repeat repeat CM

Quick summary

You've been playing confidently in blitz: strong tactical sense, good piece activity and several quick conversions. Your recent wins show you spot attacking chances and exploit weak king safety. The recent loss highlights a recurring theme: grabbing material while allowing the opponent counterplay around your king and central squares. Below are focused, practical steps to turn those strengths into a more reliable score in blitz.

Highlights — what you do well

• Active pieces and initiative — you consistently bring knights and queens into attacking squares and punish loose kingside structure (examples: decisive queen/knight coordination in your wins).
• Sharp tactical eye — you win material by spotting combinations (exchange/rook wins and tactical captures were converted quickly).
• Strong conversion in simplified attacking positions — when an opponent's king is exposed you convert confidently.
• Solid opening in some systems — your results in the Caro-Kann Defense are above 52% winrate; keep using what works for you.

Main weaknesses to fix

• Pawn-grabbing / greed in the opening — taking queenside pawns (for example the sequence that led to Qxb7) left your king and center vulnerable. When you win material early, double-check king safety and opponent threats before continuing to capture.
• Tactical vulnerability on the kingside and central squares — opponents exploited checks, forks and back-rank ideas against you. Drill motifs like forks, discovered attacks and back-rank threats so they become automatic defense checks during blitz.
• Inconsistent performance in Sicilian lines — your Najdorf / Rossolimo results are weaker than your Caro-Kann results. If you play those a lot, refresh key theoretical positions and common tactical shots in those variations (Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation).
• Time & practical decision habits — in blitz you sometimes play risky captures without a safety-first checklist. Add a 2–3 second habit: check opponent’s checks, captures, threats before capturing.

Concrete next steps (weekly plan)

• Daily tactics (15–25 minutes): focus on forks, discovered attacks, pins and back-rank mates. These are recurring patterns in your games.
• Two targeted opening sessions (30–45 minutes each):
  • Keep the Caro‑Kann repertoire and deepen a couple of typical plans (pawn breaks, knight outposts).
  • Pick one Sicilian line you play often and drill 5–7 common middlegame positions and tactical motifs from it. Use a short tree of candidate moves rather than memorizing long move-lists.
• Endgame basics (2× weekly, 10–15 minutes): king + rook vs king basics, simple pawn endgames and Lucena/Philidor ideas. These speed up converting in time trouble.
• Post-game 5–10 minute review: after each blitz session, check your worst loss with an engine but first ask: “what was my last safe move?” and “which checks/captures did I miss?”

Practical in-game checklist (use this in blitz)

• Before capturing: look for an incoming check, a hanging piece, or a tactic against your king (2–3 second rule).
• When you get space with pawns (e.g., an e‑ or c‑push), ask whether it creates weak squares or outposts the opponent can use.
• If you win material early, swap queens if it reduces tactical risk and simplifies into a won endgame, unless you can force mate or decisive material gain safely.
• Use your opening prep to save clock — play natural developing moves you know without spending time to "reinvent" the wheel in move 6–12.

Example to review — quick tactics drill

Open the game below and replay the critical phase where you allowed the opponent to pry open your position after material grabs. Practice spotting the intermediate checks and forks before deciding a capture.

Small adjustments that give big gains

• Replace one “grab pawn” instinct per session with “improve a piece” — often improving a piece instead of capturing keeps the initiative.
• When your opponent sacrifices to open lines toward your king, prioritize king safety even if it costs tempo.
• Keep a simple blitz repertoire: fewer lines but better-known plans reduce tactical surprises and save time.

Motivation & metrics

• Your recent month is trending upward (+50), and your long-term slope is positive. That’s proof your study and practice work — double down on targeted tactical and opening drills.
• Your overall Win/Loss/Draw record and a near‑50% strength adjusted win rate (0.496) mean a small reduction in blunders will produce a noticeable rating gain in blitz.

Want a focused session?

If you want, tell me which opening you plan to play next session (or paste one game), and I’ll give a 10–15 minute warmup checklist and 3 tactical motifs to drill before you jump into blitz.

Here are quick quick-links to review: opponent profiles from these games: minorkong, lukakuntelia, tjcmhh.