Soumya Swaminathan IM

Hi Soumya!

Below is a concise review of your latest Chess960 blitz sessions together with a practical improvement plan. All remarks come directly from the patterns I spotted in the PGNs you played on 30 May 2025.

What is already working

• Tactical alertness. You routinely punish loose pieces (e.g. 2…Bxa8!? in your win against wonderknight64). The quick sequence below is typical of your sharp eye:
  
• Piece activity over materialism. Even when you give material back (often an exchange), you do so for clear initiative.
• Psychological composure when ahead. In the games you won, once a material advantage was secured you converted without blundering it back.

Recurring pain points

• Time-trouble management. Three of your five recent losses were on the clock. You often reach <10 s by move 20 while your opponent still has >40 s.
• Premature pawn storms. Repeated thrusts like h4–h5, g4–g5 in neutral positions gave your opponent easy targets and weakened your own king (see loss vs. ystp_09).
• Neglect of the opposite wing. In the loss vs. woodpecker108 you expanded on the queenside but ignored the central break ...d5, allowing tactics on the dark squares.
• One-move tactics missed in defense. Motifs such as the simple fork Nf4–h3+ or a hidden zwischenzug slipped through when you were low on time.

Two-week action plan

1. Opening discipline for Chess960. Start each game by asking: “Where are my bishops aiming and where is my king safest?” Spend no more than 15 seconds on the first four moves, even if the position looks odd. Use that saved time later.
2. Drill king-safety heuristics. Before pushing any flank pawn, run the checklist: “Will this square be weak in three moves? Can my king hide behind it?” Annotate 10 of your own games marking every pawn push that violates the checklist.
3. Blitz time routine. • Play with an audible move confirmation sound.
   • Force yourself to hit the clock immediately after each forced recapture or obvious developing move.
   • Aim to stay >1 min until move 25. Use an online timer drill: make 25 legal moves in a random position inside 45 s five times a day.
4. Tactics from the defender’s side. Solve 30 puzzles/day where your side is already worse. Chess.com’s “defensive tactics” filter works well. Focus on motifs that rescued your opponents: double-attack, clearance, and desperado.

Quick reference

Peak blitz rating:  •  Performance by hour:

Keep sharpening your tactical vision, but pair it with a rock-solid time routine and king safety awareness. Small changes there will convert several of those narrow losses into wins.

Good luck in your next session!