Quick overview
Well done — your recent games show solid opening knowledge, a readiness to simplify into endings you can convert, and good pattern recognition in tactics when you have time. Your long‑term trend is positive, so focusing on a few practical habits will turn steady progress into faster rating gains.
What you do well
- Opening familiarity — you steer many games into structures you know (for example the French Defense and the Scotch Game), which saves clock time and reduces early errors.
- Clean conversions — when you have a small material or positional edge you trade into favorable simplified positions instead of over‑pressing.
- Tactical finishing — you spot concrete wins in several games and convert them, including the recent victory that ended after your opponent flagged under pressure.
Recurring weaknesses to fix
- Time management — multiple games were decided by flag. In blitz, routine time checks and a simple "safe default move" policy when low on time will save many points.
- Missed tactical shots and hanging pieces — a few losses came from overlooking checks, captures, or back‑rank threats. Before every move, scan for opponent checks/captures first.
- Endgame technique — many games reach simplified endings; sharpening rook and pawn endgame fundamentals (king activity, Lucena basics, pawn races) will increase conversions.
- Consistency in mainlines — your best results come from less common lines (you score well with surprise choices). To climb reliably, tighten a small core repertoire for mainline replies so you face fewer unpleasant surprises.
4‑week practical plan (blitz focused)
- Daily (10–20 min) — tactics trainer: focus on pins, forks, skewers and back‑rank patterns. Do fast sets to build automatic recognition.
- 3×/week (15–30 min) — play 10 blitz games (3|0). After each session review only 2 losses: identify the single reason you lost (time, tactic missed, bad plan) and note one fix.
- 2×/week (20–30 min) — endgame drills: rook vs rook+pawn, king + pawn races, basic opposition. Make these drills repetitive until execution is smooth under time pressure.
- Weekly (30–45 min) — opening tune‑up: keep the core (e.g. French Defense), and pick one safe reply for the Scotch Game and the French Exchange to avoid early tactical shots.
- Session warmup (2–3 min) — 20 quick tactics + play your primary opening line once from both sides to get “in sync.”
Blitz checklist (use at the board)
- Before you move, ask: "Is any piece hanging? Any checks/captures for me or my opponent?"
- If you have under 20 seconds, switch to safe mode: simplify, avoid risky pawn storms, and pick moves that reduce tactics.
- When ahead in material, trade pieces and simplify; when behind, create complications or aim for counterplay (open lines, checks).
- On potential promotions/passed pawns, prioritize getting your king active or exchanging key pawns to stop the runner.
Games to review
Start with your recent win vs feniko85 to see how you converted a simplified advantage, then compare it with the loss vs kamporaa to spot where tactical oversight or time cost you the game. Replay the win below and pause at moments where you exchanged into a simpler position — ask: was that the easiest path to a win?
Quick metrics & takeaway
- Strength‑adjusted win rate ~ 0.499 — you're around break‑even vs similarly rated opponents; small improvements in time and tactical discipline will push you above.
- Recent short‑term dip (-30 last month) but positive medium/long trend (3‑ and 6‑month slopes). That means short‑term variance — keep the training focus above and it will smooth out.
Would you like a tailored 2‑week daily schedule based on how much time you can spend per day? I can make one for 15, 30 or 60 minutes daily.