Mariano Sana NM

What you’re doing well in blitz

You show a strong ability to seize initiative and push active plans, especially in middlegame battle and tactical skirmishes. In your recent winning games you demonstrated readiness to search for forcing lines and convert pressure into a decisive finish. You also tend to castle early and coordinate pieces well, which helps you keep king safety while your pieces work together in attacks.

• You recognize tactical chances and are able to assemble a mating net or force material gains when your opponent overextends.
• Your piece activity and king safety often lead to sharp, impressionable positions where you can press for concrete advantages.
• You convert advantages to a win in complex situations, showing resilience in the transition from middlegame to endgame.

Key improvements to focus on in the next weeks

• Time management in blitz: practice a simple decision hierarchy. In any position, quickly check material balance, immediate threats, and obvious tactical tries within 15-30 seconds. If nothing forcing appears, move to a solid developing plan to avoid time pressure later in the game.
• Endgame technique: strengthen rook endgames and king activity. In many blitz losses, accurate king placement and precise rook activity can save or convert draws into wins.
• Pattern recognition and blunder avoidance: build a routine of daily tactical puzzles ( forks, pins, skewers, and discovered attacks) to speed up correct instinct under time pressure.
• Opening solidity for blitz: choose 1-2 robust, easy-to-follow openings and study typical middlegame plans rather than deep theoretical lines. This helps you reach comfortable middlegames faster in most blitz games.

Concrete, short-term plan (2 weeks)

• Daily tactics the first 15 minutes: focus on pattern recognition and fast calculation. Use puzzles that emphasize tactical motifs you’ve encountered in recent games.
• Blitz practice sessions (2 per week): play 10+0 or 5+0 formats to reinforce quick decision making. After each session, write a one-minute note on a single position where you were uncertain and what you learned.
• Endgame drills (2 per week): practice rook endings with a clear plan (activate the king, activate the rook, push or stop pawns) and review one or two real games to identify where such endgames could have been reached more cleanly.
• Opening refinement (1 per week): lock in 1-2 openings you play often and learn their core middlegame plans. Use a simple repertoire cheat sheet to speed up early moves in blitz.

Opening guidance for blitz

Your openings show you have a diverse repertoire. For blitz, it’s helpful to consolidate around a small set of robust lines that lead to clear middlegames with straightforward plans. Consider prioritizing lines that you understand deeply and that lead to active, practical positions rather than overly theoretical branches. If you’d like, you can explore targeted ideas in specific openings you enjoy, for example the Italian Game or Scotch Game, and align them with consistent middlegame plans. Italian Game may be worth reinforcing for practical blitz battles, while a compact setup in another favorite could reduce decision time in the early middlegame.

If you want a quick reference to a few openings you’re using, I can tailor a short, practical cheat-sheet for you.

Profile note: marianosana

Tracking progress and next steps

Keep a simple, private log of your blitz sessions to monitor improvements in time management, accuracy in tactical positions, and endgame conversion. After two weeks, review one or two themed positions from your games to assess progress and adjust the plan accordingly.