spiritofwonder GM

Quick recap of the recent mini‑sample

Good work converting the tactical chances in your win vs Ruslan Gadzhiev. The losses vs VeryOldMuchSlow and Xiao Tong show two recurring practical weaknesses: time management and failing to stop opponent pawn‑races / counterplay. Below I summarise strengths, weaknesses, and simple, actionable drills.

What you're doing well

• You find and execute tactical shots under pressure — the decisive sac + pawn‑push in the win shows good calculation when you slow down.
• Strong king activation in the endgame and good technique converting passed pawns once the opponent’s pieces are tied up.
• Good coordination between rooks and bishops in middlegame fights; you convert small advantages into concrete threats.
• You keep fighting in unclear positions instead of liquidating into dead draws — that yields more practical chances in blitz.

Main areas to improve (high impact)

• Time management: several games end with you low on clock or losing on time. That costs wins and accuracy.
• Pawn‑race awareness: losses show opponents queening or creating unstoppable passed pawns. Count pawn races early and trade/ block as needed.
• King safety in simplifications: avoid back‑rank and mating nets when simplifying; give the king a flight square or keep a defending piece active.
• Opening simplification in blitz: reduce theory depth by choosing lines that lead to comfortable, familiar middlegames so you don’t burn time early.

Concrete drills — next 2 weeks

• Tactics sprint: 12–15 puzzles daily (focus: pins, forks, discovered checks, mating nets). Keep sessions short and focused (10–15 minutes).
• Endgame practice: three drills per week — king + pawn vs king (promotion races), basic rook endgames (Lucena), and simple queen vs queen endgame checks (20–30 minutes total).
• Clock discipline: play 10 blitz games at 3|2 (3 minutes + 2s increment) to build habit of keeping 15–25s on the clock. After 2–3 days, return to 3|0 and keep the habit.
• Opening streamlining: pick 2 opening systems you’ll play as White and Black for blitz. Learn typical plans rather than long move lists.

Practical checklist during a blitz game

• Before you move: quick 3‑question scan — Is my king safe? Are there hanging pieces? Does the opponent have pawn breaks next turn?
• If you have <15 seconds: avoid risky deep calculations — make safe active moves or force simplifications.
• When both sides have passed pawns: count moves to promotion for both kings/pawns — if you lose the race, search for piece trades or checks that change the race.

Annotated clutch sequence — your recent win (clean PGN)

Replay the clean move sequence from your win vs Ruslan Gadzhiev to study the sac, the follow‑up, and the pawn march. Use it to practice the pattern “sacrifice to clear defenders + king/pawn activation.”

Simple weekly plan (repeatable)

• Mon/Wed/Fri: 15 min tactics + 10 min endgame drills.
• Tues/Thu: 5 rapid games 10|0 (practice thinking time), 5 blitz 3|2 (practice clock habit).
• Sat: one 15|10 game, deep review of turning points (15 minutes).
• Sun: annotate one win and one loss; write one improvement action for next week.

Want more?

• If you like, I can create a 7‑day micro plan focused only on clock management, tactics, or endgames.
• I can also annotate any one of the losses move‑by‑move and point out the 3 critical moments where things went wrong — tell me which game you want analysed.