Martin Luis Eliseo Herrera FM

Overview

Hi Martin Luis Eliseo Herrera — short, actionable feedback on your recent blitz cluster (wins, losses and that draw series). I looked at the win vs Lilia Fuentes and the time-loss / endgame losses vs Jeremy Ellison and Krikor Sevag Mekhitarian. Overall your practical play is very strong (strength-adjusted win rate ~0.516) and your last 3–6 month slope shows clear improvement — keep the momentum. Below are concrete positives, recurring problems and a compact training plan to convert those losses into wins.

What you did well (from the win vs Lilia Fuentes)

• Clear plan: you castled long and executed a coordinated pawn storm and piece play on the kingside — pushing g4–g5 was thematic and well timed.
• Piece activity and coordination: you used rooks and queen actively to open lines and invade (final Qf7 was a clean finish).
• Conversion technique: when the opponent gave you small tactical chances (Rxf4 / Qxg4 sequence), you punished them decisively instead of drifting.
• Opportunistic tactical eye: you spotted and exploited tactical errors (captures that opened files toward the opposing king).
• Opening knowledge: you reached middlegame positions you understood well — keep using the repertoire that gives you comfortable middlegame plans (your Australian and Accelerated Dragon show strong win rates).

Quick replay (key line) — tap to review the final phase:

Recurring issues I saw (and how to fix them)

• Time management — multiple games ended by timeout even when your position was playable. This is classic Zeitnot:
  • Fix: practise with slightly shorter time controls with a small increment (3+2 or 5+1) to train decision speed under pressure.
  • Fix: develop a 5–7 move “safe plan” checklist you can execute instantly when the clock is low (swap pieces if you're ahead, avoid risky pawn storms unless forced).
• Simplified endgames under pressure — several losses came from long rook/rook+pawn endgames where you drifted or lost on time.
  • Fix: drill core endgames (rook + pawn vs rook, Lucena/Philidor ideas, basic king-and-pawn) with 10 positions per week.
  • Fix: when down time, switch to the target-mode: count pawns, activate king, keep rooks behind passed pawns and avoid unnecessary checks that let the opponent run the clock.
• Trade and simplification timing — in one loss you traded into a long endgame without ensuring the time/technical win path.
  • Fix: before exchanging into an endgame, ask: "do I have the technique + enough clock to convert?" If no, keep tension or aim for practical complications.
• Occasional passive rook placement — you sometimes let rooks become targets on the back rank or 2nd rank.
  • Fix: prioritize rook activity (open files, 7th rank) and avoid getting tied to pawn defense; remember the phrase Rook on the seventh.

Openings & repertoire notes

• Your best-performing systems: French Advance (73.7% win rate), Australian Defense (~60% win rate) and Accelerated Dragon (~51.5%). Keep reinforcing these lines.
• Problem area: Ruy Lopez — Berlin line shows a low win rate (31%). Either avoid the Berlin or do a focused study: typical endgame plans, how to keep queens on when the opponent aims to trade, and key pawn breaks.
• Practical tip: against unfamiliar sidelines, aim for systems that generate imbalances and keep your usual middlegame plans (you convert better from active piece play than from passive maneuvering).

Short training plan (2–4 weeks)

• Daily (20–30 min): 15–25 tactics (blitz puzzles, aim for pattern recognition not trying to find the absolute engine move).
• Every other day (30–45 min): 3–5 rapid (10+0 or 15+10) endgame drills — focus on Lucena, Philidor, and basic rook endgames. Use positions where the technique is repeatable.
• Twice a week (30 min): play 5–10 training blitz games with the explicit goal of keeping 20–30 seconds on the clock at move 20; practice a “safe plan” to use under time trouble.
• Weekly (45–60 min): study one opening you want to keep and one you want to repair — e.g., reinforce your Accelerated Dragon and fix Berlin weaknesses with annotated model games.

Practical blitz tips (apply every game)

• When you have less than 30s: switch to "lowest regulation" play — prefer forcing moves, checks, captures, and trades that simplify decisions. Avoid long strategical plans until you regain time.
• Use the increment intelligently: pre-move only when there is no tactical risk. Against complex positions do not pre-move.
• Before trading into an endgame, glance at the clock and ask: do I have the technical win? If not, keep pieces on to create practical chances.
• If you castle long and attack, keep a flight square for your king or a pawn break to open the opponent's king file as a last resort — proactive king safety beats reactive panic.

Key concept to study: King in the center vs safe castling plans.

Next steps — one-week targets

• Target A (tactics): 150 puzzles this week — focus on forks, pins and mating nets.
• Target B (clock): play 10 games at 5+1 and 5 games at 3+2 — track how often you dip below 20s on move 20; aim to cut that by half.
• Target C (endgames): master 5 Lucena positions and 5 Philidor holds; be able to convert/defend within 3 minutes of thinking time.

If you want it, I can...

• Prepare 3 annotated practice positions from your recent loss vs Jeremy Ellison showing where to change the plan (I can include diagrams / short PGN snippets).
• Make a 2-week training calendar with daily items (tactics + endgame + 2 opening lessons).
• Run a 30-minute review session of one game (video/audio style) and point out thought-process improvements.

Parting note

You're trending upward (3 and 6 month slope +30.5, 12 month +39.3). Polishing time management and a handful of endgame techniques will give you quick rating gains. Small practice habits — faster decision rules, 10–15 targeted endgame positions and tactical pattern drilling — will convert those time losses into wins.

Want me to create the 1-week drill set or annotate the loss vs Krikor Sevag Mekhitarian move-by-move?