stavangeref IM

Quick summary

Nice work — you converted a sharp Italian Game win with a tactical blow and active rooks, and you also picked up a time win in another game. Your recent form shows strong finishing ability when the position stays complicated, but time trouble and conversion in simplified positions remain areas to tidy up.

Recent games to review

Key game to revisit (win):

• stavangeref vs lookingforapromotion — tactical sacrifice on move 9, good piece activity, won by resignation. Inspect the tactical sequence and how you used rooks to create threats. Viewer below:

What you're doing well

• Sharp opening preparation — you play aggressive lines (Italian Game themes) and are comfortable launching early tactical shots (example: the Bxf7+ in your win).
• Piece activity — you consistently place rooks and bishops on active squares and exploit open files and ranks.
• Opening repertoire is strong in many lines (Scandinavian, Alapin Sicilian, Alekhine, Czech). Your openings winrate shows you get practical chances out of the opening.
• Ability to win on the clock when the opponent gets into time trouble — you keep complicating positions to create practical pressure.

Patterns to fix (quick list)

• Time trouble: you have wins and losses decided by the clock recently. Work on preserving enough time for the endgame and avoid overly long calculation earlier unless necessary.
• Simplified endgames: when material gets traded down, you sometimes drift into passive positions. Practice basic rook and king + pawn endgames so you can convert safely.
• Unnecessary trades: trading into unclear king-and-pawn endgames vs stronger endgame players can be risky. Evaluate who benefits from simplification before exchanging.
• Tactical oversights under time pressure: when the clock is low you miss defensive resources. Keep simple defensive checks (are there back-rank or forks?) before committing to a plan.

Concrete, actionable drills

• Daily tactics: 8–12 quality tactics a day with focus on quiet moves, deflection, and back-rank themes (20 minutes total).
• Endgame micro-sessions: 15 minutes, 3× weekly — practice rook + pawn vs rook, basic king + pawn, and opposition patterns. Aim to convert the simple positions you encounter after trades.
• One slow training game per week (15+10): play the same opening you use in blitz (Italian Game) and force yourself to convert an advantage in a long game — this builds technique you can reuse in blitz.
• Clock drills: play 5 blitz games where you deliberately stop on increment moves (practice using the 2-second increment to avoid flagging). Focus on 1 move per 15 seconds minimum in simplified positions.

Practical tips for the next 10–20 blitz games

• When ahead in material, prioritize simplifying into a winning king-and-pawn or rook ending only if you know the conversion technique; otherwise keep pieces to create concrete threats.
• Two-minute rule: if you drop below 40–50 seconds, switch to safe, practical moves (improve king safety, avoid speculative sacrifices) until you rebuild time.
• Before trading queens or rooks, spend 3–5 seconds asking: "Does the resulting endgame favor me?" If unsure, avoid the trade unless it wins material or forces mate.
• Use your openings that score best (Scandinavian, Alapin, Alekhine, Czech). These lines give you practical chances and save time in the opening phase.

Specific notes from the three recent games

• Win vs lookingforapromotion — you handled the sacrificial initiative well and converted with active rooks. Review the transition after the queen trade: your rooks found target squares quickly — repeat that pattern in training games.
• Win by time — good opportunism, but treat these as a warning: aim to reduce the number of games where the clock is the deciding factor by improving your midgame speed and using increment more reliably.
• Loss vs APetelin — the position simplified into a technical endgame and you lost on time. Work the typical pawn-structure plans and king activity for those positions so you can play fast and accurate moves when low on time.

7-day improvement plan (simple)

• Days 1–2: Tactics 20 minutes + 15 minutes rook endgame practice.
• Day 3: Play two 15+10 training games using your Italian Game setup; review both.
• Day 4: Clock drills — 5 blitz games focusing on not dropping below 30s; reflect on decision-making under 30s.
• Days 5–6: Tactics 20 minutes + 10 minutes of reviewing one lost game in depth (find the turning point).
• Day 7: Play a small 5-game blitz session aiming to apply one concrete change (e.g., avoid queen trades unless clearly better).

Where to focus long term

• Stabilize your rating by reducing time losses and improving endgame technique — small gains here give consistent rating improvements.
• Keep sharpening your opening lines that already score highly (Scandinavian, Alapin, Alekhine, Czech). Use those as your go-to blitz weapons.
• Work on converting small advantages — training long wins (slow games) and focused endgame practice will translate to better blitz conversion rates.

Closing — two quick reminders

• Before making a risky move when low on time ask: "If this fails, do I still have a simple safe move?" — that tiny habit cuts flag losses.
• Review one key winning game and one key losing game each week. The win shows what to repeat; the loss shows what to avoid.