fork motifs from the opponent — a short tactical training plan will help you spot these faster and avoid surprises.

Concrete next steps (this week)

• Daily: 10 minutes of tactics focusing on forks, pins, and knight outpost motifs. Accuracy over speed for at least five puzzles.
• Play 3 rapid blitz sessions (5+2 or 3+2) with a rule: when you reach +1 material, spend an extra 20 seconds per move to practice converting calmly.
• Post‑mortem: pick a win that ended on time (for example vs dawidrodak) and replay the last 10 moves. Ask: was there a safer conversion path?
• Endgame: 30 minutes this week on rook+pawn and queen vs rook basics — technical skill here turns time wins into positional wins.
• Adopt a 2‑second blunder-check before every move in blitz (checks, captures, hanging pieces) and stick with it for 7 days.

Concrete next steps (longer term)

• Create a short opening "auto‑pilot" for your top three systems: learn typical piece setups and plans rather than long move lists. That saves time and prevents early inaccuracies.
• Study 20 model games where knights create decisive outposts; extract recurring plans and typical tactical shots to your notebook.
• Play one slow rapid/classical game per week to practice converting advantages without the clock as a crutch.
• Record and annotate five wins per month, focusing on moments where simplification or an endgame conversion was missed.

Example position from your most recent win

Replay this short sequence from your last game — it highlights the knight outpost and the sequence that turned a tactical skirmish into a decisive advantage. Ask yourself: where was the opponent's loose piece, and what defense could they have tried?

Use this replay to practice: find the moment the tactic becomes available, then consider a clean conversion plan (trades, king safety, simplifies).

Micro‑habits to adopt (easy wins)

• Before you press the clock: quick 2‑second scan for checks, captures, and hanging pieces.
• When ahead materially: trade queens or pieces that reduce opponent counterplay and make the win technical.
• When low on time: steer toward simple endgames instead of clinging to complex positions.
• Keep a one‑page cheat sheet of recurring tactical patterns you see in your games (knight forks on c6, back‑rank, loose piece tactics).

Final note

Your practical instincts are strong — you create threats, punish mistakes, and pressure opponents effectively. The highest-leverage improvements are small habits: a reliable blunder-check, deliberate conversion practice, and targeted endgame work. If you want, send one annotated win and I’ll pinpoint three turning points and give a tailored drill.