Stanisław Żyłka IM

What went well in your recent rapid games

• You often choose active, tactical setups and keep the initiative in sharp positions. That willingness to play on the edge helps you create chances and test your opponent’s defenses early in the game.
• Your piece activity and coordination in open positions were strong in several games. When lines opened, your minor pieces (knights and bishops) found active squares and pressed your opponents' weaknesses.
• You demonstrated resilience in several openings, staying flexible and adapting your plan as the middlegame unfolded. This suggests good practical understanding and an ability to adjust on the fly during a game.

Key areas to improve

• Defence and king safety in sharp lines: in some recent rapid games, tactical surges from the opponent exposed back rank and king safety issues. Strengthen automatic checks for back-rank weaknesses and ensure your king safety is maintained when you push for activity.
• Time management under pressure: in tight, tactical middlegames you can gain time by guiding the flow with a simple plan and avoiding over-analysis in complex branches. Practice quick prioritization to secure critical moments for your best ideas.
• Endgame conversion: when you gain a small edge, focus on converting it methodically. Work on practical endgame techniques (king activity, simplifying with a clear plan, and knowing key pawn endgames) to turn advantages into wins.
• Repertoire consolidation: you show comfort in several aggressive lines, but scattered choices can make preparation harder for both you and your opponents. Consider focusing on 1-2 solid White setups and 1-2 Black responses to deepen understanding and reduce surprising surprises.

Openings and plan

You’ve shown good results across a mix of aggressive and solid openings. To build on that strength, try the following:

• Consolidate a core White repertoire around 1.e4 or 1.d4 with a couple of reliable, flexible systems (for example, a clean Italian family or a calm Colle/English approach). This helps you develop a consistent middlegame plan and reduces guesswork under time pressure.
• For Black, lean on a 1...e5 or 1...c5 foundation that you understand deeply (for example, Caro-Kann or a solid Scandinavian-style setup). Mastery of a few main lines will make your middlegames smoother and your opponent’s preparation harder.
• Study common middlegame plans that arise from these openings. Focus on typical ideas rather than memorizing long move sequences—knowing the plan helps you react quickly to your opponent’s deviations.

Training plan and drills

• Tactics: dedicate 15–20 minutes daily to tactical puzzles that reflect your chosen openings’ typical themes (forks, discovered attacks, mating nets, and therapeutic moves to neutralize threats).
• Endgames: practice practical endings that occur after your preferred openings (queen vs rook endings, rook endgames with pawns, and king activity in simplified positions).
• Opening study: pick 2 White openings and 2 Black responses as your core repertoire. For the next 2–3 weeks, study the main lines and the typical middlegame ideas, not just the first 10 moves.
• Game review habit: after each rapid game, write down the critical moment where the game swung, what your plan was, and one correction you would apply next time to avoid a similar issue.
• Practice target: set a weekly goal to win at least one game from a clearly defined plan (e.g., "achieve a playable endgame after 25 moves" or "maintain pressure on the kingside after initiating a flank pawn advance").

Next steps

• Choose 1–2 White openings and 1–2 Black responses to build a coherent short-term repertoire. Start actively playing them in practice games and focus on the core middlegame ideas they lead to.
• Include a quick endgame drill in your routine, aiming to convert positions with a material or activity edge into wins in the last 10 moves.
• Review your most recent challenging game (the sharp, mate-ending line) and extract one concrete improvement you can apply in your next match (for example, reduce counterplay against your king by prioritizing king safety in the middlegame).

For a quick profile reference, you can check your recent activity here: stanis%C5%82aw%20%C5%BCy%C5%82ka