Fabian Baenziger IM

Overall Performance and Progress

Fabian, your recent blitz games show a solid performance with a strength adjusted win rate just above 50%, which is commendable at your level. Your rating change over the last 6 months is a positive 87 points, indicating steady improvement. The upward rating slopes over 6 and 12 months reflect consistent progress, though the 3-month trend shows a slight dip that might indicate some recent variance in form or competition level.

Maintaining this steady climb is key, and your resilience in tight positions is a strong asset in blitz games.

Opening Play

Your openings are based around flexible, solid systems such as the Reti Opening and the Indian Game structures. These systems allow you to reach middlegame plans that leverage your tactical and strategic strengths.

• In your wins, you've shown good understanding of the typical plans in the London System and the Nimzo-Indian structures, often achieving strong central and queenside control.
• However, in some losses, opponents took advantage of precise tactical resources against these openings, especially involving central pawn breaks and timely piece activity.
• Consider reviewing the critical lines where your opponents initiated breaks such as ...f5 or ...e4, which challenged your setup, and prepare specific responses or prophylactic moves.

Game Analysis Highlights

• Games you won often featured sharp tactical shots combined with strong positional understanding—such as timely knight maneuvers and opening files for rooks.
• An example is the game against JaloliddinIlkhomi where you skillfully exploited the opponent's weaknesses in the middlegame and converted a strong passed pawn effectively.
• In some defeats, especially the losses by checkmate or resignation, you encountered difficulties when defending against king attacks or counterplay on the kingside. This suggests a potential area to focus on defensive techniques and recognizing threats earlier in the game.
• Time management seems solid overall; however, maintaining calm in critical positions under time pressure will further enhance your results.

Recommendations for Improvement

• Focus on sharpening your defensive skills and pattern recognition for typical attacking motifs against your preferred openings.
• Deepen your preparation on common pawn breaks and opponent counter-strategies in your opening repertoire.
• Analyze your losses to identify recurring tactical oversights or time pressure mistakes and incorporate solutions into practice games.
• Keep nurturing your strengths such as tactical awareness and positional maneuvering while balancing aggressive and solid play.
• Regularly review grandmaster games in the Reti Opening and London System to stay updated on ideas and rejuvenate your approach.

Encouragement

Your performance demonstrates a strong foundation and a positive learning curve. Blitz is a fast-paced format that challenges you to make quick yet accurate decisions, and you are steadily mastering this art. Keep analyzing, practicing, and adjusting. The progress you make in the next months can be significant if you remain focused on the identified areas.