Quick summary
Nice energy in the win: you turned dynamic chances into a direct mating net. In the loss you let a passed a‑pawn / rook invasion decide the game — the sort of endgame that is avoidable with a few small precautions. Below are concrete, short, mobile‑friendly points you can act on in blitz training.
Game highlights — your recent win (vs Ruslan Gadzhiev)
Opening: Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation — you played aggressively and created long‑term kingside pressure.
- You identified and executed the f5–f4 pawn break at the right moment. That pawn advance (and the follow up f3) forced White to create weaknesses and opened lines for your pieces.
- Good piece activity and coordination — you used the queen and rooks to invade and kept the White king unbearably exposed with repeated checks (Rg4 / Rf4 / Rh4 sequence).
- You converted tactical pressure into a mating net instead of trading into a dry endgame — closed the game decisively with a queen infiltration (Qg4#).
- Practical blitz technique: you kept probing checks and did not allow White time to regroup. That sort of relentless pressure is ideal in short time controls.
Interactive replay (review the critical pawn push and the queen finish):
What to tighten — the recent loss (vs Emre Can)
Critical theme: conversion and prevention in rook + pawn endings. The game ended with Black’s rook invading and an a‑pawn racing to a2 — that was the decisive factor.
- Watch for rook infiltration along 7th/2nd ranks. After your Rxb5 and later exchanges you allowed Black counterplay on the c/a files (Rc4 → Rc2 → Ra2). In blitz those files become lethal fast.
- Avoid simplifying into positions where the opponent gets a protected passed pawn and an active rook. If you trade queens/major pieces, check whether an outside passed pawn will appear — and stop it if you can.
- Calculation: the sequence 36...Rc2 → 37.Rxf7 Rxa2 showed that the capture on f7 leaves the a‑file vulnerable. Before tactical captures, quickly verify the opponent’s counterplay on the side you leave behind.
- Endgame technique: refreshing Philidor/Lucena ideas and rook activity drills will reduce losses like this one.
Concrete training plan (blitz friendly)
- Daily 20–30 minute blitz session focusing on one theme: Day A = pawn breaks (practice f5–f4 type pushes in Najdorf), Day B = rook endgames (10–15 min of Lucena/Philidor positions + 10 practical training games), Day C = tactics (10–15 min puzzles focusing on mating nets and rook sacs).
- 10 tactical puzzles after each session — force yourself to calculate 2–3 candidate moves before checking the answer.
- One post‑mortem per day: pick one blitz loss/win, annotate the two turning points (one move you liked, one move you suspect was wrong). That habit catches repetitive mistakes.
- Practice “prophylaxis check” in openings: before executing a local tactic (e.g., Rxf7), ask “What counterplay activates if I take?” — avoid immediate simplifications that create a passed pawn for the opponent.
Short checklist to use during blitz
- If you have an outside passed pawn for the opponent — stop it now or trade into a favorable king/rook activity situation.
- Before pawn pushes like f5–f4 ask: does this open lines for my rooks/queen or for the opponent?
- When ahead, prefer activity over immediate trades unless the trade leaves no counterplay for the opponent.
- 2‑minute rule: if less than 2 minutes remain, simplify only if you’re sure the opponent’s counterplay is nil.
Follow up & placeholders for review
If you want, I can:
- Annotate the loss move‑by‑move and give 3 alternative plans around move 32–38.
- Create 7 blitz drills (tactics + rook endgames + Najdorf pawn storms) you can rotate for a week.
- Prepare a short video script (90s) you can record to practice explaining the decisive moments — explaining helps consolidate learning.
Tell me which option you prefer and I’ll prepare the material. Also, if you want the win replay embedded in a study page I can expand the PGN viewer or extract the key three critical positions for targeted analysis.