Ivashentseva Dominika WCM

Strengths observed in your blitz play

You tend to look for active, practical chances even in tight positions. This willingness to complicate can put pressure on opponents and create opportunities to escape tricky lines. You also demonstrate resilience, continuing to fight for the initiative and keep fights alive when the position is dynamic. In several games, your willingness to press and seek concrete play helped you generate practical winning chances.

Key areas to focus on for improvement

• Opening preparation: Your recent games show a mix of openings. Narrow your repertoire to 2–3 reliable lines and study their typical middlegame plans so you start each game with a clear idea rather than improvising from the first few moves.
• Time management in blitz: Try to allocate your clock more evenly and avoid spending too long on non-critical moves. Develop a simple 2-step approach: (1) pick a concrete plan or target and (2) quickly verify only the major forcing options.
• Endgame technique: In blitz, converting advantages in rook endings and simplified endgames is common. Practice standard rook endgames, king activity, and technique for converting material plus position to a win.
• Calculation discipline: Improve efficiency by focusing on forcing moves (checks, captures, threats) first. If a line seems unclear, switch to a safe, solid alternative rather than over-calculating deeply without a clear plan.
• Pattern recognition and pawn structures: Build familiarity with typical pawn structures arising from your preferred openings (for example, Alapin Sicilian or related lines). Recognizing typical plans and break ideas will help you choose stronger continuations faster.
• Trading with a purpose: Avoid trades that reduce your winning chances or transform a favorable position into a mere equal one. Trade to simplify when ahead or to activate your pieces, not just to relieve tension.

Practical training plan for the next 4 weeks

• Daily tactics: Solve 15–20 tactical puzzles focusing on patterns you encounter often (forks, pins, double attacks, clearance, Euwe-style king safety ideas).
• Endgame practice: Do two short rook endgame drills per week and review basic king-and-rook technique, aiming to convert a simple win from a rook endgame in under 15 moves.
• Opening study (2–3 lines): Pick your main lines (e.g., Alapin Sicilian and a flexible reply) and learn 12–15 typical middlegame plans for each, including common pawn breaks and piece maneuvers.
• Post-game review routine: After each blitz game, spend 5–10 minutes noting the turning point, a better alternative move, and whether you followed your planned approach.
• Time-saving habits: During games, first identify a plan, then scan for only the two strongest variations to confirm your move choice, reducing time pressure on critical moments.

Openings guidance aligned with your repertoire

Your openings show engagement with several dynamic choices. Consider consolidating around a few lines and building solid middlegame plans. For example, refine your approach in the Alapin Sicilian family to emphasize quick central control, and pair it with a flexible reply to avoid getting pushed into passive positions. Practice typical pawn breaks and counterplay ideas that arise in the Australian Defense and related setups so you can respond with confidence when opponents apply early pressure.

Post-game review routine suggestion

Adopt a short, consistent post-game routine after each blitz game: (1) identify the key turning point, (2) write down one better alternative move, (3) check if you followed your planned approach, (4) note any time pressure moments and how you managed them. This habit will reinforce learning from both wins and losses and help you track progress over time.

Optional note

If you’d like, I can annotate specific recent games move-by-move to illustrate concrete improvement opportunities. You can share additional PGNs or tag particular positions you found challenging. ivashentseva%20dominika