Mikey Groves

Quick summary

Nice run in recent blitz — you converted a messy middlegame into a dominant endgame in your most recent win, and your opening choices (including the French Defense line you played) are producing active play. Where you lose time and points is mostly in fast middlegame decisions and a few tactical oversights against well-prepared opponents. Below are focused, practical suggestions you can apply immediately in blitz sessions.

What you’re doing well (keep this)

• Endgame conversion: in the win you pushed passed pawns and coordinated multiple queens/pieces to force mate — strong technique under pressure.
• Active piece play: you look for checks and forcing moves (the Bxh7+ motif and repeated queen checks), which is excellent blitz instinct.
• Opening selection: your stats show solid results with sharp systems (Sicilian and French lines). That gives you practical winning chances out of the opening.
• Risk-taking that pays: you don’t shy from tactical complications when they favor you — useful in blitz where practical chances matter.

Recurring issues to fix

• Tactical slips early in the middlegame: a couple of recent losses show missed tactical resources for the opponent right after opening exchanges. Slow down a second in critical moments (moves that change pawn structure or open files).
• Pawn-handling on the queenside: games where you accepted or created a queenside pawn weakness (b‑pawn advances, a4/a5 work) led to counterplay. Be cautious grabbing pawns that open files toward your king or leave weak squares.
• Time management in blitz: several decision nodes happened with very little clock left — avoid dropping below ~8–10 seconds unless the position is simple. Use increment to make one safe, improving move before going for complications.
• Simplification timing: you sometimes simplify into endgames before you’ve neutralized the opponent’s counterplay (trade when you’re clearly better or when simplifying improves your king safety).

Concrete moments from the latest win

Key ideas you used successfully:

• Bxh7+ to pry open the king and create a mating net — excellent recognition of a tactical theme.
• Pushing the h‑pawn and then creating a passed a‑pawn that promoted; you kept queens active and coordinated multiple threats to force the win.
• Repeated checks with the queen to herd the king into zugzwang — classic blitz technique: checks + passed pawn = practical mate.

Replay the decisive sequence (quick viewer):

[[Pgn|50.Kg5|50...Kf7|51.a5|51...Kg7|52.a6|52...Kf7|53.a7|53...Ke6|54.a8=Q|54...Kd6|55.Qa7|55...Ke6|56.Qbb8|56...Kd5|57.Qbb6|57...Ke5|58.Qaa5+|58...Ke4|59.Qbb4+|59...Kd3|60.Qd4+|60...Ke2|61.Qf6|61...Kd3|62.Qxg6+|62...Ke2|63.Qaf5|63...Kd1|64.Qff6|64...Ke2|65.d4|65...Kd1|66.d5|66...Ke2|67.d6|67...Kd1|68.d7|68...Kc1|69.d8=Q|69...Kb2|70.c4+|70...Kb3|71.c5|71...Ka3|72.c6|72...Kb3|73.c7|73...Kb4|74.Qff8+|74...Kc4|75.Qff7+|75...Kb5|76.Qfd7+|76...Ka5|77.Q7c8|77...Kb4|78.Qcd7|78...Kb3|79.Q8e8|79...Ka3|80.Qee6|80...Kb2|81.Qdf7|81...Kc3|82.Qff5|82...Kd2|83.Qee4|83...Kc3|84.Qff3+|84...Kb2|85.Qee2+|85...Ka1|86.Qff1#|fen|8/2P5/6Q1/6K1/8/6P1/4Q3/k4Q2|orientation|white|autoplay|false]

Opponent: petergstone584697

Practical blitz drills (apply these this week)

• Tactics sprint: 10 minutes daily of mixed tactics (5–10 second target per puzzle). Emphasize forks, pins, and zwischenzug patterns — these win and save blitz games.
• 10-minute endgame routine: repetition of queen vs king and pawn endgames, basic rook endings, and passed pawn races. You already convert well — polish the edge cases (opposition, stalemate tricks).
• Opening ‘safe moves’ checklist: for your main lines (Modern/Sicilian/French), have 2–3 reliable replies to common sidelines so you don’t spend time searching in move 6–12. Example: key ideas after b5 breaks and ...Nf6/Nh5 motifs in the Modern.
• Two-minute pause drill: in a fast session, force yourself to take one extra second on every critical capture or check — avoids impulsive pawn grabs that create long‑term weaknesses.

Tactical patterns and openings to study

• Study Bxh7+/Greek‑gift motifs and king‑exposure tactics — you used those well; learn complementary patterns (decoy, deflection) to increase conversion rate.
• Refresh ideas in the French Defense and related C00 transpositions you play — practice typical pawn‑break timing and how to handle an early b4 from White.
• Work on realizing advantages: when up material or with a big passer, convert without allowing perpetual or counterplay (simplify when safe; avoid rushing into skewers you haven’t calculated).

Psych & clock tips for blitz

• Use the first 3–4 seconds after opponent moves to scan checks/captures — a fast pattern check prevents hanging pieces.
• If you’re ahead on the clock, trade into simpler positions and keep the opponent guessing; if behind, create tactical complications and use checks.
• Don’t chase marginal material when it costs time; blitz prizes speed + practical chances over small static gains.

Next 4-week plan (small, focused)

• Week 1: Daily 10–15 min tactics + 3 practical blitz games focusing on safe time usage.
• Week 2: Endgame micro‑sessions (15 min every other day): queen endings, rook endgames, passed pawn races.
• Week 3: Build 2 quick opening refutes per main line (one for opponent oddball, one for typical break like ...b5 or ...c5).
• Week 4: Review 10 recent losses and wins: annotate quickly (what you missed / what you saw) and repeat the key tactical motifs.

Useful reminders & quick checklist before each blitz game

• Scan for checks and captures first (10–15 second rule).
• Ask: “Is my king safe if I take this pawn?” If not, don’t take it unless winning concretely.
• When you get an active plan, simplify exchanged pieces to remove counterplay.
• Keep pushing passed pawns — you convert them well, so create them when possible.

Notes & follow-ups

If you want, I can:

• Annotate one loss and one win move-by-move (5–10 minute read) — tell me which game you want prioritized (use opponent name or time).
• Make a 7-day tactics set tailored to the patterns you miss (forks, pins, decoys).
• Prepare a 1‑page “opening crib sheet” for your top two systems with typical plans and a few traps to avoid.

Recent loss opponents for quick reference: QuesoDeJalisco and Riobaldo56.