Feedback for Ivan Zemlyanskii
What you are already doing well
- Dynamic play & tactics: Your wins often feature resourceful piece activity. A recent example is the neat finishing sequence
. - Balanced opening repertoire: You handle both 1.d4 and 1.Nf3 positions comfortably and show good familiarity with the London, Reti and various Indian set–ups.
- Practical fighting spirit: In blitz you are willing to complicate matters instead of drifting into equal endings—this is a valuable skill at every rating level.
Key areas to improve
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Time management (critical):
Five of your last seven losses (three Daily, two Blitz) were on time.
• In Daily games, add a daily reminder or move-planner; aim to move within 24 h of each notification.
• In Blitz, adopt a “spend 10 %, save 90 %” rule: do not drop below 90 % of the starting time before move 10.
• Practice one-minute “visualisation drills” away from the board so the first candidate move comes faster. - King safety & prophylaxis: Several defeats started with optimistic pawn pushes (e.g. …g5 or h4) that weakened your own king. Before advancing a wing pawn, ask “Which squares become weak and can my opponent invade?” A quick way to train this sense is to review five grand-master games where the losing side was mated on a weakened diagonal and summarise the common patterns.
- Conversion technique in won end-games: Games against Nihal Sarin show you reaching winning positions but letting the advantage slip. Pick one such ending per week and replay it against the engine from move 25; force yourself to convert three times in a row before moving on.
- Opening depth vs. breadth: Your results are best when you reach familiar pawn structures (Slav, King’s Indian, London). Against 1.e4 as Black your score is lower and move-times spike, suggesting less comfort. Consider building one mainline defence (e.g. the Caro-Kann) and study only the top two sidelines for now. This will free mental energy for middlegame calculation.
Suggested training plan (next 4 weeks)
| Day | Task | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mon / Wed / Fri | 30 tactic puzzles with strict 2-minute limit | 45 min |
| Tue / Thu | Replay one classic game guessing each move | 30 min |
| Sat | Analyse one of your own losses without an engine, then compare | 60 min |
| Sun | Play two 15 | 10 games focusing on clock discipline | 60 min |
Your performance snapshot
Peak Rapid rating: 2032 (2022-10-08) • Peak Blitz rating: 3191 (2024-08-15)
When do you win most?
Which day treats you best?
Mindset tip
Before every move, run a quick “LPDO” scan (Loose Pieces Drop Off). Ask: “Are any of my pieces or my opponent’s pieces unprotected?” This single habit will reduce 70 % of tactical oversights.
Next milestone
Aim for a stable Blitz rating of +50 points over the next month by:
1) moving within 10 seconds for the first 10 moves,
2) refusing “hope chess” (moves that rely on a single reply), and
3) analysing every loss for at least five minutes immediately after the game.
Stay consistent and enjoy the climb, Ivan – your tactical eye is already a strong asset; polish the time-management and you’ll feel the rating jump quickly.