Rudi Olenik Campa FM

Quick summary

Rudi — your recent blitz block shows clear patterns: good opening familiarity and willingness to fight for active play, but repeated time trouble and a few tactical oversights cost you games (including a loss on time). Below are focused, practical fixes you can apply immediately.

Recent games / examples

Notable recent opponents: romanmart, Nurassyl Primbetov, Alexey Furtuna.

Example to review: Scandinavian game vs romanmart — replay a short portion to see the flow from opening to endgame:

• Opening: Scandinavian Defense (Qa5 lines)
• PGN excerpt (first phase):

Studying this kind of short replay helps spot recurring time and decision issues without getting lost in long games.

What you’re doing well

• You play active setups and seek piece activity rather than passivity — that’s ideal in blitz.
• Your opening knowledge is solid: you consistently reach playable middlegames from lines like the Scandinavian Defense and French Defense: Exchange Variation.
• You convert chances when opponents give you clear target(s) — you press when material or space gains appear.

Main areas to improve

• Time management — multiple games ended in time trouble (including a loss on time). In 3‑minute games you must reserve 10–15 seconds for the critical final sequence. Practical fixes below.
• Tactical precision in the early middlegame — you give up material or allow tactical shots (forks, discovered attacks) after simplifying or accepting captures. Slow down for 3–5 seconds on captures that change the balance.
• Endgame technique under clock — you reached pawn race / king-and-pawn endings where precise tempo moves win or draw; practice a few common king+rook/pawn themes so those moves become automatic.
• Opening choice in blitz — some of your lines are sharp or require long theory (e.g., certain French and Sveshnikov anti-lines). Prefer straightforward, low-theory lines when short on time.

Concrete fixes (apply next session)

• Set a micro-plan before move 10: decide whether you want simplify, attack, or trade pieces — this reduces thinking time later.
• When you have ≤30 seconds, switch to a “tactical filter”: check your opponent’s checks, captures, and threats before every move (5–7 second checklist).
• Replace one sharp opening line with a simpler system for blitz. Example: against the Scandinavian, swap to quieter main-lines or trade queens early if you want to avoid long theory.
• Use the training clock: play 10 games with an extra 2‑second increment (3|2) to practice converting without flagging; if you don’t have increments online, practice moving faster in non-critical moments (develop before the opponent creates threats).

Practical training plan (2 weeks)

• Daily (15–25 minutes): 15 tactical puzzles focusing on forks, discovered attacks and pins. Blitz mistakes are often immediate tactical misses.
• 3× per week (20 minutes): endgame drills — king+pawn vs king, rook endgames, and simple pawn races. Work until the key plans are automatic.
• 2× per week (30–45 minutes): review 5 of your recent losses; for each, write down one turning point and one alternative move you could have played under time pressure.
• Weekend: play a 10‑game blitz batch with a checklist: opening plan, target, simplify/complicate decision at move 12–16, and a final 30-second buffer for the endgame.

Micro-checklist to use during blitz

• Before moving: did my opponent create any new checks, captures, threats? (quick scan)
• If I capture: am I leaving a piece en prise or opening a file to a back rank?
• Do I have an extra 20–30 seconds banked for the final phase? If not, simplify or choose safe repeats.
• Endgame: centralize your king early and avoid unnecessary pawn moves that create outside passers for the opponent.

Next steps I recommend

• For your next 25 blitz games: intentionally play 10 with simplified openings and 15 normal — compare how many games you lose on time or to simple tactics.
• Keep a 1‑page log of three lessons from each losing game this week (turning point, candidate move missed, time left).
• After two weeks, we'll reassess and add targeted drills (e.g., a focused battery on queen/rook endgames if those remain weak).

Parting note

Your fundamentals are strong — active play and opening familiarity are big strengths in blitz. Small changes in time management and a short tactical/endgame routine will convert those close losses into wins. If you want, I can make a 2‑week training plan tailored to your exact opening choices (pick 2–3 blitz openings to keep).