Ruben Felgaer GM

Hi Ruben, here is your personalized post-match review

Quick snapshot

• Current peak blitz rating: 2935 (2025-02-18)
• Typical performance curve:

What you are already doing very well

• Tactical alertness. Your recent wins feature several in-between moves (Zwischenzug) and mating nets in time trouble (see 60…Qg8+–61…Qg6# in the Sicilian win).
• Central pawn breaks. In victories you often seize the initiative with …d5 (vs 2.Be2 Sicilian) or d5/d4 as White in the Alekhine game, converting space into activity quickly.
• Conversion technique when ahead. The endgame squeeze against Parthichess1 shows patient king walks (Kc6-Kb7-Kc6 …) and zugzwang creation.

Recurring problems spotted in the loss streak

1. Early queen excursions in the Pirc/Czech setups – moves such as 4…Qa5 and 14…Qc5+ left the queen exposed and slowed your development. After 18…O-O you were already down a tempo and a pawn.
   Critical sequence:
   
   – Black’s pieces are tied up and the d6-bishop is trapped.
2. Neglecting king safety in opposite-side castling races. Against Alan Pichot you allowed pawn storms (…g5/h5 as Black, or …g4/h4 as White) without securing flight squares, leading to decisive attacks.
3. Time pressure. In 8 of the last 10 losses you hit <15 s with a tense position still on the board. Good moves stop appearing when the clock is under 10 s.
4. Pawn-structure concessions on the queenside. Playing …b5/…b4 vs. White’s a4/a5 in the Dragon and Pirc left weak dark-square holes (c6, d5) that strong opponents exploited.

Targeted recommendations

• Repair the Pirc/Czech branch. Until you have time to patch the move-order details, consider switching to the more solid Classical Pirc with …e5 avoided, or adopt the 1…e5 repertoire you already use successfully against 1.e4.
• Homework drill: Load the position after 14…Qc5+ (diagram above) into an engine and play against Leela-0.5 sec/move from both sides until you can hold it comfortably.
• Add a “safety check” to your thinking routine. Before pushing flank pawns in opposite-side castling positions, ask “Can my king breathe if my pawn lands two squares forward?” – this would have flagged 20…g5?! in the 05-05 loss.
• Clock management micro-goal: Aim to keep ≥45 s by move 25. A simple trick is to hit the clock immediately after making an obvious recapture and think during your opponent’s time.
• Structural study. Work through 10 model games on the theme “hanging pawns vs. minor-piece activity” – this mirrors many of your Slav and English positions.

Practice plan for the next week

Keep an eye on these metrics

• Average time left on your clock after move 20.
• Win-rate with Black against 1.e4 before and after the repertoire tweak.
• Accuracy in engine review – strive for <15 % “miss” rate in critical positions.

Final encouragement

You are already competing – and winning – against elite blitz players. A small improvement in opening hygiene and time handling will translate into a significant Elo jump. Good luck, and keep the pieces coordinated!