Overall Performance and Progress
Gunnar, your recent blitz results reflect solid growth and a positive trajectory. Your strength-adjusted win rate sits just above 50%, which indicates you are consistently competitive against players of similar strength. Notably, your rating has improved by 63 points in the past month and an impressive 256 points over the last six months, demonstrating sustained development.
Your rating trend slopes across 1, 3, 6, and 12 months all show an upward slope, with your 3-month slope especially strong at 74, suggesting a period of rapid improvement recently. Keep building on this momentum!
Opening Play Insights
Reviewing your games reveals you frequently handle openings like the Pirc Defense and the French Defense, among others. Your choice to enter dynamic and somewhat less common lines such as the Pirc Defense Classical Chigorin Line shows a willingness to engage in complex positions, which matches well with blitz play.
- In your win against Eric Liu, you navigated the Pirc Defense smoothly, applying pressure with pawn breaks and timely piece activity.
- You also executed a strong attack in the Four Knights Game Scotch Variation game against Novendra Priasmoro, converting tactical motifs into a clean checkmate.
Continuing to deepen your understanding of these openings and their typical middlegame themes will help you convert advantages more frequently.
Areas for Improvement
Looking at your recent losses, a few themes emerge:
- Early tactical vulnerability: In the game against Momchil Petkov, the loss came from a tactical shot early in the middlegame. Improving your tactical awareness and calculation speed could help you avoid such setbacks.
- Endgame technique: Some losses involved complex endgame positions where small inaccuracies led to defeat. Practicing endgames and simplified positions will increase your resilience and confidence in these phases.
- Time management: Winning some games on time suggests you have speed, but occasionally you also lost on time or due to rapid opponent pressure. Refining your clock management can reduce time trouble mistakes in blitz.
Focusing training on these areas—tactics, endgames, and time control—will complement your expanding opening repertoire and overall strategy.
Next Steps
- Continue analyzing critical moments from your losses, especially before move 20, to spot tactical oversights early.
- Set aside time to drill common endgame positions to improve your technique and reduce errors under time pressure.
- Work on balancing speed with precision: practice playing with increment and use online puzzles with time constraints.
- Maintain your focus on openings you are comfortable with while gradually exploring sidelines to keep opponents guessing.
Your strong rating gains and positive trends reflect dedication and talent. Keep studying, practicing, and enjoying the game!