Ori Kobo GM

Overview of your recent blitz play

Your recent blitz activity shows you can swing between sharp, tactical play and solid defense. You won a dynamic game by converting initiative into material and a decisive endgame, lost a tense middlegame where Black counterplay proved too strong, and drew a complex rook ending where accuracy mattered. The pattern suggests you handle sharp, attacking ideas well, but there are moments where quick, calm calculation and cleaner trade decisions could help you convert more often in blitz.

What you’re doing well

• You stay active and create practical chances in sharp positions, especially when your opponent’s king is exposed. This helps you seize the initiative and pressure the defenses.
• You convert strong middlegame activity into tangible edges, often transforming pressure into material gains or decisive endgames.
• You fight to the end in tough positions, keeping your opponent on the back foot with energetic piece activity and timely pawn advances.
• Endgame awareness shows in several games where you pursued passed pawns and used king activity to press for a win or hold a difficult endgame.
• You use practical safety checks in a blitz setting, avoiding some trivial blunders and keeping the game within a fighting margin.

Areas to improve

• Reduce unforced errors by adding a quick safety check after every candidate move: confirm what your opponent threatens, what trades simplify the position, and whether your king or important pieces become exposed after trades.
• Improve time management by setting a mental 2-3 move plan before each move, especially in the middlegame, so you don’t end up in rushed decisions near the time control.
• In openings, pick 1-2 ideas to play with both colors and study the typical middlegame plans and typical pawn structures. This helps you recognize key plans quickly in blitz.
• When you feel pressure, prioritize simplifying to a clean endgame rather than seeking complicated tactical shots that may backfire under time pressure.
• Strengthen endgame technique, particularly rook endings and pawn endgames, so you can convert more wins from favorable positions that you reach in blitz.

Openings and practical plan

Your mixed openings show you’re comfortable in flexible systems, but a focused plan can boost your consistency. Consider choosing 1 black and 1 white opening to deep dive this month, so you know the typical plans and endgames you’ll reach in blitz. For example:

• For black, sharpen the Pirc/Modern-type setups you’ve been using, focusing on the key ideas behind the pawn breaks and piece activity in the middlegame.
• For white, pick a reliable system such as a solid queen’s pawn setup or a flexible English/Borg. study the main middlegame themes and typical piece maneuvers.

Additionally, practice quick pattern recognition in common blitz structures (rook endings with exposed kings, or minor-piece endgames with pawns) so you can transition to confident endgames faster.

Training plan for the next two weeks

• Daily puzzles: 5–10 minutes focusing on tactics that appear in your recent losses and near-misses.
• Post-game review: after each blitz session, spend 5 minutes reviewing one win, one loss, and one draw to extract a concrete lesson from each.
• Endgame practice: 10 minutes of rook endgame drills (rook vs rook with one or two pawns) to improve conversion and defense in blitz.
• 2-mly two-minute drills: play short, two-minute games and deliberately practice the quick plan-and-trade approach—identify a plan within the first 4 moves and stick to it.
• Time-check habit: use a simple 10-second pause before finalizing a move when in time trouble, to catch obvious blunders or threats you might have missed.

Notes on your rating trend and what it means for you

Your long-term trend shows steady improvement, with short-term fluctuations typical for blitz activity. The current one-month drop alongside a longer positive trajectory suggests you’re capable of bouncing back quickly, especially when you lock in consistent practice and a reliable endgame routine. Use the upcoming sessions to build a repeatable pre-move routine and a robust endgame plan, so you can translate your initiative into more clean conversions under time pressure.

Quick coaching ideas you can start today

• Before every move in a sharp position, state your plan aloud in your head for 5–7 seconds: what is my aim this move, what does my opponent threaten, and what trades help or hurt me?
• Pick 1 opening idea to master this week and rehearse the standard middlegame plans so you recognize them instantly in blitz.
• During endgames, force yourself to count a few moves ahead in terms of who can threaten which pawns, and keep your king active—this often decides the result in blitz.

Want to review a tailored plan with a coach?

If you’d like, we can tailor a 2-week plan based on your typical blitz hours, preferred time control, and common openings you face. You can also share a recent game with me for a focused, move-by-move review.

Profile reference (optional): orikobo