Motez Belhadj

Quick summary

Good fighting spirit in blitz — you're winning complex positions and scoring from active piece play. Two recurring weaknesses stand out: time management (several losses on the clock) and early queen play / king safety issues that cost you tactics or mate threats. Below are focused, practical steps you can use immediately.

What you did well

• Active piece play and tactical awareness in messy positions — you convert material and create threats (example: strong rook activity on the seventh rank in your win vs mslnodira1996).
• You consistently create practical chances — your Strength Adjusted Win Rate (~0.504) shows you score slightly above expectation against your pool.
• You have an opening you handle well: Barnes Opening: Walkerling (60% win‑rate). Keep the parts that work: quick piece activity and simple attacking plans.

Most important areas to fix

• Clock management / Flagging — multiple games ended on time (opponents won on time). Practice finishes with the clock. Consider playing a few games with increment or consciously simplifying when low on time.
• Early queen sorties and repeated queen moves — several games start with Qh5/Qg3 patterns that let the opponent gain tempo or create tactical shots. Prioritize development (knights, bishops, castling) before aggressive queen trips.
• King safety & back‑rank awareness — a mate and some strong attacking replies from opponents indicate you occasionally leave the back rank or squares around your king weak. Give the king a luft or coordinate rook moves to avoid back‑rank tactics.
• One opening weaknesses: Four Knights Game (0% win-rate). Either avoid it or study the key ideas and typical traps so you stop losing on book lines.

Concrete training plan (next 2 weeks)

• Daily (30–45 minutes):
  • 15 min tactics: focus on forks, pins, and back‑rank mates. Do 8–12 puzzles with a time limit to simulate blitz pressure.
  • 10 min endgames: basic king+pawn vs king, rook endgame checkmates and opposition — saves lost time and converts advantages.
  • 10–20 min game review: pick 1 recent game (loss or close win). Find the turning point and write a short note: “what was my plan?”
• Per week:
  • 2 rapid games (10+5) where you deliberately play slower in critical moments to practice decision making under a small increment.
  • Study the lines in Barnes Opening: Walkerling you play — learn 2 typical middlegame plans and 1 endgame structure that arises from it.

Practical blitz tips you can use immediately

• If you have under 30 seconds: simplify. Trade queens or pieces if you’re ahead or if complications favour the opponent.
• When opponent checks or attacks your queen early, don't chase the queen repeatedly — finish development instead. “Develop>chase” is a good rule in blitz.
• Before any capture that wins material, pause 1 second to check for opponent checks, forks, and discovered attacks.
• Set a pre-game routine: 3 deep breaths, check opening plan, and aim to use the first 10 seconds to complete development moves.

Game-specific notes

• Win vs aryanlarlok — good end idea: you used an active queen/rook to force simplifications and exploited a weak kingside. Review this game with the board:
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• Win vs mslnodira1996 — excellent use of rooks on the 7th and 8th ranks. Keep practicing rook endgame patterns and the idea of lifting rooks to attack the king.
• Losses on time vs majeze and anatliy17 — these are classic clock losses. In close tactical positions, switch to “play safe and fast” mode: make reasonable moves and avoid deep calculation when time is low.
• Loss by mate vs tigranpetrosian13 — review the sequence that allowed opponent Q+R to mate. Add a checklist before castling long or opening files near your king: are back‑rank squares covered? do rooks have escape squares?

Opening advice

• Double down on what works: study main plans in Barnes Opening: Walkerling — not only moves, but pawn breaks and typical piece placements.
• Avoid the Four Knights Game for now (0% win-rate) unless you study it — it’s a repeat leak. Either prepare a transposition you like or play 1.e4 lines that sidestep it.
• For defenses you meet often, keep one solid response and know the three typical middlegame plans rather than memorizing long move lists.

Checklist for every blitz game

• First 10 seconds: complete development (N, B, castle if safe).
• Every capture: look for opponent counterchecks and forks.
• When under 30s: trade and simplify; avoid complicated queen checks.
• Post-game: mark one critical move to study (not the whole game).

Next steps — 3 quick drills to start tonight

• 10 rapid puzzles (60s each) focused on forks/pins.
• Play two 10+5 games and force yourself to use increment — practice finishing with little time.
• Analyze one loss (on time or mate) with the board and write the one line you would change next time.

Keep it positive

Your 3‑month changes show you can move up fast — keep the training consistent and you’ll turn those small leaks into wins. If you want, I can generate a 2‑week drill plan (daily tasks with links to puzzles) tailored to your openings and typical mistakes.