Matfey Rogov FM

Hi Matfey!

You’ve shown impressive fighting spirit and creativity in your recent blitz games (peak: ). Here’s a concise review of the trends I see together with practical recommendations.

Quick Snapshot

• Preferred openings: off-beat Sicilians (2.a3), Latvian/Englund gambits, and early …f5 lines.
• Result pattern: many decisive games, with wins coming from tactical blows, losses often from the clock or endgame slips.
• Typical time usage: heavy front-loading—fast first 10 moves, then big thinks between move 15-25, leading to time trouble later.

Your Core Strengths

1. Sharp tactical vision. You convert imbalanced positions well, e.g. 16…Rg8+! 17.Kh3 Qh5# in the Latvian miniature.
2. Opening bravery. Surprise weapons like 2.a3 (Mengarini) confuse opponents and often steer the game out of theory quickly.
3. Resourceful in complications. Even when behind you create counter-play (see the passed a-pawn race vs fin).

Key Areas to Tidy Up

1. Time Management

Seven of your last ten losses were on time or in <10 s. Try:

• Adopt a “2-second rule” in simple recaptures—move instantly when there is only one safe reply.
• Use your opponent’s thinking time to pre-calculate forcing lines.
• Play a batch of 3 | 2 games each session to ingrain increment discipline.

2. Converting Winning Endgames

You reached a technically won rook ending against HalleysCommet but flagged after 70 moves. Focus on basic winning plans:

• Lucena & Philidor positions with rook pawns.
• “Cut-off” technique: keep the enemy king on the edge with horizontal checks.

3. Opening Efficiency

Your gambits are effective, but some early pawn moves slow development (e.g. 2.a3 without a clear follow-up). Consider:

• Replace 2.a3 with mainstream Anti-Sicilians (3.Bb5⁺ or 2.Nf3 3.c3) so you enter middlegames with equal or better structure but equal time.
• Against 1…e5 try the Vienna or Scotch to maintain initiative without excessive risk.

4. Safe-Guarding the King

Several defeats feature back-rank or diagonal mates after you opened lines near your own king. Build a habit of asking “What is my opponent threatening?” each move—especially after advancing flank pawns like h4/g4.

Illustrative Moments

Turning a plus into a loss (vs fin)

• White was still better with 47.Rc1! keeping the passer under control.
• Lesson: Stop the most dangerous pawn first; chase the king later.

Clinical attack (your win vs Khusenkhojaev)

• Great piece coordination and exploitation of light-square weaknesses.
• Replicate this discipline when you are on the defensive side.

Action Plan (Next 4 Weeks)

1. Bite-size endgame drills (10 min/day) – rook vs pawn endings, Lucena, Philidor.
2. Opening audit: create one mainline repertoire for White and Black; keep one surprise weapon only.
3. Blitz with increment – aim for ±0 time balance after move 20.
4. Post-game routine: tag each game as Tactical / Positional / Time-trouble and review just three moments—one success, two improvements.

Progress Tracking

Keep an eye on these dashboards as you train:

• Win rate by hour – spot fatigue zones:
• Day-of-week performance:

Glossary Corner

Need a refresher? Check: Lucena Position · Tempo · Zwischenzug

Stay disciplined with the clock, tighten your endgame technique, and keep that creative spark alive. I’m confident these tweaks will push you well past your current peak. Good luck, and enjoy the grind!