Nicola Altini IM

Hi Nicola!

Your recent games confirm why you are already a strong 2600-blitz player (current peak: 2815 (2024-12-21)). You score most of your wins by seizing the initiative early and then keeping the opponent under constant tactical pressure. Below is a personalised roadmap to push you toward the next level.

What you already do very well

• Dynamic pawn play – Advances such as f4 & g4 in the Pirc (see move 13 g4 vs Masha Klinova) and d5 & e4 structures in the Slav show excellent feel for space-gaining thrusts.
• Tactical alertness – The combination …e6 16.e6! fxe6 17.Ng5 in your Austrian Attack win illustrates a keen eye for forcing continuations:
  
  
• Converting material – In several wins you calmly exchanged into won endings rather than “going for mate at all costs”—a good sign of maturity.
• Confidence with both colours – Your Accelerated Dragon victories as Black keep opponents guessing and prove you can handle sharp theory from either side.

Recurring issues & concrete fixes

1. Over-extension against accurate defence
   • Loss vs MilkThroat: after 15.b4?! you gave Black an outside passed a-pawn while your own king stayed in the centre.
   • Fix: Before launching pawn storms ask yourself, “What happens if my opponent refuses to panic and just grabs a pawn?” – a simple "BLC" check (Balance-Lines-King-Safety) will often reveal the downside.
2. Transition-to-endgame judgement
   • In the Grünfeld loss to AmericanPatzer3 you traded queens on 17…Qxc3 only to enter a rook ending where your loose c- and a-pawns collapsed.
   • Fix: If you are up material and have the safer king, keep pieces to maximise winning chances. Practice with “won” end-game drills where you must choose whether to simplify.
3. Prophylaxis against flank counter-play
   • Game vs jumpman1998 (QGD Exchange): …h6 …Nh5 looked active but forgot about White’s rook swing Rd4–h4 restricting your king.
   • Daily warm-up: Spend 5 minutes solving “find the opponent’s plan” positions; it will train the habit of asking “What is he/she threatening?”
4. Time-management spikes
   • Most of your games end with >1:00 on the clock, yet critical blunders still occur. This hints at moving too quickly when the position first leaves your prep.
   • Adopt a 10-second speed bump: whenever you realise “Theory ended”, spend a mandatory 10 s calculating forcing moves & candidate checks, especially Zwischenzug opportunities.

Opening tweaks worth testing this week

Training menu (next 30 days)

• 30 minutes/day of defensive tactics (especially vs. opposite-wing attacks).
• 2 model end-games per session – start with Karpov-style rook endings; annotate them yourself.
• Play one slow (15 | 10) game every weekend; annotate immediately after, focusing on moments where you moved under 10 s.

When you’re curious…

“Calculate deeply, restrain recklessness, and the rating points will follow.”