Rahul Ragunathan

Quick summary

Nice mix of clean tactical wins and sharp attacking play — you create chances and go for the throat in blitz. Lately your rating trend has dipped, so small, targeted improvements will convert those chances into a steadier win rate.

Highlights — what you did well

• Active piece play and direct attacking instinct — in your mate vs adhin04 you used piece coordination and a decisive queen check to finish (good eye for weak back-rank and f7 target).
• Willingness to sacrifice for initiative — you don’t shy away from tactical ideas (this is great in blitz when opponents rarely defend perfectly).
• Comfortable with kingside play and opening the g-/h-files — you exploit open lines quickly and punish passive kings.
• Wide opening repertoire gives you practical chances — your wins from less-common systems show creativity and surprise value.

Recurring weaknesses to fix

• King safety & back-rank awareness — a couple of losses (for example the Qg2 mate) came from not neutralising opponent threats or leaving escape squares closed. Always check for an enemy queen invasion and back-rank motifs before committing a pawn push.
• Tactical oversights in messy positions — you create complications but sometimes miss the opponent’s countershots (watch for forks, skewers and discovered checks).
• Converting an advantage — when you win material or get a strong initiative, pick safe ways to simplify and trade into a won endgame instead of continuing to complicate unnecessarily.
• Opening consistency — you play many systems. That gives surprise value but also means repeating strategic mistakes. Pick 2–3 main systems and learn the typical plans and pawn breaks for each.

Concrete, short drills (do 20–30 min daily)

• Tactics: 20 puzzles a day focusing on pins, forks and mating patterns (end each set by reviewing any you missed).
• Back‑rank check: habit drill — before each move ask: “Is my king safe? Any back-rank mates for me or them?”
• 10-minute blitz sessions with the specific goal: if you win material, force one simplification within 6 moves (practice converting).
• Opening plans: pick two systems (example: Modern as Black and Bishop's Opening as White). Learn the 3 typical pawn breaks and a 5‑move plan for each side.

Game-specific notes (from the recent PGNs)

• Vs adhin04 — excellent piece coordination and an eye for the weak f7 square. Keep building these pattern-recognition wins (queen into f7, rooks on open files).
• Vs rjsaraf (loss by checkmate) — the decisive idea exploited an undefended diagonal to your king. Next time: before pushing pawns in front of your king or trading away escape squares, scan for checks and queen infiltration points.
• Vs kungfuslumm — you showed good timing for tactical strikes and used exchanged pieces actively. Don’t rush the finish; ensure king safety after the tactic (sometimes opponent’s counterplay remains dangerous).

Simple checklist to use during blitz

• Before each move: 1) Any capture or threat by opponent? 2) Any immediate tactic (for/against)? 3) Is my king safe? (quick back-rank check)
• If down material: trade pieces, not pawns, to increase swindling chances.
• If ahead: reduce opponent activity — trade a minor piece or force a simplification.
• In time trouble: switch to “safety mode” — avoid speculative sacrifices, simplify the position.

Two-week practice plan (minimum effort, big gains)

• Week 1: Daily 20 tactics + 3x 5-minute blitz focusing on back‑rank checks. Study the final 5 moves of your win vs adhin04 to internalize the mating pattern. (Use the embedded replay below to review on your phone.)
• Week 2: Pick two openings and learn the 5-move plan for each side. Continue 15–20 tactics daily and do cloud games where your goal is “convert advantages safely”.

Replay (most instructive win):

Final encouragement + next steps

You have the instincts and the tactical sense to score a lot in blitz. Make back-rank awareness and a short, repeatable opening plan your priority — those two fixes will arrest the recent rating slide and turn more of your sharp games into wins. If you want, I can create a tailored 2‑week training log with daily tasks and exact puzzles based on your missed tactics — tell me which area you want to prioritize first (tactics, openings, time management, or endgames).