Hi Mladen!
Congrats on the solid streak of 2300-level blitz play. Your games show plenty of creativity and tactical punch. Below is a mix of praise and practical next steps so you can push toward the next rating band.
What you are doing well
- Dynamic openings – the Vienna, Panov, and English-Attack setups you employ give you lively piece play right from move 1 and suit your aggressive style.
- Piece activity over material – in several wins you willingly returned material (e.g. 25.Bc5! vs swop1107) to keep the initiative.
- Tactical alertness – motifs like Bf8-Bxg7 (game vs swop1107) or the rook lift 28.Rxc7! show good calculation under pressure.
The big improvement lever: time management
Four of your last five defeats were on time, often in clearly drawable or even better positions (see losses vs Indra Polak and roidamka). Practical tips:
- Opening “autopilot” – invest a few hours to script the first 8-10 moves of your main lines so you can blitz them out and bank 20-30 s every game.
- 30-second checkpoints – glance at the clock every full move; if under 30 s, switch from “find the best move” to “find a safe move.”
- Use the increment – when ahead, play a couple of fast but safe moves to rebuild time instead of continuing a deep think.
Opening adjustments
| Colour | Pattern spotted | Actionable tweak |
|---|---|---|
| White | Early g-pawn storms (g4/g5) leave K-side dark squares weak if the attack stalls. | Add a habit: before pushing g-pawn, ask “Where will my king hide if the files open?” |
| Black | Against Smith-Morra you accepted the pawn but missed …e6/…d5 breaks and fell behind on development. | Prepare a declined line (…Nf6 & …d3 setups) so you can avoid white’s long-term pressure when you’re not in a theory mood. |
Mid- & Endgame focus
- Conversion technique – in the marathon win vs likeablewolf you needed 70+ moves to finish a clearly won rook endgame. Drill rook + pawn vs king endgames to speed this up.
- Prophylaxis – several losses featured backwards pawn pushes (…h6/…a6) that created hooks for your opponent. Before advancing a flank pawn, scan for the counter-hook.
- Knight vs bishop endings – the loss vs OleksandrKyiv hinged on a strong black bishop vs your knight. Practice identifying when to trade into favourable minor-piece endings.
Suggested training routine (weekly)
- 30 min: freshen your main opening files and add one high-level game to each.
- 45 min: mixed tactic set at 2-minute limit per puzzle – forces fast calculation.
- 30 min: endgame drill (rook endings, opposite-side pawn races).
- 1-2 blitz sessions applying the “30-second checkpoint” rule.
Quick stats & visual aids
Peak Blitz rating: 2609 (2024-01-19)
When you win most games:
Your best day of the week:
Game to review this week
The Smith-Morra loss shows multiple instructive turning points. Load it with engine off and answer “What was I calculating?” at each star move:
Positive mindset
Remember: losing on time means you had the position. Tighten the clock discipline and your current strengths will show up on the scoreboard.
Keep crushing it, and feel free to ping me after your next 25-game block!